The Alaskan Story - our home for the week

Right on time on Thursday 29 June, Geoff Wilson met us in the lobby of our Juneau hotel, loaded all our gear into his van (with 7 photographers, there’s lots!) and took us to Auke Bay. There, with the assistance of Bree and Ben, the crew that assist Geoff and his wife Debbie, we boarded the Alaskan Story.

This was our home for one week, and what a joy! Lots of space, great viewing from the bow, the stern and the sides of the boat, and space for us to stow our camera gear so it was always within easy reach.

Debbie is an amazing chef – the food was delicious and plentiful, from the morning cup of tea through breakfast and lunch, to dinners including fresh Dungeness crab the first evening, fresh salmon, and yummy veggies and fruit.

We set off that afternoon, heading north west around the top of Admiralty Island, into Icy Strait to Bartlett Cove near the entrance to Glacier Bay, where we anchored for the first night. Even as we left Auke Bay we were treated to more than 20 bald eagles, soaring high above the land --- but there was so much more to come!

The weather was far from perfect – low cloud, drizzle and rain until late Sunday when it started to clear. But this provides good backdrops without areas of significant light and shade – although keeping your camera dry can be a challenge at times.

On the way to Bartlett Cove we were treated to the glorious sight of sea otters lying on their backs, some with pups on their tummies. The “fur ball” in the photo is the tiny pup, with its eyes still closed & a cute button nose. I became used to seeing them at a distance with only their heads showing at one end, and their relatively large feet at the other as they swam around on their backs. If we approached too close for their comfort, they’d roll over and dive – those with pups would pop up again quite quickly, and we’d back away.

Over the next few days we saw sea otters off and on. They’ve returned to Glacier Bay and are regarded as a “keystone species,” keeping sea urchins that feed on kelp, under control. When sea urchins are abundant, they can completely consume a kelp forest – this is detrimental to many marine species that depend on kelp.

On Friday we headed north west way up Glacier Bay to Tarr Inlet – it was not just sea-otter territory, but Steller sea lion and then tufted puffins! What an amazing day.

We first came across the sea lions on glorious rocks in the middle of the Bay. Actually we could smell them before we saw them. The large males sat high above their female harems, barking loudly to keep other males away. And large flocks of white gulls flew above all of this, occasionally scared into flight by an eagle. The colours of the sea lions and rocks looked beautiful against the muted sky – we had lots of fun photographing all of this. The photo shows a single male high up on his rock.

After an hour or so with the sea lions, it was time to sail further up Glacier Bay to meet the tufted puffins. I’ve seen “common” puffins before in Iceland and the Bering Sea, but have never managed to get good clear photos – they fly very fast, and when they’re sitting on the water, have usually been too far way.

This was so different – we were much closer, and by sitting quietly and not speaking, they became used to us, and sat quietly on the water with their beautifully colourful beaks, slicked back yellow tufts and that quizzical look in their eyes. They’re not the most graceful birds when they’re taking off, running somewhat clumsily on the water, wings flapping until they get enough speed to be airborne. We watched and photographed them in various locations – it was a joy.

And then there were the bald eagles. We had two close encounters with these magnificent birds, each time watching them dive towards the sea and grabbing small fish, then flying back up and doing their best to swallow the catch while in flight.

It was such a treat, and a significant learning experience for me. I was amazed that I could actually capture this with some clarity – they move fast, changing direction along their flight path as the wind moves around. Our cameras & lenses are so capable – appropriate settings are key.