Fox Creek and the Inian Islands
Sea Bird entered Idaho Inlet under misty skies and anchored just off the small a stream called Fox Creek. While we finished breakfast, the crew readied the Zodiacs and kayaks for our morning’s adventure. The kayakers headed out first to paddle along the shoreline and to head out to nearby Shaw Island. It was a quiet morning and we heard the cries of kittiwakes as they hovered and dove on a school of fish. The hikers explored the lush forest and muskeg surrounding Fox Creek. Scratched trees and footprints showed that bears frequent this area. On their way through the muskeg, the hikers found some of the special plants that can tolerate the acidic soil conditions of these bogs. The most intriguing plant was the carnivorous sundew; looking closely we saw how it captures insects with sticky droplets of nectar. Throughout the morning landing, sounds of excitement echoed over the water as some of the youngsters were out with the boatswain learning how to pilot a Zodiac.
As we left our anchorage and headed to the Inian Islands, the sky cleared, giving us our first view of the Fairweather Mountain Range off to our north. We stopped in a sheltered cove and launched the Zodiacs to explore this group of small islands. There is a large rock in the middle of a narrow channel that serves as a haul out for Steller’s sea lions. Several hundred sea lions, most juvenile males, rest on this rock between bouts of feeding. They favor this area because the tidal currents push fish through the narrow channel and they do not have to go far to forage. We were out just as the tide began to come in and every few minutes a sea lion could be seen at the surface thrashing a fish about, thereby ripping it into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Checking the areas of kelp, we found several groups of sea otters. They seemed to be resting; one mother was nursing her kit. Added to this excitement were a few glimpses of humpback whales, heading east with the tide. The weather turned into one of those rare Southeast Alaska evenings when the air feels crisp and the sun warm. We stayed out on deck until dinner, enjoying sightings of humpback whale blows hanging in the still air and a sea otter eating an octopus.
Sea Bird entered Idaho Inlet under misty skies and anchored just off the small a stream called Fox Creek. While we finished breakfast, the crew readied the Zodiacs and kayaks for our morning’s adventure. The kayakers headed out first to paddle along the shoreline and to head out to nearby Shaw Island. It was a quiet morning and we heard the cries of kittiwakes as they hovered and dove on a school of fish. The hikers explored the lush forest and muskeg surrounding Fox Creek. Scratched trees and footprints showed that bears frequent this area. On their way through the muskeg, the hikers found some of the special plants that can tolerate the acidic soil conditions of these bogs. The most intriguing plant was the carnivorous sundew; looking closely we saw how it captures insects with sticky droplets of nectar. Throughout the morning landing, sounds of excitement echoed over the water as some of the youngsters were out with the boatswain learning how to pilot a Zodiac.
As we left our anchorage and headed to the Inian Islands, the sky cleared, giving us our first view of the Fairweather Mountain Range off to our north. We stopped in a sheltered cove and launched the Zodiacs to explore this group of small islands. There is a large rock in the middle of a narrow channel that serves as a haul out for Steller’s sea lions. Several hundred sea lions, most juvenile males, rest on this rock between bouts of feeding. They favor this area because the tidal currents push fish through the narrow channel and they do not have to go far to forage. We were out just as the tide began to come in and every few minutes a sea lion could be seen at the surface thrashing a fish about, thereby ripping it into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Checking the areas of kelp, we found several groups of sea otters. They seemed to be resting; one mother was nursing her kit. Added to this excitement were a few glimpses of humpback whales, heading east with the tide. The weather turned into one of those rare Southeast Alaska evenings when the air feels crisp and the sun warm. We stayed out on deck until dinner, enjoying sightings of humpback whale blows hanging in the still air and a sea otter eating an octopus.
