Whittier, Alaska

 

ORCA !!

Orange-crowned Warbler

Glaucous-winged Gull

Fox Sparrow

Flesh-footed Sheetwater

Bald Eagle

Nothing beats mid-summer icy paths !

This is Whittier, this is it. Docked here until 8pm, what the heck are we going to do ?! Only 80 miles from Anchorage but no trips to do and no transport. So checked the docks for ducks, zero and then walked into town that consisted of 6 shops and 4 cafes. The town was packed with fishing boats getting ready for the salmon which was imminent. They were arriving in their droves towing fishing boats. So we went into a gift shop and then found a green space to walk through. Not too bad, gave us a few birds. Then back to the boat, good day to do the laundry, eat and sleep and then eat again !

Bought a fridge magnet from this shop, then saw this outside and wished I hadn't given her my $5 !

Hump-backed Whales, Alaska

A few Hump-backed Whales, never tired of seeing these beautiful creatures blowing, surfacing and fluking. We saw 72 from our side of the ship. Not a bad count !

We had one 'blow' at the side of the ship whilst we were in a harbour that it actually wet us, never forget that moment x

And this is the fin of an Orca !  We saw a total of 5 on our cruise. Afraid no pods of them. Our Captain announced that over the years their numbers had dropped each year and in the stretches where he used to see pods of Orcas on each voyage, none are seen now.