Pavlof Harbor and Iyoukeen Cove, Chichagof Island
In just the short period of time that we have been in Southeast Alaska, we have come to expect the unexpected. After waking extra early yesterday, we thought we just might have a chance of sleeping in a bit, but no, that was not possible. At 0630 we heard the voice of our Expedition Leader gently calling us to all join on the bow to witness a feeding extravaganza. A group of humpback whales was very busy having an early morning breakfast in Iyoukeen Cove just north of Freshwater Bay indenting into Chichagof Island. But this was not just an ordinary herring breakfast for these whales. They were engaged in a spectacular method of prey capture called bubble-net feeding. With binoculars and cameras glued to our eyes, we waited in great expectation for the whales to surface. We had three great hints that would reveal the location of the next surfacing: the ship’s hydrophone (an underwater microphone that enabled us to hear their vocalizations), bubbles coming to the surface, and the gulls circling overhead. At first there was silence, and within a few minutes, the long, haunting, loud feeding call (used to concentrate and stun the herring) was heard. This was immediately followed by a circling cloud of gulls, and then the explosion of whales through the surface of the water. They were feasting on herring they had captured using bubbles and sound as tools to trap and chase the herring up to the surface. Once trapped, the giant gaping mouths of the humpback whales quickly engulfed the herring. It was great fun to use the birds flying overhead near the location of the whales as a visual cue to the precise location of the next surfacing! But the even more exciting cue was the loud blasting feeding calls heard over the ship’s hydrophone that were emitted by one or two of the whales just as they were about to surface. This herring feast was so spectacular that we almost forgot to eat our own breakfast and for the next several hours cameras clicked and buzzed and fingers became cramped and stiff as we watched the whales emerge in synchrony through the center of the bubbles that they had created.
Later on, we explored stunning and scenic Freshwater Bay and anchored in Pavlof Harbor near a waterfall that was full of coho (silver) and pink (humpback) salmon making their way up the stream. To our surprise, the whales weren’t the only ones feasting this morning. All hikers, kayakers, and Zodiac cruisers were treated to the sight of brown bears feasting on the salmon. Throughout the rest of the morning we sighted several bears including two cubs. An extra treat for all of us was to meet four residents from the nearby native village of Hoonah who were working on a fisheries management project. They shared their knowledge and experiences living in the remote and wild rain forest. One of their tasks throughout the summer was to count the various species of salmon in this region.
We eagerly await the surprises of tomorrow in Glacier Bay National Park.
In just the short period of time that we have been in Southeast Alaska, we have come to expect the unexpected. After waking extra early yesterday, we thought we just might have a chance of sleeping in a bit, but no, that was not possible. At 0630 we heard the voice of our Expedition Leader gently calling us to all join on the bow to witness a feeding extravaganza. A group of humpback whales was very busy having an early morning breakfast in Iyoukeen Cove just north of Freshwater Bay indenting into Chichagof Island. But this was not just an ordinary herring breakfast for these whales. They were engaged in a spectacular method of prey capture called bubble-net feeding. With binoculars and cameras glued to our eyes, we waited in great expectation for the whales to surface. We had three great hints that would reveal the location of the next surfacing: the ship’s hydrophone (an underwater microphone that enabled us to hear their vocalizations), bubbles coming to the surface, and the gulls circling overhead. At first there was silence, and within a few minutes, the long, haunting, loud feeding call (used to concentrate and stun the herring) was heard. This was immediately followed by a circling cloud of gulls, and then the explosion of whales through the surface of the water. They were feasting on herring they had captured using bubbles and sound as tools to trap and chase the herring up to the surface. Once trapped, the giant gaping mouths of the humpback whales quickly engulfed the herring. It was great fun to use the birds flying overhead near the location of the whales as a visual cue to the precise location of the next surfacing! But the even more exciting cue was the loud blasting feeding calls heard over the ship’s hydrophone that were emitted by one or two of the whales just as they were about to surface. This herring feast was so spectacular that we almost forgot to eat our own breakfast and for the next several hours cameras clicked and buzzed and fingers became cramped and stiff as we watched the whales emerge in synchrony through the center of the bubbles that they had created.
Later on, we explored stunning and scenic Freshwater Bay and anchored in Pavlof Harbor near a waterfall that was full of coho (silver) and pink (humpback) salmon making their way up the stream. To our surprise, the whales weren’t the only ones feasting this morning. All hikers, kayakers, and Zodiac cruisers were treated to the sight of brown bears feasting on the salmon. Throughout the rest of the morning we sighted several bears including two cubs. An extra treat for all of us was to meet four residents from the nearby native village of Hoonah who were working on a fisheries management project. They shared their knowledge and experiences living in the remote and wild rain forest. One of their tasks throughout the summer was to count the various species of salmon in this region.
We eagerly await the surprises of tomorrow in Glacier Bay National Park.
