Birding Alaska's Inside Passage - July 2007
Robin and I took a 7-day cruise on the NCL Star between June 30 - July 7, 2007. I've finally finished editing images and uploading them to my pbase account. Below is my trip report w/ links to the photos. If you wish to only view the images you can do so here. Thanks for looking!
0700 Hrs. A Glaucous-winged Gull flies outside our balcony and lands on the rail a few feet away. Chance to get a couple last pics before heading to the airport.
Seattle – 30 June 2007
1700 Hrs. PST – The Norwegian Star is pulling out of port here in Seattle Harbor and skies are clear and seas are calm. Robin and I are both looking forward to a great 7-day cruise along Alaska’s Inside Passage. Itinerary is to sail today and tomorrow at sea, Ketchikan on Monday, Juneau on Tuesday, Glacier Bay Tuesday afternoon, Skagway on Wednesday, Prince Rupert on Thursday, at sea on Friday, and back here in Seattle on Saturday morning. Standing on our balcony I take a few minutes to photograph fly-by Glaucous-winged Gulls and watch a pair of Caspian Terns fly off toward shore. At this time there aren’t really any other birds about, so we head off to get something to eat, and to make shore excursion reservations (just ‘cause we were too late to make them over the internet). Just a note about making shore excursions on the ship: Use the computerized kiosk station on Deck 7 – we walked right up to it, got our week’s worth of tickets in less than 5 minutes, and walked away past the lines of passengers standing in line to make their reservations w/ the excursion desk. A walk outside after getting a long-deserved Guinness revealed bright, clear skies. I’d better get a pic before we head to the land of clouds and rain….47º36.86N, 122º23.52’W
1800 Hrs. PST – A lava rock massage aboard the ship’s spa – Oh Dear Lord! I hope I can stay awake for dinner…
At Sea – 01 July 2007
1800 Hrs. PST – A lava rock massage aboard the ship’s spa – Oh Dear Lord! I hope I can stay awake for dinner…
At Sea – 01 July 2007
0545 Hrs – 1st night’s sleep wasn’t bad, but I’ve been awake since about 2:30 am. Back home it’d be about 5:30 am and the girls (Buffy and Asia – our kittens) would have us up already. I’m up and headed to the balcony to look for pelagics. I can see lots of dark tiny little birds off in the distance and realize quickly that this will be a tough week of birding. Grabbing the scope and tripod I begin to scan the waves and horizon. The only positive ID I can make is a Black-footed Albatross off the port side. Its dark brown body and whitish face patch behind the bill is all I can make out, but it’s enough. 49º28.55N, 127º09.99W
0830 Hrs – I’m watching a bright red hummingbird buzzing alonside the ship out here in the middle of the ocean with no shore in sight of either side of the boat!!! I can only presume that it’s a Rufous Hummingbird after consulting Sibley’s since Anna’s Hummingbirds are limited to California and south, whereas the Rufous is found all the way up to Alaska. Poor little thing…
1045 Hrs – After breakfast and walk about the ship its back onto the balcony. A steady stream of dark seabirds are flying out toward the front of the ship and disappearing on the other side. After a good half-hour of following birds outward I’m finally able to ID some of them as Common Murres. There’s no way to get close enough to see if any are Thick-billed Murres, so I won’t even go there. Seas are pretty calm, and we’re cruising slow enough to approach a small flock of Pink-footed Shearwaters resting on the water. I managed a few take-off shots before they disappeared into the gray. One bird even gave me a nice view of its pink feet. Farther out a number of Sooty Shearwaters were flying toward the port and others were circling back around to the bow. I even managed to scope both a Horned Puffin and a Tufted Puffin a few minutes later.
1615 Hrs. – Hundreds of Leach’s Storm Petrels are several hundred yards out from the ship and flying off toward the northeast. Closer in I’m able to ID several Rhinoceros Auklets and Marbled Murrelets. A few minutes later a couple of Common Murres fly by. A single Northern Fulmar rounds out the brief spurt of birding. Things get real quiet afterward.
1830 Hrs. – A flock of Sooty Shearwaters are close enough to the boat to get some pics as they take off. Its still somewhat light out as the opposite shores come into view. A nice sunset is off to the port side of the ship. As we enter the Inside Passage I can make out several Marbled Murrelets, a flock of (50) Red Phalaropes on a floating island of seaweed, Glaucous-winged Gull, Sea Lions, and a Bald Eagle.
2100 Hrs. – Entering a narrow channel. 53º34.29N, 130º13.80W.
2200 Hrs. – More Marbled Murrelets, Pigeon Guillemottes, a pair of Common Loons, and another Bald Eagle. Calling it a night.
Ketchikan - 02 July 2007
0830 Hrs – I’m watching a bright red hummingbird buzzing alonside the ship out here in the middle of the ocean with no shore in sight of either side of the boat!!! I can only presume that it’s a Rufous Hummingbird after consulting Sibley’s since Anna’s Hummingbirds are limited to California and south, whereas the Rufous is found all the way up to Alaska. Poor little thing…
1045 Hrs – After breakfast and walk about the ship its back onto the balcony. A steady stream of dark seabirds are flying out toward the front of the ship and disappearing on the other side. After a good half-hour of following birds outward I’m finally able to ID some of them as Common Murres. There’s no way to get close enough to see if any are Thick-billed Murres, so I won’t even go there. Seas are pretty calm, and we’re cruising slow enough to approach a small flock of Pink-footed Shearwaters resting on the water. I managed a few take-off shots before they disappeared into the gray. One bird even gave me a nice view of its pink feet. Farther out a number of Sooty Shearwaters were flying toward the port and others were circling back around to the bow. I even managed to scope both a Horned Puffin and a Tufted Puffin a few minutes later.
1615 Hrs. – Hundreds of Leach’s Storm Petrels are several hundred yards out from the ship and flying off toward the northeast. Closer in I’m able to ID several Rhinoceros Auklets and Marbled Murrelets. A few minutes later a couple of Common Murres fly by. A single Northern Fulmar rounds out the brief spurt of birding. Things get real quiet afterward.
1830 Hrs. – A flock of Sooty Shearwaters are close enough to the boat to get some pics as they take off. Its still somewhat light out as the opposite shores come into view. A nice sunset is off to the port side of the ship. As we enter the Inside Passage I can make out several Marbled Murrelets, a flock of (50) Red Phalaropes on a floating island of seaweed, Glaucous-winged Gull, Sea Lions, and a Bald Eagle.
2100 Hrs. – Entering a narrow channel. 53º34.29N, 130º13.80W.
2200 Hrs. – More Marbled Murrelets, Pigeon Guillemottes, a pair of Common Loons, and another Bald Eagle. Calling it a night.
Ketchikan - 02 July 2007
0600 Hrs. Slept better last night, but now am up and checking out the shoreline as we pull into port in Ketchikan. A pair of Bald Eagles are visible through the scope along the opposite shore. Cabins and houses area scattered along the shoreline, and right away you can tell that it is a fishing community. As we pull into port I capture a few pics upstream. Its mostly cloudy but there are remnants of sunshine still this morning. The town itself is very clean and attractive with large storefronts and trading companies adjacent to the boat harbor. The stores are waiting for the tourists to exit the ships. We have a 7:30 nature walk at the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary a few miles to the north, so we pack our things and head down to the dock. Waiting for the tour bus we have a ½ hour so we walk around and check out the stores. Our walkie-talkies have run down and the charger appears to have fried itself overnight, so we head into town to look replacements. At the trading co. we find a pair of cheapos for about $40.00.
0900 Hrs. Alaska Rainforest Nature Walk. Skies are overcast and slightly cool, but pleasant. We head into a Western Red Cedar Rainforest and take in the sites and naturalist-talk. As we walk I take in the sounds of Winter Wrens, Veeries, and Song Sparrows. A few birds are calling but I have no idea what they might be. The naturalists didn’t have clue (bummer). Skunk cabbage and rose mallow are abundant in the deep woods and we learn all about the lumber trade and indigenous people’s rights to take enough lumber to build a new house every year. As we leave the woods we arrive at the local fish hatchery with with a stream running through an open grassy marsh. No sooner do we get out into the open that the Bald Eagles, Kingfishers, and Northern Ravens appear. Three Bald Eagles are chasing each other over the open marsh while two others roost in the trees on the other side of the stream. Barn Swallows are also actively feeding over the open water. Setting up my tripod I quickly move away from the tour and begin to digiscope the eagles that are ~50 yds away. Out in the middle of the river bed, among a clump of tall grass is a single adult that is visible only because of its white head. Just across the stream, near the lumber mill, is a juvenile eagle sitting alongside several large logs. I get several pics of it before stopping to explain to my tour group what digiscoping is all about. A light misty rain begins to fall and people start moving inside the mill.
Before moving into the mill we stop and see a pen filled with several reindeer, and Robin takes a few minutes to feed the very cute little deer. Inside the mill is a lot of old equipment that are interesting enough to photograph. Beyond the mill is a small annex where injured Bald Eagles and Great Horned Owls are held and rehabilitated. Neither of these birds will be able to be released because of their injuries, but they are well cared for. After a brief visit with Wayne, a totem pole carver, we head back out to the parking lot and to the souvenir shop. I take the opportunity to scope a few more eagles roosting nearby. A young couple stopped me and were interested in seeing what I was looking at. They had just finished a zip-line tour and had not seen any eagles yet on the trip. I showed them how I digiscoped using my Coolpix P5000. Turning the scope on a dead snag holding 8 eagles the highlight of my tour was seeing a dozen people lined up behind my scope with their digital cameras hoping to take a picture of the eagles. Fabulous!
1700 Hrs. Heading back out the harbor the cruise ship is heading north toward Juneau. The sun made a brief appearance through the clouds and cast its glow over the water ahead of us. As we move past several small islands I put the scope on several Pelagic Cormorants, Common Murres, Bald Eagles and Sea Lions. A small flock of Western Sandpipers fly by, and another small raft of Red Phalaropes swim near the ship.
2100-2200 Hrs. The sun made a brief appearance and allowed me to take several images of the mountainous shoreline from my balcony. Pretty wild to have this much light this late in the day.
Juneau - 03 July 2007
0900 Hrs. Alaska Rainforest Nature Walk. Skies are overcast and slightly cool, but pleasant. We head into a Western Red Cedar Rainforest and take in the sites and naturalist-talk. As we walk I take in the sounds of Winter Wrens, Veeries, and Song Sparrows. A few birds are calling but I have no idea what they might be. The naturalists didn’t have clue (bummer). Skunk cabbage and rose mallow are abundant in the deep woods and we learn all about the lumber trade and indigenous people’s rights to take enough lumber to build a new house every year. As we leave the woods we arrive at the local fish hatchery with with a stream running through an open grassy marsh. No sooner do we get out into the open that the Bald Eagles, Kingfishers, and Northern Ravens appear. Three Bald Eagles are chasing each other over the open marsh while two others roost in the trees on the other side of the stream. Barn Swallows are also actively feeding over the open water. Setting up my tripod I quickly move away from the tour and begin to digiscope the eagles that are ~50 yds away. Out in the middle of the river bed, among a clump of tall grass is a single adult that is visible only because of its white head. Just across the stream, near the lumber mill, is a juvenile eagle sitting alongside several large logs. I get several pics of it before stopping to explain to my tour group what digiscoping is all about. A light misty rain begins to fall and people start moving inside the mill.
Before moving into the mill we stop and see a pen filled with several reindeer, and Robin takes a few minutes to feed the very cute little deer. Inside the mill is a lot of old equipment that are interesting enough to photograph. Beyond the mill is a small annex where injured Bald Eagles and Great Horned Owls are held and rehabilitated. Neither of these birds will be able to be released because of their injuries, but they are well cared for. After a brief visit with Wayne, a totem pole carver, we head back out to the parking lot and to the souvenir shop. I take the opportunity to scope a few more eagles roosting nearby. A young couple stopped me and were interested in seeing what I was looking at. They had just finished a zip-line tour and had not seen any eagles yet on the trip. I showed them how I digiscoped using my Coolpix P5000. Turning the scope on a dead snag holding 8 eagles the highlight of my tour was seeing a dozen people lined up behind my scope with their digital cameras hoping to take a picture of the eagles. Fabulous!
1700 Hrs. Heading back out the harbor the cruise ship is heading north toward Juneau. The sun made a brief appearance through the clouds and cast its glow over the water ahead of us. As we move past several small islands I put the scope on several Pelagic Cormorants, Common Murres, Bald Eagles and Sea Lions. A small flock of Western Sandpipers fly by, and another small raft of Red Phalaropes swim near the ship.
2100-2200 Hrs. The sun made a brief appearance and allowed me to take several images of the mountainous shoreline from my balcony. Pretty wild to have this much light this late in the day.
Juneau - 03 July 2007
0630 Hrs. Heading into Juneau harbor the ship comes to a slow drift. Out a distance from the balcony I see a flock of 12 Surf Scoters fly low over the water. Pigeon Guillemottes are swimming in the water and dive as soon the ship comes near. Marbled Murrelets are also visible. Mew Gulls are flying near the ship, and as we pull into harbor several Northern Ravens are foraging along the moss-covered rocks along the shore.
0900 Hrs. Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest – Allen Family Tour. Taking a tour bus to the boat docks we stop at a scenic rest stop and look out over the Mendenhall Glacier. The Mendenhall flats are to our left as we travel along the coast, and it’s an open marsh that hosts numbers of salmon runs in the late summer and fall. Any construction near the river has be halted during the runs so as not to upset the fishery. We boarded a large touring vessel at Allen Marine and head out into Favorite Channel near Lincoln Island, Shelter Island, Point Retreat, and the Lynn Canal. The Chilkat Mountains are along one side of the canal, and the Juneau Ice Fields are on the opposite side. Everywhere you look are ice capped mountains and spectacular scenery. After several short stops to look at Stellar Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, and a Sitka Black-tailed Deer we spot the first of several Humpback Whales spouting and rolling. The vessel never comes within 100 yds of a whale, but we still get several nice looks as they surface only yards from the boat. We drift past an active Bald Eagle nest and I help the tour guides point out the 2 young chicks nestled in the trees. On the way back we cruise past Point Retreat, where a lonely house sits in the shadow of a large glacier field. Bald Eagles roost among the rocky ledges in the channel and make nice subjects for lucky photographers. We never saw any whales breach, but I managed a few fluke shots as they dove for the last time (composite)! Heading back to the marina I see Surf Scoters, Pigeon Guillemottes, Common Murres, Bonaparte’s Gulls and Common Mergansers. We were also treated to a nice show as three Bald Eagles flew closely overhead, and Robin, having stayed inside next to a window, got to watch a Humpback surface just inches away from her. I missed the event as I was busy photographing the eagles overhead. A few more images of the scenery, (2), (3), and another whale and eagle pic, and we head back to the ship.
1300 Hrs. Leaving Juneau, I see a coast guard helicopter fly overhead and can’t resist shooting at it! Five Pigeon Guillemottes fly by, followed by a pair Surf Scoters, and another Hummingbird buzzing by the ship! Heading toward Glacier Bay the rugged Alaskan countryside begins to make its appearance. Majestic mountains and glaciers appear, as well as snow drifts and waterfalls.
0900 Hrs. Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest – Allen Family Tour. Taking a tour bus to the boat docks we stop at a scenic rest stop and look out over the Mendenhall Glacier. The Mendenhall flats are to our left as we travel along the coast, and it’s an open marsh that hosts numbers of salmon runs in the late summer and fall. Any construction near the river has be halted during the runs so as not to upset the fishery. We boarded a large touring vessel at Allen Marine and head out into Favorite Channel near Lincoln Island, Shelter Island, Point Retreat, and the Lynn Canal. The Chilkat Mountains are along one side of the canal, and the Juneau Ice Fields are on the opposite side. Everywhere you look are ice capped mountains and spectacular scenery. After several short stops to look at Stellar Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, and a Sitka Black-tailed Deer we spot the first of several Humpback Whales spouting and rolling. The vessel never comes within 100 yds of a whale, but we still get several nice looks as they surface only yards from the boat. We drift past an active Bald Eagle nest and I help the tour guides point out the 2 young chicks nestled in the trees. On the way back we cruise past Point Retreat, where a lonely house sits in the shadow of a large glacier field. Bald Eagles roost among the rocky ledges in the channel and make nice subjects for lucky photographers. We never saw any whales breach, but I managed a few fluke shots as they dove for the last time (composite)! Heading back to the marina I see Surf Scoters, Pigeon Guillemottes, Common Murres, Bonaparte’s Gulls and Common Mergansers. We were also treated to a nice show as three Bald Eagles flew closely overhead, and Robin, having stayed inside next to a window, got to watch a Humpback surface just inches away from her. I missed the event as I was busy photographing the eagles overhead. A few more images of the scenery, (2), (3), and another whale and eagle pic, and we head back to the ship.
1300 Hrs. Leaving Juneau, I see a coast guard helicopter fly overhead and can’t resist shooting at it! Five Pigeon Guillemottes fly by, followed by a pair Surf Scoters, and another Hummingbird buzzing by the ship! Heading toward Glacier Bay the rugged Alaskan countryside begins to make its appearance. Majestic mountains and glaciers appear, as well as snow drifts and waterfalls.
1600 - 2000 Hrs. Glacier Bay. Perhaps the highlight of the entire trip! It’s a religious experience to slowly drift into the bay past endless ice flows and spectacular scenery. Its cloudy, cold, and misty, yet I will stand on the balcony with scope, tripod, D70, Sigma 400mm, Canon Powershot, and Coolpix P5000 firing as fast as I can focus, for the next 4 ½ hours, taking hundreds of photos of passing ice chunks, mountains, waterfalls, and glaciers. Black-legged Kittiwakes make their appearance among the larger, bright blue and green ice flows.
My most memorable moment in this dreamscape was watching thousands of White-winged Scoters and Surf Scoters fly over glass-green waters. I could only manage a couple keeper shots in the low light, but I’ll never forget being able to follow through the scope some of the most beautiful ducks cascade like waves over the calm waters with a mountainous backdrop. Mew Gulls fly past us as we float by and among the ice drifts (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), mountains(2), (3), (4), waterfalls (2), (3), (4), whales (2), seals, and of course, glaciers (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)! Common and Red-breasted Mergansers, Marbled Murrelets, Common Murres, Bald Eagles, Common Loons, Red-throated Loons make appearances over the next few hours. As the boat finally drifts to a stop, we slowly turn around, barely making a ripple in the water, taking 30 minutes to rotate 180º and finally start the trip back southward.
2100 Hrs. As we head back out of Glacier Bay I can see through the scope a small island with over 200 Harlequin Ducks quietly drifting among its rocky outcroppings. Darkness, rain and distance prevent any chance of a digiscoped image.
Skagway - 04 Jul 2007
2100 Hrs. As we head back out of Glacier Bay I can see through the scope a small island with over 200 Harlequin Ducks quietly drifting among its rocky outcroppings. Darkness, rain and distance prevent any chance of a digiscoped image.
Skagway - 04 Jul 2007
0800 Hrs. We arrive in the fishing town of Skagway. Waiting our turn to depart the ship I watch a Violet-Green Swallow dart in and out among the boats below as a Herring Gull sits idly atop a dock post.
0900 Hrs. Chilkat Eagle Preserve and Fjord Expedition – Chilkat Tours. For the next 6 hours we will be taking a bus, boat, bus, boat, bus, boat, and finally bus back to the ship. Our tour guide Sylvia takes us on a bus down to the marina where a ferry boat will take us 30 minutes to Haines, AK, where we’ll board a bus for another 20 minute ride to a rafting trip down the Chilkat River. Through the great Alaskan Fjords we cruise, seeing waterfalls, (2), (3), Bald Eagles, and even stopping to visit resting Harbor Seals. Arriving at one of the feeder streams of the Chilkat River we take a few minutes to don lifejackets, boots and get a shore lunch before heading down the river. Bald Eagles are nesting nearby, and Northern Ravens are flying about, looking for scraps. The Chilkat is home for the five great species of salmon (Silver, Pink, King, Sockeye, and Chum) and world-renowned wintering grounds for hundreds of Bald Eagles. Since the river is created by glacial runoff it has a blue-green color in sunlight and silty gray on cloudy days. Visibility is zero, even when water depths are a few inches, so its easy to bottom out in our float tubes. Our raft chief, Jessica, however, is an old hand at keeping us moving. Eagles are everywhere, mostly sitting on the banks, where they hope to see the back or fin of a swimming salmon. Arctic Terns have just started showing up, and a half-dozen are flying about looking for scraps. Scenery is spectacular (2), (3), (4), (5)! Other birds seen or heard: Kingfisher, American Robin, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Barn Swallows, and a Greater Yellowlegs. On the return ferry ride we add White-winged Scoters, Marbled Murrelets, Mew Gulls, Herring Gulls, Savannah and Song Sparrows.
1830 Hrs. Heading south toward Prince Rupert. Slowing cruising past what I believe is the mouth of the Chilkat River, the mountains open up to miles of grassy marshland on either side of the river. All along the shoreline I count 30+ Bald Eagles, (2) Common Loons, and (2) Pigeon Guillemottes. Fully expecting to see bears, I did not. I’m lucky enough to catch three Black-legged Kittiwakes flying by. 59º08.68N, 135º18.27W.
Prince Rupert – 05 Jul 2007
0900 Hrs. Chilkat Eagle Preserve and Fjord Expedition – Chilkat Tours. For the next 6 hours we will be taking a bus, boat, bus, boat, bus, boat, and finally bus back to the ship. Our tour guide Sylvia takes us on a bus down to the marina where a ferry boat will take us 30 minutes to Haines, AK, where we’ll board a bus for another 20 minute ride to a rafting trip down the Chilkat River. Through the great Alaskan Fjords we cruise, seeing waterfalls, (2), (3), Bald Eagles, and even stopping to visit resting Harbor Seals. Arriving at one of the feeder streams of the Chilkat River we take a few minutes to don lifejackets, boots and get a shore lunch before heading down the river. Bald Eagles are nesting nearby, and Northern Ravens are flying about, looking for scraps. The Chilkat is home for the five great species of salmon (Silver, Pink, King, Sockeye, and Chum) and world-renowned wintering grounds for hundreds of Bald Eagles. Since the river is created by glacial runoff it has a blue-green color in sunlight and silty gray on cloudy days. Visibility is zero, even when water depths are a few inches, so its easy to bottom out in our float tubes. Our raft chief, Jessica, however, is an old hand at keeping us moving. Eagles are everywhere, mostly sitting on the banks, where they hope to see the back or fin of a swimming salmon. Arctic Terns have just started showing up, and a half-dozen are flying about looking for scraps. Scenery is spectacular (2), (3), (4), (5)! Other birds seen or heard: Kingfisher, American Robin, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Barn Swallows, and a Greater Yellowlegs. On the return ferry ride we add White-winged Scoters, Marbled Murrelets, Mew Gulls, Herring Gulls, Savannah and Song Sparrows.
1830 Hrs. Heading south toward Prince Rupert. Slowing cruising past what I believe is the mouth of the Chilkat River, the mountains open up to miles of grassy marshland on either side of the river. All along the shoreline I count 30+ Bald Eagles, (2) Common Loons, and (2) Pigeon Guillemottes. Fully expecting to see bears, I did not. I’m lucky enough to catch three Black-legged Kittiwakes flying by. 59º08.68N, 135º18.27W.
Prince Rupert – 05 Jul 2007
1530 Hrs. Cruising into Prince Rupert, CA I scope the far shoreline and make out the following: (3) Whiskered Auklets, another Hummingbird (Rufous?), Pigeon Guillemottes, and Marbled Murrelets.
1600 Hrs. Rainforest Walk. Just before boarding the tour bus to our destination a Bald Eagle soars lazily over our heads, giving me a chance for a couple quick pics. I have to feel bad for a particular couple from the ship who’d obviously were no longer having fun on this trip. After listening to them argue non-stop while leaving the ship, their son got sick on the bus, and the rest of us had to hold our breaths for the next 10 minutes while the bus takes us to our destination. At the trailhead to an unknown rainforest, I can make out the singing of Warbling Vireos, Veery, Black-throated Blue Warblers, Winter Wren, Wood and Swainson’s Thrush, Wilson’s Warbler and more Bald Eagles. The thick Western Red Cedar forest grows some of the largest Skunk Cabbage I’ve ever seen. An opening in the woods leads to a small bog where Sitka Spruce several hundred years old grows only a few feet tall. Bog Laurel, Honeydew plants, and other bog species off the trail, but we don’t stop to explore. Unfortunately my guides do not know bird calls, so I fail to add any possibly new westerns species. Back to the ship, we drive through town and see folks at a café sitting and watching a Bald Eagle nest directly across the street.
At sea – 06 Jul 2007
0930 Hrs. Heading south toward Seattle a large pod of dolphins are swimming along side the boat, and jumping everywhere. In my haste to get pics, the camera dial spins from ‘A’ to ‘M’ and all my shots are blown. Damn camera! Hoping to pic up some more pelagic species I scan the waves for sea birds. We soon run into hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters, (1’s) Leach’s Storm Petrels, (1’s) Marbled Murrelets, (10’s) Fork-tailed Storm Petrels, and a Tufted Puffin. A Black-footed Albatross is drifting lazily alongside and behind the boat, but I have to go to our disembarkation talk, so I can’t chase it. Grrrr!
1140 Hrs. We pass Vancouver Islands.
1340 Hrs. Off the balcony I see the fin of an Orca breaking the surface. Another Black-footed Albatross, Pink-footed Shearwater and more Leach’s Storm Petrels.
1800 Hrs. Glaucous-winged Gulls appear. Six birds flying together. Common Murres also swimming out away from the boat. Time to pack up the gear and get ready for bed.
Seattle – 07 Jul 2007
1600 Hrs. Rainforest Walk. Just before boarding the tour bus to our destination a Bald Eagle soars lazily over our heads, giving me a chance for a couple quick pics. I have to feel bad for a particular couple from the ship who’d obviously were no longer having fun on this trip. After listening to them argue non-stop while leaving the ship, their son got sick on the bus, and the rest of us had to hold our breaths for the next 10 minutes while the bus takes us to our destination. At the trailhead to an unknown rainforest, I can make out the singing of Warbling Vireos, Veery, Black-throated Blue Warblers, Winter Wren, Wood and Swainson’s Thrush, Wilson’s Warbler and more Bald Eagles. The thick Western Red Cedar forest grows some of the largest Skunk Cabbage I’ve ever seen. An opening in the woods leads to a small bog where Sitka Spruce several hundred years old grows only a few feet tall. Bog Laurel, Honeydew plants, and other bog species off the trail, but we don’t stop to explore. Unfortunately my guides do not know bird calls, so I fail to add any possibly new westerns species. Back to the ship, we drive through town and see folks at a café sitting and watching a Bald Eagle nest directly across the street.
At sea – 06 Jul 2007
0930 Hrs. Heading south toward Seattle a large pod of dolphins are swimming along side the boat, and jumping everywhere. In my haste to get pics, the camera dial spins from ‘A’ to ‘M’ and all my shots are blown. Damn camera! Hoping to pic up some more pelagic species I scan the waves for sea birds. We soon run into hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters, (1’s) Leach’s Storm Petrels, (1’s) Marbled Murrelets, (10’s) Fork-tailed Storm Petrels, and a Tufted Puffin. A Black-footed Albatross is drifting lazily alongside and behind the boat, but I have to go to our disembarkation talk, so I can’t chase it. Grrrr!
1140 Hrs. We pass Vancouver Islands.
1340 Hrs. Off the balcony I see the fin of an Orca breaking the surface. Another Black-footed Albatross, Pink-footed Shearwater and more Leach’s Storm Petrels.
1800 Hrs. Glaucous-winged Gulls appear. Six birds flying together. Common Murres also swimming out away from the boat. Time to pack up the gear and get ready for bed.
Seattle – 07 Jul 2007
0700 Hrs. A Glaucous-winged Gull flies outside our balcony and lands on the rail a few feet away. Chance to get a couple last pics before heading to the airport.
