Sitka Again

 This last trip was really nice and also really crazy.  Nothing went to plan.  It started in Glacier Bay, and we had two days in the park and went to Lamplugh and then to Gloomy Knob.  I did the gloomy knob hike and it was fantastic, with a great view, and lots of altitude.

 We got way up and the sunshine was beaming and we looked out at fairweather

 The trip back was steep and tough, but we made it.  Then we drove around and saw a bear

 and some puffins

 Then we went to Bartlett Cove and walked around the trail and found some porcupines.  This one is a ghost...

 This one was super cute.

 The spruces are pollinating and we found clouds of pollen everywhere

 Here's Ted on his Birthday...

 And during a transit the next day, another guide, Jake

 I drove a skiff up the river at Idaho Inlet and saw a bear.

 And we had a nice friendly otter at Takatz

 Then after the otters, we found some Orcas

 And they chased a sea lion up to our boat

 The poor sea lion came alongside and tried to hide in our noise

 But kept a fearful eye under water

 But the orcas got him in the end and splashed their triumph.

 Then in Pavlof we found a nice bear

 And in the Magouns we had the resident eagle again

 as well as some Yellowlegs

 the anchor chain broke and we lost the anchor, so we had to go to Sitka early, so we went to Fortress of the Bear, a rescue place for bears.  Some of them are huge, and they are easy to see close up

 And here is a black bear in a tree.  This is a place you could spend hours and hours just watching the bears from.

The last few weeks...

 So, from the last few weeks...  Two weeks ago I saw the Maria Cleofas, in Sitka.  I'd seen this boat in Mexico a long time ago and it was neat to see it here.  Shortly after that, in the Magouns, I saw some otters mating, and they are fierce...

 Another view, you can see the male is biting the female's neck to hold on.

 And the resident eagle in the Magouns was there, watching...

 Also a Black Bellied Plover!

 Closer to the plover.

 During a transit, I got my first Shooting Stars of the season.

 And A view of the Wilderness Discoverer in front of the Baranof Mountains

 And some close up whale views...

 More.

 Then in Pavlof Harbor I found a Beaver.

 And some Orca after that, in Cross Sound.

 Also a Sea Lion inspecting our skiff.

 There are also Otters in the Inian Islands

 And I found a Red-Necked Phalarope

 Then we went to Lamplugh and looked around

 and I went for a walk in front of the glacier

 There is a lake forming and it is most awesome.

Sitka

 So we got to Sitka for the first time this year, and it was a nice trip.  It started off in Glacier Bay, with a porcupine.  This little guy was a super cutie, and he was just munching on grass in the middle of this clearing near the beach, and some of us spotted him.  I got there a little while after and sat down to get some shots, and some video, and he just kept munching and scratching, because I guess there is a lot of itching to be done under the quills.  Then just as our time was running out he spooked a little and started running towards me.  Enough to get the heart pumping a little bit!

 After Glacier Bay, we went back to Neka Bay again, and found two bears this time.  One was shy and hid in the trees, which is good because its bear hunting season there, and the other was bold and eating crabs on the beach.  In this photo, see if you can spot the crab wiggling as it is being eaten alive.

 Then we went to the Keku Islands and then Halleck Harbor, and both were nice places, but I got to do a transit during lunchtime, so I was driving a skiff across between the two places and stopped for a short crawl out on a slippery rock.  I managed to get up on top and find that an eagle was still up there, and it gave me one stern look and I decided to abandon the rock and go back to the skiff.  They have a pretty powerful look when they want to give it.

 We found a big fat black bear on that transit also.

 Then we went to Big Bear Baby Bear State Marine Park and I kayaked with a bunch of shorebirds and got really good looks at them.  There is so many migrating birds and so it is really pretty to see them all. 

 Here is a Dunlin in breeding feathers

 And a nice Western Sandpiper chowing down on the low tide treats. 

 I also found a cormarant with a red face, but I think it isn't a Red Faced Cormorant, but rather a Pelagic, but I can't be sure...

 And some Brants.  These were tolerant of me kayaking near them, which I find unusual.  This was in the Magouns.  The people were all nice and good and we had a nice time.