For your delectation a few shots of the wildlife seen on our holiday to Alaska and beyond
1.Black Bear Fishing, nr Juneau
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
2.
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
3.
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
4. ......and like every fisherman theres the one that got away
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
5. Better luck next time maybe
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
6. A few Orcas near Juneau
Orcas nr Juneau by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
7.
Orcas nr Juneau by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
8.
Orcas nr Juneau by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
9.
Orcas nr Juneau by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
10. A few birds, starting with Puffins
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
11.
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
12. A gull in Tracy Arm
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
13. Bald Eagle at Gustavus ferry dock
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
14. In Galcier Bay NP we found a group of 7 Orcas killing & eating a stellar sea lion (they were teaching the young how to hunt and kill and toyed with the sea lion for over an hour)
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
15. Theres the poor sea lion on the left
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
16.
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
17.
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
18. Some rather more fortunate Sea Lions, Glacier Bay NP
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
19. Grizzy, Glacier Bay NP
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
20. Sea Otters, Glacier Bay NP
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
21. We saw humpbacks from Alaska Marine Highway ferry
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
22.
Alaska 2017 by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
23. Another black bear in Tracy Arm, feasting on mussels
Black Bear Tracy Arm by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
24. Seals on ice floes Tracy Arm
Tracy Arm AK by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
25. Prior to going up to Alaska we were in Oregon and Washington State where we saw more Orcas
Orcas Puget Sound by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
26.
Orcas Puget Sound by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
27. And more humpbacks, in particular this one.........all humpbacks can be identified by the patterns and markings on their tails, these are unique, from this individuals can be identified and are given names and registered on a whale research database. This whale had not been seen before and so was new to the database, he or she therefore needed a name and my suggestion of 'Eclipse' was chosen.So Ladies & Gentlemen I introduce my whale 'Eclipse' to you all.
Orcas Puget Sound by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
28.
Orcas Puget Sound by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
29.
Orcas Puget Sound by Andy Kenyon, on Flickr
Bears, Birds, Orcas, Whales - Alaskan Wildlife
Bears, Birds, Orcas, Whales - Alaskan Wildlife
If you like these pics there are more utterly brilliant shots at https://www.flickr.com/photos/131094099@N08/albums
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Re: Bears, Birds, Orcas, Whales - Alaskan Wildlife
Fantastic set and I am really envious of the trip and sightings!
The Puffin is Horned Puffin, different from our own Atlantic Puffin.
The gull is a Kittiwake - "Black-legged Kittiwake" over there - same as ours.
Steller's Sea Lion, after the travelling naturalist Steller. I think it is the biggest sea lion species? Very impressive beast, until it runs up against a pod of Orcas.....
I'm not sure about the seals on the ice. Are they just Harbour Seals (= our Common Seal, though Pacific ones are on average a bit larger)?
Thank you for sharing and congratulations on getting to name a Humpback!
John
The Puffin is Horned Puffin, different from our own Atlantic Puffin.
The gull is a Kittiwake - "Black-legged Kittiwake" over there - same as ours.
Steller's Sea Lion, after the travelling naturalist Steller. I think it is the biggest sea lion species? Very impressive beast, until it runs up against a pod of Orcas.....
I'm not sure about the seals on the ice. Are they just Harbour Seals (= our Common Seal, though Pacific ones are on average a bit larger)?
Thank you for sharing and congratulations on getting to name a Humpback!
John
Re: Bears, Birds, Orcas, Whales - Alaskan Wildlife
John
Thanks for the kind words and the extra information on the birds, birds never were a strong point of mine .
The seals on the ice are indeed harbour seals, apparently they like it down the end of the fjord near the glacier as predators (presumably orcas) dont like to go down that far near the glacier, not sure whether because of the ice, the current (there is a very strong flow of meltwater) or the narrowness of the channel, neither can big vessels get down there.
This was just a family holiday, not a wildlife spotting trip, we thought we would see wildlife but didnt go out of our way to do so, and we got some great sightings, the wildlife is so abundant up there its fantastic if you are interested. Id love to go back solely for photography of the scenery and wildlife, however this was a trip of a lifetime so I cant see that happening anytime soon.
Thanks for the kind words and the extra information on the birds, birds never were a strong point of mine .
The seals on the ice are indeed harbour seals, apparently they like it down the end of the fjord near the glacier as predators (presumably orcas) dont like to go down that far near the glacier, not sure whether because of the ice, the current (there is a very strong flow of meltwater) or the narrowness of the channel, neither can big vessels get down there.
This was just a family holiday, not a wildlife spotting trip, we thought we would see wildlife but didnt go out of our way to do so, and we got some great sightings, the wildlife is so abundant up there its fantastic if you are interested. Id love to go back solely for photography of the scenery and wildlife, however this was a trip of a lifetime so I cant see that happening anytime soon.
If you like these pics there are more utterly brilliant shots at https://www.flickr.com/photos/131094099@N08/albums
#MOT
#MOT
Re: Bears, Birds, Orcas, Whales - Alaskan Wildlife
Great set Thank you for sharing it
Ian Harris https://www.flickr.com/photos/ian_harrisuk/
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Re: Bears, Birds, Orcas, Whales - Alaskan Wildlife
Stunning stuff Andy, looks like a fabulous trip!!
You caaan't trust the system... Maaan!
Re: Bears, Birds, Orcas, Whales - Alaskan Wildlife
Brilliant set. Must admit that I didn't know the bears were so abundant. We just saw one Black Bear when were in the Canadian Rockies.
One day I'll get to Alaska. Unfortunately not anytime soon.
One day I'll get to Alaska. Unfortunately not anytime soon.