Cruisin II - Icy Strait and Ketchikan (#178-181)

Can't believe I've been back for almost a month and STILL posting stuff from my trip!

Day 4 we arrived at Icy Strait Point, and I pretty much had no expectations for this port because I could find hardly any info about it online. In fact, I didn't even know if we were getting off the boat, or if it was another glacier-type thing or what. The great thing about low expectations is that you almost always exceed them, and it turned to be a fantastic day.

There is a really nice walking loop around the beach that starts at the port, follows the beach and enters some really spectacular forest. Almost immediately we heard the little chips of little birds and we were off in hot pursuit. After much time and patience, we got one nice and close to us for pics, as an increasing crowd of people form around us. Any time someone stops and is clearly looking at something with interest in Alaska, it's worth stopping and having a look too. We did this and saw mountaingoats, bears, etc.-- Unfortunately, I think the people who stopped to see what we were looking at were a little disappointed. I heard "there's a bunch of little birds in that tree." I don't know if they were expecting an eagle or mountaingoats or bears or spaceships what.

#178: Golden-Crowned Kinglet; Icy Strait Point, AK; August 30, 2011

cutie!

i be checkin' u ouuuuut.

Our second Steller's Jay of the trip

My best guess is pigeon guillemot for this one, because of the pattern on the wing.

  Went on nice walk along the beach and back through the woods. You can't miss my orange backpack.

 

Icy Strait is where most cruisers visit and it stops there for them, but you can also walk over to the neighbouring village of Hoonah. It's a cute little fishing village. I really remember this day because this is the day the sun really came out....I even took my sweater off!

hmm....murrelet maybe?

A dark-eyed junco (Oregon Junco). Very different from the ones at home!

such a beauty

#179: Lincoln's Sparrow, Icy Strait Point, AK; August 30, 2011
Sparrows are still hard, but at least I'm getting to the point where I get the feeling that there's something "different" going on here and take a picture in case.

#180: Mew Gull; Icy Strait Point, AK; August 30, 2011
A lot of the gulls I had suspicions about out there, so I usually just took pics and check when I get home. I still have to pull out the book for most of them....
bill...check...leg colour...check...mantle...check...eye colour...check......

#181: Bonaparte's Gull; Icy Strait Point, AK; August 30, 2011
Too bad I didn't get these guys with the black heads!

Our final port in Alaska was KETCHIKAN, which I absolutely loved. The Fish Ladder was totally spectacular to watch and one of the highlights of the trip for me. We saw salmon returning to spawn all over Alaska, but nowhere had we seen them fighting the current as they did here. I'm not sure I have even been so aware of a wonder of nature as at that moment, watching these little beings fighting against something so much bigger, more powerful, so seemingly impossible--watching them jump, and fail, get thrown back to start again, or slammed against rocks ro concrete, and their bodies getting so destroyed that some of them are the saddest looking things once they make it. And I just kept asking myself, why, why, why do they do it? It is totally incredible, and maybe more of a miracle than much bigger things.

Ok, second try at video. The first one was way too small so went the YouTube route...

Creek Street in Ketchikan

Ketchikan from our balcony

Our birding was limited in Ketchikan, but the following day, which was our last day at sea and spent entirely on the boat through the inside passage (bizarrely enough, something changed and I could tell that this was "home" again), we were treated to other sightings, including a huge pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins swimming alongside our ship, and a pod of killer whales :)

Just because we were on the boat doesn't mean I missed out on birding entirely for that day. When everyone was hanging out at the pool on the last day (sea day), I thought everyone was joking when they said there was a little yellow bird hanging out in the solarium. No, there was actually a warbler. I don't know how he got in (not hard to imagine), but I can imagine how confusing it would be for him to find his way out. I felt awful to the point to that I tried to herd him out in the right direction but failed miserably (herding warblers proved rather impossible). At least the boat was headed in the right direction (south)...but if he didn't get out before it headed back up to Alaska, he'll be in trouble :(

Anyways, the other thing is I'm a bit bewildered as to what he is exactly. The black on its head immediately suggested to me that it was a Wilson's, but as far as I know, Wilson's never have streaks on their breast (the streaks totally look like yellow warbler streaks)....so, what the heck??

Which brings me to another point. One night we were out on the balcony, cruising, when we noticed these little flecks of light coming in and out of sight. We realized that they were little birds flying alongside the ship, coming in and out of view and being lit up as they got closer to the lights. So here we are, way out in the ocean (land not even visible), with these little birds flying with us. Realizing we were in the middle of migration, I knew they were probably migrating with the ship. I'm not sure if it's easier for them to fly on the drafts created by the ship (of course, it would be easier to just land and enjoy the ride!), or if they like the light, or what exactly was going on. It could either pose a serious problem or be helpful to them.....I'm not sure which, but it's something to think about.

Cruisin' - Juneau and Skagway (#174-177)

We boarded the Radiance of the Seas at night on the 26th...which felt a little unreal having planned this cruise nearly a year prior. Here's a little map of where we went (red and yellow dots)

The first day was spent entirely at sea, with a stop to admire Hubbard Glacier. There was word that an albatross had been cruising with the ship for a while in the morning; alas, I did not see it. I had a little hope in my heart for the odd pelagic, but didn't really spent a ton of time on my balcony with my eyes peeled on the skies...too much to do on the ship!

Day 2 we hit JUNEAU, the capital of Alaska and home of Mrs. Palin. In case you didn't know, there are NO roads that go to Juneau, so you must fly or boat in (unless you are in possession of a teleporter). It was a rainy day, so that was a bit of a downer, but didn't stop us from going at it full force anyway. I didn't take the camera out with me as our plans got a little switched around and once I decided I wanted it, we were off the boat already. We spent the morning climbing up Mount Roberts (elevation 3819 ft - there's a tram that goes up too, but that's just too easy isn't it?).

At the top there was a "Raptor Centre," which made always makes me anxious and conflicted, because I obviously love to see birds, but I don't really support keeping animals in captivity so I don't visit zoos, aquariums or any of the like. Well, at the top of the hill there was a little coop with a HUGE adult eagle. I spoke to her supervisor, who explained that she was rescued and that made me feel a little better: she had been shot through her beak (WTF?!) and lost her left eye, resulting in a crash that broke her wings. I asked how long she had been there and when she would be released; she had been there 5 years and would never be released because she would not regain her full flight capabilities or eyesight so she could not survive in the wild :( So I guess there is no option but to keep her in captivity, but that little coop was so small for such a magnificent bird. I dunno...maybe there is something I don't know.

In the afternoon we headed to Mendenhall Glacier. These falls are just beside it.

 Didn't see a ton in the line of birds, except these guys at the visitor centre:

mega-cuteness

But wouldn't you know what we did see!

BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I may have mentioned once or twice how terrified I am of bears, but for some reason I wasn't scared at all seeing these guys. And yes I was as close as it looks.  There are 17 actively feeding bears in the area (we saw 2). But they were too busy stuffing their bellies with salmon to be interested in me. After my trip to Alaska, I determined that I'm not all that scared of black bears but I am that much more terrified of grizzlies.

so scary

In the town of Juneau outside the Red Dog Saloon, I got a great shot of a raven in the street. The ravens there are kind of like crows here; I've never really seen them this close, and they are absolutely stunning birds. Check out the blue on the back, and the schnoz on that thing!

Day 3 we got to SKAGWAY. We took the White Pass Railroad in the morning, which follows the route of the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. Some pretty spectacular scenery.

After our ride we sort of wandered around. There was a little path that ran behind the houses away from the main drag where all the tourists were. We saw this beautiful little juvenile thrush. The spots around its head ans shoulders are just lovely.

Not far away we found a backyard where there seemed to be a lot of activity and a bunch of feeders. Well, it was a little weird peeking into a stranger's yard, but we determined "there's lifers in that thar yard" (oh haha I made an Alaska joke).
We see some chickadees..."hey now, that doesn't sound quite right...hey now, they don't look quite right."

#174: Chestnut-sided Chickadee; Skagway, AK; August 2011

And then a Steller's Jay (you know, Steller, also of Steller sea lion fame--no, I didn't either until I went to Alaska), gets in the frame too. Holy bigeeessis! Then, wouldn't you know, the resident opens her door, gets a peanut, and that jay hops ONTO HER HAND to eat it. Well, why the heck haven't I tried to hand train blue jays?

#175: Steller's Jay; Skagway, AK; August 2011

In the same area there were some little yellow birds. I had also seen them in Seward and thought immediately, black-throated green warblers, NBD. Woops, then I started seeing this "Townsend's Warblers" mentioned everywhere and wondering a) what the heck are they and b) why haven't I seen one? I look in the book--black-throated greens aren't even in Alaska, they have a similar looking counterpart in Alaska. The markings on the face are quite different once you get down to looking!

#176: Townsend's Warbler; Skagway, Alaska; August 2011

We're sort of moseying along (because when we we're birding we don't seem to get anywhere very fast) and hear a huge bunch of little birds, and we follow them. And by huge flock I mean HUGE. We find them in the tops of the trees and this is the first time we've got pics of Pine Siskins. Not great pics, but pics nonetheless!

#177: Pine Siskin; Skagway, AK; August 2011

We saw a few varied thrushes over the course of the trip. I remember well the first one that we saw, and had one of those really awesome moments that don't happen too often anymore..."Omg I have no idea what that is, and I don't even know where to look for it in the bird book."

There's never enough time at any of the ports, and certainly not enough to get birding in with all the other things you want to see.  Even though we could have stayed longer, that boat would leave without us. So back on we got, and  more big adventures the next day at a new destination!

Seward (#163-170)

We arrived in Seward, where we would board our cruise ship, from Whittier at the end of the day. We had realized in Whittier that the most common gulls there were glaucous-winged, but this one posed for me soooo nicely in Seward.

#163: Glaucous-winged gull; Seward, Alaska; August 25, 2011
Glaucous-winged gulls have pink feet, dark eyes, red on the bottom of the bill, no black at the back.

The light was starting to go but we took our rental car for a last-chance ride along the shore where we tried to capture some very sneaky seabirds! Please excuse these rotten pics...I swear it gets much better after these!

#164: Pigeon Guillemot (juvenile); Seward, Alaska; August 25, 2011

*Mystery bird* (Marbled murrelet?)

*Mystery bird*(At a certain point I just got fed up with trying to figure these out!!!!)

I had the next morning in Seward to myself since the boys took a charter boat out to fish in Resurrection Bay. My plan was to hike up Mount Marathon in the morning and hit Exit Glacier in the afternoon. However, I was told upon leaving the hotel not to hike the mountain by myself (not just because it was very berry/beary, but also because the terrain is difficult and if I fell and broke my leg there would be nobody to get help). So I wandered around Seward in the morning, scouting the shore for birds and doing some caching.

The first bird I saw was a juvenile bald eagle in a tree beside the lagoon behind our hotel. Like I said, eagles are everywhere in Alaska, but always pretty special.

A little farther down I spotted a few cormorants drying out their wings. I noticed that people didn't say the word "cormorant" with nearly the amount of disdain as they do here.

Watching them dry their wings was so hilarious that I actually took a video. This is my first video here so I'm trying to figure this out...maybe next time I'll do it in YouTube so I can make it a little bigger. Anyway, they were doing this when I arrived, kept at it while I watched them, and were still going when I left! Too bad I couldn't lend them the blow dryer from the hotel.

I spent forever trying to get a good shot of one these guys. Once I looked closely, I realized that this is a lifer I could see at home!
#165: Orange-crowned warbler;  Seward, Alaska; August 26, 2011
Unfortunately the orange crown is rarely visible in the field. 

I noticed that the song sparrows all look very dark and "sooty" compared to ours at home! I kept seeing them, think they were a new bird (really hoping they were a water ouzel, or American dipper...never did see one).

Back at the harbour/town, there was lots to see.

This playful sea otter got lucky with some scraps of the pier (red snapper). He rolled around and ate to his heart's content as everyone watched and clicked, clicked, clicked. I took so many pictures and knew I had good ones but just couldn't stop myself from taking more! I have a feeling this guy gets pretty spoiled here. He's got a reputation!

The crows in Alaska are actually different, which took me a few days to realize. Once I realized I could easily mistake new birds for birds from home, I got to studying the range maps and knowing what to look out for. The crows on the West Coast are definitely smaller and can sound a little different. Luckily there is no overlap of northwestern/American crow ranges in Alaska, so it's a safe bet to call this 'norwester! It actually took me forever to get a decent shot of crow...most of them were SO mangy looking!

#166: Northwestern Crow; Seward, Alaska; August 26, 2011
The crows in Seward were grabbing little mussels from the water and cracking them on the rocky beach...neat to watch. Don't see crows doing that at home!

I've never seen a dark hare/rabbit like this at home?!

The previous day we had seen kittiwakes at the rookery in Whittier. I saw some up close and posing nicely on the roof of a building (I've also included some pics from the previous day). As you can see, they look a heck of a lots like a gull, but they have  no markings on their bills and their feet are jet black. The younger ones of stripes on the back of their necks and some have black ear patches too.

kind of an awkward pose...

The boys returned from fishing and reported that they saw puffins in the bay and knew that I would be so disappointed if I didn't see them too. We checked into the cruise ship and came back into town after dropping my dad off (he was in desperate need of a nap...poor dad, I always run him ragged) and picking up Matt's mom Mary. The charters were prohibitively expensive so Matt set to trying to get me out into the bay for those puffins. We were getting pretty desperate, but he ends up asking a random guy in the marina. It was the best thing that could have happened...he was a great guy and we all had an amazing time on this little "private tour" of Resurrection Bay. We headed out and it wasn't too long until what I was waiting for popped into view...

AND THIS IS THE PART OF THE TRIP WHEN I JUST ABOUT DIED FROM JOY.

#167: Horned Puffin; Resurrection Bay, Alaska; August 26, 2011

OMG. OMG. OMG........just OMG.

#168: Tufted Puffin; Resurrection Bay, Alaska; August 26, 2011

OMG - I want a haircut just like this!

Horned and tufted puffins together!

Ken, who took us out, works on a research boat. He's currently doing stuff with sea lions (see the one that's branded in the middle?). These were smaller than the ones we saw in Prince William Sound, but still so great to see.

Steller sea lions

I took pictures of these swimming birds everywhere and didn't realize till we got home that they were all different kinds!

#169: Ancient Murrelet; Resurrection Bay, Alaska; August 26, 2011

(You can barely see it, but check out the white tufts of hair on the back of its head. Most similar birds have black bills, but this one's is lighter)

Ken took us out to another rookery, which was mostly kittiwakes...

look closely though and see some other things, like cormorants...

and more lifers!
#170: Common Murre; Resurrection Bay, Alaska; August 26, 2011

Here's one zooming along with a puffin!

this is Alaska?

Stunning scenery everywhere

With our captain, Ken, Mary, Matt, me.

By the end of the day, it was time to say goodbye to spectacular Seward and jump on board the Radiance. A big part of me felt really guilty about trading in pristine, rugged, beautiful Alaska for a packaged vacation on a mega ship.

And I was so flippin high on seeing those puffins that I was pretty sure that
a. I was never going to come down
b. there was no way the rest of the trip was going to compare.

Well, don't you worry...the rest of the trip was just as great, and there's lots more to come!

The town of Seward was dwarfed by our megaship.