The first mammals seen were Sea Otters in the Sitka Harbor.
Next a pod of Orcas came by. Orcas were the species I was most hoping to see on this trip and this is one of my favorite shots.
I asked the captain if Orcas were always seen and he said, no, only on about a third of the trips. We saw them three times.
Humpback whales were seen almost every day.
We saw the Humbacks lunge feeding, coming to the surface with open mouths and distended throats as they scooped up schools of herring.
This Coastal Brown Bear was grazing on grass along the shore. In the spring they eat up to 35 pounds of grass a day. Their eyesight is poor but their sense of smell is keen. When the wind shifted and he got a whiff of us, he turned and bolted into the woods.
Here’s a different pod of Orcas.
We saw Dall’s Porpoises several times. They would rocket past the ship and were difficult to photograph due to their speed, but were beautiful in their stark black and white colors.
Steller Sea Lions. Steller was a German Explorer and naturalist who sailed with Russian Captain Bering and reached Alaska in 1741. He discovered the Sea Otter and has several animals named after him, including this Sea Lion, the extinct Steller Sea Cow, Steller’s Jay, Steller’s Sea Eagle, and Steller’s Eider.
Harbor Seals.
Mountain Goat, as close as we got.
Cropped > 100%
Harbor Porpoise, the only ones we saw, late in the day with the sun reflecting the green of the trees onto the water.
Sow Bown Bear and cubs
We were in kayaks for these photos.
She hung around until this boar Bear came along, then she and the cubs high tailed it into the woods. Boar bears often kill cubs that aren’t their own.
More Humbacks
Where they get their name.
And finally, more Steller Sea Lions. We photographed these from an inflatable during a rain storm.
We didn’t see any herps but we saw a ton of wildlife. Thanks for looking.
