Red Bluff Bay
We woke up this morning in a gorgeous waterway called Red Bluff bay. There were mist-shrouded mountains all around the narrow fjord, where the shores were so close to us that we could hear bird calls. We spotted a huge brown bear on the meadow ahead of us! For 30 minutes, we watched it eat sedges as it moved across the meadow. Two bald eagles landed on the beach to feed on fish they had caught. The ship turned and headed for a large waterfall across the bay. As we approached, we could see the cascade falling hundreds of feet and could hear the beautiful sound of rushing water. Then, we noticed the Red Bluff that gives the bay its name. It is a rare peridotite rock that has a chemistry that prevents trees from growing on it and rusts to a red color. All of this occurred before breakfast!
After breakfast, the Sea Bird approached a tiny island with hundreds of Steller sea lions. This was a haul out, where sea lions stay between feeding excursions in order to conserve energy. Then, we spotted a humpback whale in the distance and the ship went toward it. As we got near, we saw more of the humpbacks. They were surfacing with a blow, swimming, and diving by flinging their fluke up into the air. One of them created huge splashes as it tail lobbed, which is when a whale hits the water with its fluke. We also saw some Dall’s porpoises swim by us. All of these marine mammals were here because of the rich productivity that occurs where sea water mixes at the intersection of two fjords.
After lunch, we went ashore on the Zodiacs for our shore activities. We landed on Pond island, a entirely wild place where humans hardly ever go. The naturalists took us through a rain forest and two muskeg bogs to a beaver pond! We all made it to the beaver dam, which is an amazing structure built by the beaver to create the pond that protects it from predators. There were large pond lilies in bloom in all the ponds in the area and bog orchids in the sphagnum moss.
The kayakers paddled along the shore, which was lined with barnacle-covered rocks. Bald eagles soared overhead and we saw one of their gigantic nests. Harbor seals popped their heads up through the calm water surface and salmon jumped out of the water repeatedly. The photograph shows a kayaker’s view of the shoreline and the gorgeous snow-capped mountains in the distance.
After dinner, we cruised up the Chatham Straight, which is the deepest and longest fjord in North America. We heard about the amazing research done by the Alaska Whale Foundation here in southwestern Alaska. Then, we saw a beautiful sunset over the peaks of Chichagof island. What an awesome way to end a day!
We woke up this morning in a gorgeous waterway called Red Bluff bay. There were mist-shrouded mountains all around the narrow fjord, where the shores were so close to us that we could hear bird calls. We spotted a huge brown bear on the meadow ahead of us! For 30 minutes, we watched it eat sedges as it moved across the meadow. Two bald eagles landed on the beach to feed on fish they had caught. The ship turned and headed for a large waterfall across the bay. As we approached, we could see the cascade falling hundreds of feet and could hear the beautiful sound of rushing water. Then, we noticed the Red Bluff that gives the bay its name. It is a rare peridotite rock that has a chemistry that prevents trees from growing on it and rusts to a red color. All of this occurred before breakfast!
After breakfast, the Sea Bird approached a tiny island with hundreds of Steller sea lions. This was a haul out, where sea lions stay between feeding excursions in order to conserve energy. Then, we spotted a humpback whale in the distance and the ship went toward it. As we got near, we saw more of the humpbacks. They were surfacing with a blow, swimming, and diving by flinging their fluke up into the air. One of them created huge splashes as it tail lobbed, which is when a whale hits the water with its fluke. We also saw some Dall’s porpoises swim by us. All of these marine mammals were here because of the rich productivity that occurs where sea water mixes at the intersection of two fjords.
After lunch, we went ashore on the Zodiacs for our shore activities. We landed on Pond island, a entirely wild place where humans hardly ever go. The naturalists took us through a rain forest and two muskeg bogs to a beaver pond! We all made it to the beaver dam, which is an amazing structure built by the beaver to create the pond that protects it from predators. There were large pond lilies in bloom in all the ponds in the area and bog orchids in the sphagnum moss.
The kayakers paddled along the shore, which was lined with barnacle-covered rocks. Bald eagles soared overhead and we saw one of their gigantic nests. Harbor seals popped their heads up through the calm water surface and salmon jumped out of the water repeatedly. The photograph shows a kayaker’s view of the shoreline and the gorgeous snow-capped mountains in the distance.
After dinner, we cruised up the Chatham Straight, which is the deepest and longest fjord in North America. We heard about the amazing research done by the Alaska Whale Foundation here in southwestern Alaska. Then, we saw a beautiful sunset over the peaks of Chichagof island. What an awesome way to end a day!
