Seward, Alaska
On the last day of the long tour boat season, the recently turbulent bay transformed into a reflection glass and the sun shone warmly. What a gorgeous day to tour Resurrection Bay! A remarkable 132 passengers piled onto the Major Marine Tours’ Kenai Fjords 360 catamaran, festooned with cameras, cell phones, and selfie sticks for a fabulous afternoon.
An adult BALD EAGLE immediately activated the cameras, posing in wonderful light on the dolphins just outside the harbor mouth. Five PELAGIC CORMORANTS watched warily from a nearby buoy and then fled, pattering awkwardly away. The most common bird species from the harbor and throughout the trip was the BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE. GLAUCOUS-WINGED and MEW GULLS seemed more common close to the head of the bay and waterfront.
As Seward shrank in the distance, dwarfed by the surrounding snow-dusted mountains, the boat paused for the first and unamused sea otter which immediately dove. Another, more tolerant sea otter soon appeared to allow everyone ample opportunities for photos as it calmly regarded us, swimming backwards, paws held up out of the cold water. It then began grooming its enviably furry and extraordinarily flexible body. When it ran out of patience, it dove in water so clear we could follow it swimming away underwater.
We cruised past Lowell Point and its seaside homes, the end of the road and last vestiges of civilization. Then the boat paralleled Alaska State Parks’ popular Tonsina Point and Caines Head State Recreation Area. From the middle of the bay, we caught good looks at the three glaciers above Thumb Cove to the east: Prospect, Spoon, and Porcupine, and Thumb Cove State Marine Park on the south shore.
Rounding the rocky cliffs of Callisto Head, the largest glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park rolled into view. The magnificent long, white tongue of Bear Glacier flows from the Harding Icefield and calves into an iceberg-filled lagoon. Enormous, stranded, blue-tinged icebergs rose above the long recessional moraine, slowly melting and merging with river and the ocean, part of the endless water cycle.
Every camera and selfie stick on all three levels leapt into action as we entered scenic Spire Cove and motored slowly between one rocky pinnacle and an opposing stern cliff face. It is astonishing how spruce and hemlock trees survive on top of these rock spires without any soil, clinging tenaciously to tiny cracks.
CORMORANTS flew out from their cliff-side perches unnoticed. The lighting was difficult, but I suspect Pelagic Cormorants and possibly Red-faced. Three WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS paddled off and away, watching us warily.
We cruised along the Aialik Peninsula past Cheval Island, now devoid of Black Oystercatchers, and checked out the endangered Steller sea lions hauled out high above the water on No Name Rock. How in the world did they get that high? One sea lion was branded, E151, part of a scientific study by researchers at the Alaska Sealife Center. The surf smashed against the rocks, dousing them, turning the lighter (drier) sea lions dark.
From Aialik Cape, we could see the drowned mountain tops of the Chiswell Islands in the distance, victims of subsidence as two massive tectonic plates collide. Due south, nothing but the vast Pacific Ocean with Hawaii over 2300 miles away, then unimpeded straight to Antarctica.
Dark clouds blotted out the sun, the temperature dropped, and the sea grew restless. Passengers bundled up, held on, and hunkered down. I was glad when the captain steered us east towards the sunshine of Cape Resurrection on the east side of Resurrection Bay.
Suddenly, the captain spotted what he had been searching for: the spouts of a roving pod of Orcas! These were transients, an unfortunate name that identifies them as sea mammal-eaters. The resident population eats salmon, and not much is known about the offshore group, though they are known to eat sharks. As we got closer, it was apparent that the food of these top predators fought back: one had a shredded dorsal fin, several showed scars and scrapes.
The Steller sea lions, hauled safely out of reach, would be of interest to these killer whales, as would harbor seals, Dall’s porpoises, and even minke and gray whales when available.
It was thrilling to watch the emergence of the tips of their black dorsal fins and smooth black heads. Then we heard them breathe! Down they went in the cloud of mist with a flash of white from the eye patch, followed by the slicing fin and gray saddle patch. Two or three others surfaced and exhaled in an almost synchronized ballet. I counted five, including what seemed to be a younger, smaller whale.
A large male accompanied the group, but his 6’ dorsal fin drooped instead of standing tall. This is thought to be the result of stress, including loss of family members and accumulation of toxic chemicals. Nursing mothers can purge themselves of the toxins, sadly passing them on to their babies. The males cannot purge their load and the toxins continue to build up over their lifetime with damaging consequences. So, so sad.
Nonetheless, watching the orcas was fascinating. One raised its tail, revealing a white underside, and slapped it hard, unusual behavior for these otherwise stealthy hunters. Soon afterwards, several swirled around underwater in a tight circle, churning up white foam. Did they catch something? We did not see.
Finally, we bid adieu to the orcas and resumed our course across the bay. Not long afterwards, Dall’s porpoises swam swiftly towards the boat. The captain slowed down and they played right next to the bow wave, pumping their tails furiously then exploding to breathe in a flash and splash of white spray. How fun when a wild sea mammal chooses to approach instead of endure or flee! Soon, they zipped off, perhaps aware of the hungry orcas not far away, rooster spray marking their joyous path.
We cruised past Rugged Island and then Barwell Island, both sites of historic WWII defense structures and now part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. They and Cape Resurrection looked deserted, all the nesting seabirds long gone but not without a trace. Great patches of white guano streaked down the cliffs by the nesting sites. After vigorous scouring by winter storm surges, the cliffs will be clean and ready for next summer’s cacophony of seabirds.
About a mile north, we idled in front of Sea Lion Rock where another group of Steller sea lions napped in the sun. A second branded sea lion, E271, dozed near the top. Our presence stirred them up, inducing bawling, growling and head-butting but fortunately none launched into the surf.
Near the summit of a nearby peak on an almost vertical face, two brilliantly white mountain goats defied gravity and injury. What phenomenal athletes!
We passed close by Pillow Rock, an interesting tiny islet made of basaltic pillow lava formed when hot magma streamed into the ocean floor and quickly cooled. Next we cruised past a ½ mile-long recessional moraine on the northeast tip of Fox Island, now part of Sandspit Point State Marine Park. It was deposited by the mighty glacier(s) that carved the fjord named Resurrection Bay.
Partially hidden at the base of Topeka Point, a steep headland just past Humpy Cove, a concrete structure named The Iron Door stands guard. This was Searchlight #3 during WWII and part of the military’s harbor defense system. Searchlight #4 was built farther up the cliff at 610’, but is not visible from the bay.
At this point, we were running late (due to the orcas), and cruised quickly past scenic Thumb Cove, checking off its glaciers. Too soon we returned to civilization, passing the other end of the road anchored by the Seward Marine Industrial Center and framed by rugged Mt Alice and Godwin Glacier in the Chugach National Forest. As we steamed into the harbor, another sea otter entertained us briefly before we docked. What a delightful finale to a wonder-filled afternoon!
Though the focus was on the wildlife, I really appreciate the mosaic of all the public lands that we passed: Alaska State Parks, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Kenai Fjords National Park, and USFS Chugach National Forest.
They serve to help preserve and protect the cultural history and this incredible ecosystem for all, including the animals AND visitors from all over the world who exited the boat smiling and full of memories of a lifetime.
What a place, Alaska!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
Information on WWII harbor defense:
http://www.sdphotos.org/ca/seward/index.html
Alaska Boaters Safety Program, Resurrection Bay
Resurrection Bay Brochure
http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/brochures/resbaybrochure.pdf
Amazing footage from the US Army Corps of Engineers on the actual construction of Fort McGilvray, Fort Bulkley, and other WWII defenses
https://www.schooltube.com/media/+U.+S.+Army+Corps+of+Engineers+World+War+II+Moving+Image+Collection-Resurrection+Bay+and+Whittier/1_9fsi25ym
Amazing footage from the US Army Corps of Engineers on the actual construction of Fort McGilvray, Fort Bulkley, and other WWII defenses
https://www.schooltube.com/media/+U.+S.+Army+Corps+of+Engineers+World+War+II+Moving+Image+Collection-Resurrection+Bay+and+Whittier/1_9fsi25ym
