Thomas Bay and Petersburg, Southeast Alaska
There was a sublime atmosphere when we entered Thomas Bay this morning. Low mist, Baird Glacier, silty water, marbled murrelets, arctic terns and haunted legends added to the mystique. We took a quiet cruise through Scenery Cove before we continued to our anchorage.
When one thinks of Alaska, certain majestic images often arise. Slimy creepy crawly creatures are not necessarily what first come to mind. However, today, while peering under skunk cabbage leaves and into the fresh spring droppings of moose above Cascade Falls in Thomas Bay, we found a unique and toxic amphibian, the rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulose). Bumpy brown skin on the dorsal surface keeps the animal camouflaged, but bright orange coloration on the ventral side is usually enough to scare off most would-be predators.
In other habitats, the primary foe of these newts is the garter snake, but in Southeast Alaska, snakes are few and far between – only a few garter snakes have managed to make their way into the Taku and the Stikine watersheds. When these reptiles discover their rough-skinned prey and work the animal down into their digestive tract, the newt’s neurotoxins immobilize the snake for several hours. Where others would perish, the garter snake survives to ingest again.
While many of us went on our fruitful newt-quest, others walked high above the falls, listening to the cascading and complicated call of a winter wren. All were awed by the torrents of water rushing over the rocks, throwing spray into the air, and greening the forest all around.
In the afternoon, we made our way to Petersburg, on Mitkof Island, where commercial crabbers were preparing for the Dungeness crab fishery that will open in two days. Boats in port were loaded with crab pots, ready to begin their season. Many of us crossed Wrangell Narrows to Kupreanof Island to walk up the boardwalk to a gorgeous Alaskan muskeg. There, the last of the Labrador tea was in flower, the bog cranberry was pinking the sphagnum, and the sundew was nearing bloom.
Our day was topped off with an after-dinner venture into Le Conte Bay toward the glacier with the same name. After a Dungeness crab dinner, we took ginger cake in hand, and gaped at the huge icebergs in the narrow channel. Overwhelmed by the day’s many offerings, we retired in anticipation of more to come.
There was a sublime atmosphere when we entered Thomas Bay this morning. Low mist, Baird Glacier, silty water, marbled murrelets, arctic terns and haunted legends added to the mystique. We took a quiet cruise through Scenery Cove before we continued to our anchorage.
When one thinks of Alaska, certain majestic images often arise. Slimy creepy crawly creatures are not necessarily what first come to mind. However, today, while peering under skunk cabbage leaves and into the fresh spring droppings of moose above Cascade Falls in Thomas Bay, we found a unique and toxic amphibian, the rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulose). Bumpy brown skin on the dorsal surface keeps the animal camouflaged, but bright orange coloration on the ventral side is usually enough to scare off most would-be predators.
In other habitats, the primary foe of these newts is the garter snake, but in Southeast Alaska, snakes are few and far between – only a few garter snakes have managed to make their way into the Taku and the Stikine watersheds. When these reptiles discover their rough-skinned prey and work the animal down into their digestive tract, the newt’s neurotoxins immobilize the snake for several hours. Where others would perish, the garter snake survives to ingest again.
While many of us went on our fruitful newt-quest, others walked high above the falls, listening to the cascading and complicated call of a winter wren. All were awed by the torrents of water rushing over the rocks, throwing spray into the air, and greening the forest all around.
In the afternoon, we made our way to Petersburg, on Mitkof Island, where commercial crabbers were preparing for the Dungeness crab fishery that will open in two days. Boats in port were loaded with crab pots, ready to begin their season. Many of us crossed Wrangell Narrows to Kupreanof Island to walk up the boardwalk to a gorgeous Alaskan muskeg. There, the last of the Labrador tea was in flower, the bog cranberry was pinking the sphagnum, and the sundew was nearing bloom.
Our day was topped off with an after-dinner venture into Le Conte Bay toward the glacier with the same name. After a Dungeness crab dinner, we took ginger cake in hand, and gaped at the huge icebergs in the narrow channel. Overwhelmed by the day’s many offerings, we retired in anticipation of more to come.
