Tracy Arm Birds

Yes, birds! I did take some time to actually look for birds as we ventured through the Tracy Arm fjord.

One of my main target birds for this trip was the Black-legged Kittiwake. I stepped out on the 4th deck to get a better view of our surroundings and a couple were just passing by the boat. Moments later, they were gone. So, not a fantastic shot but nice enough to get started.



As we moved along we came to a spot where a waterfall was entering the water. Hundreds of birds were flying toward this spot and few passed in front of us. Half of the flocks seemed to be Surf Scoters, pronounced ScOH-ter. Long O.



These sea ducks are fairly common on the Pacific but usually farther out.



The distinctive orange bill and white head patches are easily seen up close.



Most of the other flocks were primarily White-winged Scoters. Easy to tell the difference when they are in flight!



Completing the species list in the feeding flock were Pigeon Gullimots. Hard to determine at a long distance but we finally had a few fly close enough to the bow for a nice shot against the blue water.



Rounding out the bird list, there was a flock of Northwestern Crows ignoring the waterfall and heading to feed on the small beach nearby.



OK. One more shot. I am not the best with gulls. Especially early-cycle gulls. Gulls take up to 4 years to achieve adult plumage. If anyone knows what these gulls that were sitting on ice on the way out are, please fling a guess my way!



Time to head to Juneau!

Tracy Arm Waterfalls

So, forgive me one more post without birds. Here is a collection of waterfalls we passed in and out of the fjord. This post will take a lot of scroll time, only due to most of the shots being verticals. Let's begin!

Waterfalls are plentiful as the glacier ice melts far above.



The shear cliffs provide plenty of chances for spectacular falls.



Sometimes their source is obscured by the thick trees, only to come into view just before they enter the waterway.



Other times they cascade in huge rushes.



This group enjoyed the view from the hot tub. The rest of us decided to keep our clothes on.



Interesting to see how many twists and turns the water would take.



Every now and then it spread out in a veil pattern.



Almost makes me want to try a water slide!



Simply beautiful. A great flowing touch to the huge mountaintop glaciers kissing the clouds.

Tracy Arm Icebergs

The next leg of our trip takes us to Tracy Arm to check out some glaciers and hope to find some new birds. Forgive me if this post is nearly devoid of the winged ones.



We arrive at Tracy Arm early in the morning. On the way I spotted a Humpbacked Whale in the distance and then something else floating nearby. A small iceberg! We must be almost there. We make our way up Stephen's Passage with the 4th level deck now open for viewing the landscape.

More and more began to appear as we rounded the turn into the fjord. Here are my favorite shots of icebergs during our journey in and out of the area. Right at the entrance was a large, gorgeous blue block of ice.



OK. Here are some birds. Numerous gulls rest on an iceberg near the mouth of the fjord.



Up on the cliffs rest the edges of the glaciers that drop the icebergs into the water.



I loved this view as we reached the farthest reach of our visit here.



We were all waiting to see this nice coloration of the bergs. Dig the nearly square block resting on top.



I could have stared at these chunks of ice all day.



But we had a port to get to, so back to the Crow's Nest to watch our return to Stephen's Passage.



Not done with Tracy Arm just yet. There were waterfalls galore and I have a lot of shots for the next post.