Bears Galore

After 2-1/2 hours of following the pod of Humpback Whales in Chatham Strait on the Westward, it would seem the day's appetite for Alaska wildlife was satisfied.  Reaching Pavlov Bay, the Westward anchored, and we boarded the skiff. The plan was to observe some bears from the skiff.  Our naturalist, Carolyn, steered the zodiac up a small river towards a set of small drops exposed by the low tide.  Because of the low tide, the river had trapped the returning salmon in pools scattered along the way to higher falls with a fish ladder to the right side.  Carolyn anchored the skiff so that we all had a good view.  Midway towards the steep falls, in the pools, was a large Brown Bear sow with two cubs.

She was catching a few salmon, usually back in the shadows where we could not see clearly.  In all cases, the sow gave the fish to her cubs - leaving few scraps for the gulls.

Shortly, a fourth bear appeared at the top of the high falls. It was a bit smaller and leaner than the sow.

Junior crossed the falls and disappeared into the forest, reappearing later near the sow. There seemed to be a tolerance by the sow for this new arrival, maybe somehow related to her.  Yet, the bear did keep it's distance, and soon crossed to the farther side to search in the small pools of water.

 Suddenly, the bear burst forward some twenty feet and grabbed a fish.

In no time, that salmon was consumed, and the bear drifted back towards the sow.  She may have been one of her offspring from a few years earlier, but the sow still was not entirely welcoming the competition for the salmon to feed her cubs. So she set some limits, it would appear.

Two days later, dawn found the Westward anchored in a hidden cove.  Awake early, I went up on deck to find a pair of Bald Eagle perched along the shore. One bird launched into the classic glide toward a target near the boat.  It was successful, and arose with a nice fish.

This would prove to be the beginning of a very rich day of wildlife viewing.  Chef Traci again provided an extraordinary breakfast that day.

Ham and Broccoli Hash with Soft Poached Eggs, Cinnamon Spiral Rolls, Apples and Grapes.  

We were all energized for a rewarding morning excursion to the nearby salmon hatchery at Hidden Falls. 

There are no fish farms in Alaska.  This stream has a falls too high for salmon to climb. This (and other) hatcheries raise wild salmon fry that are released to supplement the population from those natural runs.  This takes pressure off of the wild runs.

The salmon come up a series of falls into a pond where they are harvested for eggs and sperm, respectively. The fertile eggs are cultured and transferred later into tanks using a constant flow of fresh water.  The end result is that these salmon go to sea like the wild run, and come to market as tasty as those from a natural spawn.  The bear are satisfied, too.

The Brown Bears line up along the cascade, and some sit at the entrance to the chute, intently watching.

 When successful, the first priority for a subordinate bear is to head for the forest.

There are dominant sows with cubs to feed.  The top bear was this huge sow with four cubs. No one argued with her.  It is very rare for a female to have four cubs survive.

The cubs were adorable. Momma was a strict disciplinarian. Perhaps this explains how she kept all four alive.

Brown Bears can also show strong social bonds like this sow and her sub-adult.

 The cub needed some cuddle time it would appear.

Some of the lone bears chose to enter the water and search underwater for the salmon.

Sometimes they succeeded.

The morning passed too quickly; eventually it was time for Captain Bill to motor back to the dock to retrieve us.

It had been exciting to watch these twenty-one bears with so much activity, it was hard to decide where to observe.  Lunch was a potpie with elk, roasted root vegetables and braised greens.  Cruised that afternoon.  What a day!

Paul

Whale, Whale, Whale....wasn't this a find morning!

Day three on the Westward began quietly in a calm anchorage.  Lifting anchor, our boat continued east on Peril Strait.  The boat then turned north on Chatham Strait with the intention of finding Brown Bears during low tide at Pavlov Bay. There was, however, a diversion when Captain Bill announced whales spouting on the west shore, maybe a mile ahead. Once closer, we had our first good view.

What followed was two and a half hours of tracking a group of eleven Humpback Whales.  They repeatedly dove, located feed fish, encircled them in a bubble net, tightened the net and then swept upward with mouths widely open, erupting on the surface.

The gulls seemed to have knowledge of where the whales would appear and converged in the general area beforehand.  Quickly, the whales would settle down, often with pectoral fins protruding from the sea.  One imagines that they are laying out to filter water through their baleen and swallow the small fish.   The gulls swarmed about looking for stunned fish on the surface.

The whales regrouped and likely recharged their air supply.

The cycle continues as the whales begin to dive again.  It seems a deep dive is marked by the tail lifting high as the whales descend for another hunt.

On deck, passengers wait and watch the gulls to provide a clue. We got better at recognizing this, and often found ourselves watching in the right spot.  (Of course, Captain Bill likely was more on top of this than we were.)  It was spectacular.

It is tempting to believe that local residents become less excited about the sight of Humpbacks sweeping up from the depths.  This fishing boat dispels that idea.

The fisherman immediately turned his boat, stopped and appeared with a camera.  He did not chase the pod for hours like we did, but it surely excited him.

But, after countless repeats and considering our intent to get to Pavlov Bay at low tide, even the most enthusiastic photographer admitted it was time to move on.  So we said farewell to a final diving whale.

Captain Bill said we had seen more bubble-feeding events than they usually find in an entire season.  Once again, it seems we have good fortune on our travels.  Anyway, bears are next.

Paul