Whale Watching in Auke Bay

Once we arrived at the docks of Auke Bay, we boarded our boat run by Allen Marine Tours. The crew was great and knowledgeable and there were salmon samples to try and snacks and drinks for purchase. I opted for the obvious and tried an Alaskan beer, Summer Ale variety, along the way. Tasty.

It wasn't long before we had our first sighting. A mother and calf surfacing just ahead.



We hung close to the pair for a while and everyone yelled with excitement once the mother's fluke cleared the water. What most folks didn't know was that this happens when they dive, meaning they will be out of sight for quite a while as they feed.



Unexpectedly, as the pair fed, what appeared to be a large male surfaced behind the boat and gave up some nice views before dropping beneath the waves.



Venturing farther in search of more whales, a small pod surfaced near the shoreline. Seems like another calf was in this group. Note the smaller fluke in between the two larger humps.



Flying past the ship was the one shot I have of another Lifer. A Mew Gull.



This pod was very active at the surface. We are told that it is not swallow here. The drop-off goes over 100 feet just off shore!



Soon, up with the fluke and they were gone.



The captain got a radio call that another pod was located farther up the bay to he increased speed and we spent about 15-20 minutes making our way toward the action. Finally, I could spot the spouts from the pod and pointed. I gotta a "Good job!" for helping out.



The boat edged closer to the pod and then everyone was surprised when the whales surfaced en masse in an excellent display of bubble net feeding! A great description of this behavior can be read here.



Not too much later, they did it again! You never know exactly where they will come up so I could only manage a brief shot. This one is more cropped to show the gaping mouth of a feeding adult.



The boat followed the pod for a while longer. They continued to surface and spout as the sun began to drop lower in the sky.



Knowing that the tour was about to end, we continue to watch and admire these giants of the ocean. Just as we were turning about to head to the docks the pod rose again! Too bad we couldn't stay any longer. It is an amazing sight.



A very exciting day! Now, back to the ship and on to Skagway.

Marbled Murrelet in Auke Bay

Heading out on our whale watching tour at Auke Bay I spotted a small bird on the calm surface. Another Lifer: Marbled Murrelet.



There were some on the trip up the coast but this one was close enough for a good confirming look.



Very cute little things. Nice to watch them come up with fish captured on short dives.



Wow. An actual short post! Catch your breath, though. Next one could be a long one. Next up: Humpbacked Whales!!

Mendenhall Glacier

Wasn't sure what to expect as we headed toward Mendenhall Glacier. We saw a lot of pretty flowers along the way. Suddenly, when the glacier came into view over the trees I figured the sight would be interesting. The first sight out of the bus didn't disappoint. As you can imagine, we don't get many glaciers just outside of our town in Orlando.



However amazing it was, I was quickly distracted by feathered critters zooming by all over. After I got some family shots in front of the glacier, I headed over to the bus shelter where I noticed a couple birds flying towards over and over. Sure enough, Barn Swallows had nests right there over the heads of the crowds.



We headed up the path to the visitor's center. There were many interesting flowers along the way. I had to research them when we got home. There was Northern Yarrow...



...Lupine...



...and something called Goat's Beard. All of these flowers were plentiful all over the Alaska countryside.



We made a brief tour of the visitor's center and then headed down toward the glacial lake to get a better view of the waterfall. The trail led all the way out but we were short on time so a photo is all we could manage.



Down by the water's edge my wife tipped me off to a chipping sound in the grasses. I couldn't leave until I discovered what was in there. Turned out to be a pair of Lincoln's Sparrows, a Life Bird! They were too fast for a photo so I had to settle for a shot of another Lifer, an Arctic Tern.



On the paved path back from the lake we marveled at some other native flowers growing on the granite boulders. You can't miss the bright Fireweed.



We almost missed the other plant down in the shadows. It is called Prickly Saxifrage.



Thinking it was some sort of moss, I later discovered by looking closer at the photo that the plant is actually made up of stiff, sharp-looking leaves. Kind of like an aloe. The flowers are really pretty with their little red-orange spots on white petals.



We had to head back to the bus but I made a detour down onto the small boardwalk by the bus lanes. A father and his kids were looking at something in the trees but I couldn't see what it was. A little farther down the walk I saw another person starting at a tree. There in the gloom I could just make it out. A Porcupine!



Next adventure? Going on a whale watching trip just up the road at Auke Bay.

Arrival in Juneau

We arrived at Juneau and tied up to the dock. Still had some time before we could head off to our excursions so I stared out over the balcony as we waited. A dark shape moved in over the port and I tried my best to snap some shots of this bird as it nearly blended in to the dark trees.



My conclusion is that it was a Golden Eagle. Just wish it would have come closer. These shots are heavily cropped.



Sticking by my decision. I have scoured the internet and every book I own on birds. And there are many...



The bird eventually settled on a tree and I lost sight of it. Nice adrenaline rush, regardless. Now off to new sights!

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.