Saginaw Bay
Our morning began in Frederick Sound with the sun breaking through the clouds while many of us, up early, enjoyed the peaceful surroundings from the bow. The blows of humpback whales could be seen in the distance, highlighted by the morning sun. We had stopped to observe one of these humpbacks when a pod of killer whales was spotted in the distance. There were five individuals, the adult male obvious among them due to his tall dorsal fin. After watching them for over an hour, a lone, young, humpback caught our attention. The humpback repeatedly slammed its tail fluke onto the water for several minutes. Then, seemingly having a party on its own, it rolled and twisted in a large patch of kelp.
After breakfast we went ashore to hike and kayak in Saginaw Bay. The hike gave us a chance to learn about some of the inhabitants of the temperate rainforest. Giant Sitka spruce and western hemlock dominated the scene. Red squirrel middens, like piles of brown confetti, surrounded several of the largest trees. The squirrels cached their food here and then discarded the leftover, inedible, spruce cone pieces after eating the nutritious seeds. Another forest dweller, the banana slug, found its way into many photos.
Back onboard we spent the afternoon enjoying the sun and warmth on deck while searching for wildlife. Late in the afternoon our efforts were rewarded handsomely. We were privileged to observe one of the most amazing humpback whale behaviors known- bubble-net feeding! From the ship we saw fourteen 40 ton whales bursting through the surface at the same time. Side by side with mouths wide open and ventral pouches extended, they captured as many herring as possible. Occasionally a few lucky fish would leap to freedom before the baleen closed down around them. The gulls would often cue us into the location of the whales; other times the eerie trumpeting sound picked up by our hydrophone would be our signal. It is hard to fully describe the scene – the beauty of the late afternoon lighting, the snowcapped mountains in the background, the sound of the whales breathing, the whale that occasionally breached among the rest, and the joyous screams of the humans watching it all!
Just as it was time for us to begin a feeding session (otherwise known as dinner), the whales divided their group and went in opposite directions. It is hard to believe that this has all happened in our first day!
Our morning began in Frederick Sound with the sun breaking through the clouds while many of us, up early, enjoyed the peaceful surroundings from the bow. The blows of humpback whales could be seen in the distance, highlighted by the morning sun. We had stopped to observe one of these humpbacks when a pod of killer whales was spotted in the distance. There were five individuals, the adult male obvious among them due to his tall dorsal fin. After watching them for over an hour, a lone, young, humpback caught our attention. The humpback repeatedly slammed its tail fluke onto the water for several minutes. Then, seemingly having a party on its own, it rolled and twisted in a large patch of kelp.
After breakfast we went ashore to hike and kayak in Saginaw Bay. The hike gave us a chance to learn about some of the inhabitants of the temperate rainforest. Giant Sitka spruce and western hemlock dominated the scene. Red squirrel middens, like piles of brown confetti, surrounded several of the largest trees. The squirrels cached their food here and then discarded the leftover, inedible, spruce cone pieces after eating the nutritious seeds. Another forest dweller, the banana slug, found its way into many photos.
Back onboard we spent the afternoon enjoying the sun and warmth on deck while searching for wildlife. Late in the afternoon our efforts were rewarded handsomely. We were privileged to observe one of the most amazing humpback whale behaviors known- bubble-net feeding! From the ship we saw fourteen 40 ton whales bursting through the surface at the same time. Side by side with mouths wide open and ventral pouches extended, they captured as many herring as possible. Occasionally a few lucky fish would leap to freedom before the baleen closed down around them. The gulls would often cue us into the location of the whales; other times the eerie trumpeting sound picked up by our hydrophone would be our signal. It is hard to fully describe the scene – the beauty of the late afternoon lighting, the snowcapped mountains in the background, the sound of the whales breathing, the whale that occasionally breached among the rest, and the joyous screams of the humans watching it all!
Just as it was time for us to begin a feeding session (otherwise known as dinner), the whales divided their group and went in opposite directions. It is hard to believe that this has all happened in our first day!
