Because we built in some cushion time, we were able to stop on the road to Seward when we saw wildlife. First stop was for Bald Eagles. It was overcast and windy at this stop. The weather improved as we journeyed south. I couldn't get a crisp photo with the wind gusts.
Next stop was for moose! I spotted one from the bridge as our highway crossed this river, so we pulled over and walked back to the bridge. Once we saw it, we realized it had a baby with it!
Seward
This was our boat for the day, the Calisto Voyager. Very comfortable compared to the whale watch boats we are accustomed to in New England! We saw so much wildlife on this cruise, it was wonderful! We were lucky to have sunshine for most of the cruise. It was cold, but beautiful!
We first passed some cliffs where Black-Legged Kittiwakes were nesting. I never expected I'd see this. These cliffs were just covered with nesting birds.
And right next door to the birds were....
Stellar Sea lions
Tufted Puffins (life bird!)
closer
Horned Puffin (life bird)!
Common Murres (life bird))!
Thar she blows! A humpback whale
Bald Eagle
Harbor Seals
chilly tourists
SPLASH! A big chunk of glacier broke off and fell into the water.
As you can see, by the end of the six hours, the weather had turned and it was grey and beginning to rain.
The best nature stop on the return trip was a mother humpback whale with a calf. The calf was just jumping and rolling and so happy to be alive! It was fun to watch!
We also saw Dall porpoises which played with the boat, swimming under the bow and jumping out of the water when they reached the other side. You could see them coming, but it was just so fun to watch them, that I didn't want the camera in the way! We also saw a fin whale off in the distance.
Wow, what an amazing life experience!
ReplyDeleteFantastic! Would go again in a heartbeat!
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