PART 2BB, Monday, Sept 02, Fox and Rugged Islands, Gulf of Alaska

    When our time was up at the Seabird Cliffs, the Captain took the vessel down the eastern shoreline. I was hoping that because it was a longer wildlife tour, they would skip "Selfie Falls" !! The boat passed by the mouth of Humpy Cove and continued southeast along the shoreline. It looks like we were not going to Selfie Falls! We were headed directly towards the inside passage of Fox Island. On the northeastern point of Fox Island is a large sandspit. This sandspit was caused by one of the tidal waves that happened years ago. This is also true for the area forming the impoundment at Bear Creek Glacier across on the other side of Resurrection Bay. 

   This area at the northeast end of Fox Island used to be wide open heading into Eldorado Narrows. Now, the sandspit was permanent and the shoreline was covered with driftwood logs and old dead stunted trees. But, the area has become a favorite for concentrations of Bald Eagles. There is a concentrated population on this long sandbar and sandy shoreline. As we passed through the narrows, there were many Kittiwake and Gulls (mostly Glaucous-winged), and both species of Cormorants: Double-crested and Pelagic). I didn't see but only a few Horned Puffins, Murres and Pigeon Guillemot down the shoreline in the Narrows. 

   It wasn't until we reached the open Gulf between the southeast tip of Rugged Island and Cape Resurrection that the Gulf  exploded with Alcids!!

 

    Suddenly, the ocean and the air was filled with mostly Horned Puffins, lesser numbers of Tufted Puffins, several fly-by Pigeon Guillemot, and impressive numbers of Common Murre! The sea was literally covered with small rafts of Common Murre with some Horned Puffins in the mix. The concentration of Murres continued all the way around the southern end and to the west of Rugged Island. This was definitely the place that Common Murres liked to congregate.  I found myself in the same position I was in two days ago.....so many birds in so many directions, what do I photograph!

                                                      

                                                            Gorgeous Tufted Puffins- 

               Something you see every now and then- a Common Murre flying with a fish in its bill-

                           Common Murre were spread out all around the south of Rugged Island-

               One of the small groups of Horned Puffins hanging out with the Murres- 

        Common Murre are my favorite living species of Alcid. To me they represent the classic look of what we think that Alcids are- 

                                        Gulf of Alaska, entering  the Fjord Aialik Bay- 

      Once the boat passed to the west of Rugged Island, the Captain announced that we had a 15 minute run to the mouth of the Fjord Aialik Bay. We were now in he Gulf of Alaska and it still had residual waves left over from the storm a day earlier. Because she would have to throttle-up to make better time and with the combination with the leftover waves it would be a real bumpy ride. For safety, she asked everyone on deck to come inside the cabin while we crossed this section of the Gulf of Alaska. 

        Halfway across the Gulf, I spotted my first Pacific Loon in Alaska. It flew up along the starboard side of the vessel and eventually passed out in front of the bow and headed south into the Gulf. I took these images through the windows from inside the cabin! Looks like I lucked out!!

                  Looking to the Kenai Peninsula from the Gulf, from the opened door of the cabin-

     

     With the vessel opened up at 26 knots, I did see quite a few singles, pairs and small groups of Puffins and Murres, but chose not to try and photograph anything....the vessel was moving too fast! Finally, the vessel decelerated as we approached the mouth of the Fjord Aialik Bay. Captain said we were allowed back on deck!

    On the starboard side the water was literally alive with just Horned Puffins....I didn't see one Tufted Puffin or a Common Murre (that I could identify)- 

    

     Its interesting, before Jen and I went on this Alaskan Cruise, I bought a copy of the Field Guide to Alaskan Birds just so I had an idea what birds we might see or had a chance of seeing on our trip. The Field Guide said that Horned Puffins were "uncommon" along the southern coast  in late summer/fall, and rare in southeast Alaska in the late summer/fall! Due to the fact that the majority of Puffins were  saw on our boat tours were Horned Puffins, I think I will skip field guided in the future! 

                                               From a distance..... the Aialik Glacier! 

      Probably my first big surprise bird came when I saw a pair of birds in the distance flying across Aialik Bay in the area where I was seeing all the Horned Puffins. At first I figured they were another pair of Puffins, but who knows. I took a few pictures as they passed across the Bay heading to the east. I followed them as they suddenly started gaining altitude and headed for the high snowy peaks on the peninsula. What?? I looked at one of the images in the back of my camera and found that these two birds were a pair of Green-winged Teal! That is a species of Waterfowl that I never expected to see here!! 

     Happy to see quite a few Cormorants of both species in the Bay, like this pair of Pelagic Cormorants- 

                                                    Double-crested Cormorant-

                                                       Aialik Bay and Aialik Glacier

     This is what I have been waiting for! When Jen and I first planned and reserved this Kenai Fjords Wildlife Cruise six months ago, this was the tour that I was the most excited about! I know I shouldn't have, but my hopes were really high! If any of the locations on our wildlife tours on this cruise this should be the best place to see Marbled Murrelets and of course the fall Grail bird (for me): the KITTLITZ MURRELET!! I can't believe how anxious I was on the bow of the vessel in this exact location halfway (in the below image) up the Fjord to the Aialik Glacier. Since Kittlitz Murrelets favor the waters near glaciers, my fingers were crossed!! I know its late in their season, I only need to see just one!! This will probably be my only trip to Alaska (or maybe a few years down the road)......just one Kittlitz!! The Glacier area is also a great spot for the Marbled Murrelet. That would be incredible if I saw both species!!!

                                      PART CC continues, Approaching the Aialik Glacier-

                                          To Continue....click on "OLDER POSTS" below right