Glacier Bay

We pretty much had it all in Glacier Bay today! The weather ranged from a pea-soup fog, to overcast, to light rain, to blue sky and sunshine. But it was the animals that made the day complete. We started out with sea otters near the Beardsley Islands. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of these ultra-cute critters were insouciantly floating on their backs. Some were carrying babies; others had breakfast to go and were munching as they paddled along. Along with the otters came a full array of interesting birds, including klepto-parasitic jaegers, marbled murrelets, and a people-pleasing tufted puffin. The bird aficionados also got excited by a fork-tailed petrel, which is normally seen only offshore in the Pacific.

Moving on to the South Marble Islands, an extravaganza of wildlife was revealed. On the outer edge were Stellar sea lions, rumbling like a biker gang with Harley Davidsons ready for a ride on the wild side. As we moved inboard, the birds took over the show. Kittiwakes announced themselves with a chorus of cries that sounded like their name. Common murres displayed their elegant black and white plumage and did their best to look like little penguins, so that they could compete for attention with the people-pleasing puffins. Others seen in the passing parade included glaucous-winged gulls, commorants, pigeon guillemonts, and an eagle that was definitely not welcomed by the rest of the avian community.

Continuing up the Bay we arrived at Tidal Inlet, where the feature attraction of the day was hanging out on the beach—grey wolves! When Expedition Leaders make up their list of “must see” animals, wolves are usually not included because they are so rarely seen. We saw three, apparently a mother and two cubs with a dark-brown color that our Ranger Dave Deyette told us was characteristic of the species that populates Glacier Bay. Just beyond that were creamy white mountain goats on Gloomy Knob.

After all of this fabulous fauna, the glaciers of Glacier Bay seemed almost like an afterthought. However, we did marvel at the glorious shades of blue displayed by the Margerie glacier. On our return trip the animals ran up the score to a run-away victory with black and brown bears on the shore, a pod of Orcas feeding, and humpback whales doing synchronized diving. Nevertheless, smart bettors are aware that the rocks and glaciers could very well even the score by the end of the voyage. Stay tuned.