Alaska - Part 3. Seward back to Tok

Chocolate Lily, beautiful to look at,
Horrible to smell, to attract flies for pollination

Driving to Seward from Homer, we had to go back through the wildlife area near Sterling.  The smoke was still thick for over 20 miles as it hung between the mountains.  The morning sun glowed red through the hazy skies.

King Salmon were coming up Bear Creek to spawn, this is a weir where
many are caught and studied.

Glaucous-winged Gull with nesting material

Trumpeter Swans at marsh on Nash Road in Seward

We took a boat trip out Resurrection Bay to Northwestern Glacier and the Chiswell Islands.
As you can see, we started the day in fog, not easy to spot these Orca Whales.

There were many beautiful rock islands on our 8 hour excursion 

Northwestern Glacier

The ice moves about three feet a day, falling to the water with thunderous noise and beauty like a waterfall.  Sometimes breaking into large pieces and causing waves.  Above the glacier is the Harding Ice Field, 600 square miles of packed snow and ice moving down many glaciers.  Every winter, over 100 FEET of snow accumulates pressing down to form this ice pack.

Kittlitz's Murrelet, feeds near the Tidal Glaciers

Harbor Seals love lounging around on the ice from the glacier

Here we are at the bow of the boat with a giant watrfall behind us at the Kenai Fjords

Pigeon Guillemot showing off his bright feet

The rare Red-faced Cormorant

Horned Puffin

Puffin Pairs - Tufted up top and Horned below

Steller's Sea Lions basking the day away

Smile for the camera!

A rare treat, the tiny Parakeet Auklet

This Sea Otter caught an Octopus, the Glaucous-winged Gulls want to share

Common Murre

This Bald Eagle welcomed us back into the harbor

We stayed the week at Stoney Creek RV Park and one of our favorite birds there were  the Varied Thrushes.  Parents were feeding their fledglings all over the park.

The Sooty Fox Sparrow of Alaska

Townsend's Warbler was a bit wet from the morning dew.

Steller's Jays were always looking for picnic leftovers

Marbled Murrelet in the Seward Harbor

Exit Glacier,  named by the miners in the Gold Rush for how to get off the ice field

Lesser Yellowlegs

When we left Seward, we headed for Paxson and the Denali Highway for the high Alpine tundra to find the birds that nest there.

Female Long-tailed Duck with one of her brood

Drake Long-tailed Duck

Common Redpoll

Lapland Longspur

American Golden Plover

Rock Ptamigan

Tundra Swans on the Tundra

Red-throated Loon

Make that two, and in their best breeding plumage too.

One bird we hoped to see was the Long-tailed Jaeger that nests high on the tundra.  We couldn't find any after hours of searching.  Just as we were ready to call it a day, this bird came by and what a blessed way to end our day.

Love & Prayers,
Ty & Ida Baumann

Alaska Part 2 - Anchorage to Homer

After leaving Denali, we traveled south to Anchorage spending one night in Palmer.  We then stocked up on groceries and had two house batteries installed in the RV.  Now we were ready for our adventure on the Kenai Peninsula.  First stop was Potter Marsh to view Arctic Terns feeding their chicks big, juicy dragonflies.

This is really a mouthful, Mom!

Lupine

We had heard there were fires on the Sterling Highway where we had to travel through, but we didn't know how long the delays would be.  As we waited with a long line of cars, trailers, and semis, it turned into 3 and a half hours till we got to the front of the line.  It was now 10:30 at night, and the flagman said at least one more hour unless we wanted to take an 18 mile gravel road detour around the firefighting crews.  We decided to try.  The sun is directly in our eyes, dust and smoke made it hard to see but we made it.  When we got to Soldotna we decided to sleep the rest of the night at the Fred Meyer parking lot.  What a day!  Hope things are better in 10 days when we have to return through here.

Next day we drove to Anchor Point, which has a very unique way of lauching the fishing boats.  Tractors take the boat out until it can float and lets it go.  When they return, the tractors drive in and the boat revs in with the waves and unto the trailer.  Fun to watch.

The other Main Event is the number of Bald Eagles coming to fight over the fish cleanings that the fisherman throw out for them.  It's quite an adventure, and can keep a photographer busy for hours.

Northwestern  Crow

Glaucous-winged Gull

Young Eagle curious at Ty's pishing.

Eight out of the twenty eagles eying the fish cleanings

Immature Eagle

Eagle Combat

Surfbird and Black Turnstones

Nesting Bald Eagles with 2 chicks high on tower overlooking
our Campground

Next stop Homer Spit, looking down on it from high on the cliffs, you would never know that there are hundreds of campers, boats of every size and shape, restaurants, gift shops, tour charters, and it seems like thousands of people.  It's 4 and a half miles long and pretty wide at low tide and narrow at high tide.  Homer has the third largest tide in the world at 25 feet, which we experienced as we were there for the new moon.

Black-legged Kittewake

Thousands of Kittewakes nesting underneath the ferry docks

We would sit on the stony beach and watch the sea birds and often Sea Otters catching crabs.  Chowing down on them quickly.  The one to the left got two at once.

Up on the hills to the north is the Wynn Nature Center, where we walked the trails a couple times.  The Varied Thrush was serenading his lady (pictured on the right) from very high in the Spruce Trees.

The very dark Kenai Song Spaarrow

A look at Grewingk Glacier the hanging glacier across from Homer Spit

We took a boat trip on the Discovery to the town of Seldovia and on the way many detours to see the wildlife of Kachemak Bay.  First stop was Gull Island with thousands of nesting Common Murres, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Horned and Tufted Puffins.

Common Murres take the top rocks and Kittewakes take the steep cliffs

Horned Puffin

Tufted Puffin

Sooty Shearwater

This may look like a sand bar, but it is Glacier Moraine flowing down the mountain and staying on top of the sea water for quite a distance before it blends together.

Small group of Harlequin Ducks by Yukon Island

Male Harlequin 

Black Oystercatcher with two chicks

Boat crew named this formation, Frustration Rock
Looks like a man beating his head on the wall

Elephant Rock

Momma and baby Sea Otter

Pigeon Guillemot

Our tour boat "Discovery" docked at Seldovia harbor

Semipalmated Plover 

Black Turnstone

Our campground was absolutely stuffed to the gills, with families, fisherman, travelers and many barking dogs.  By the time the 4th was over, we were ready for some peace and quiet.  Hopefully that will be in Seward for the next week.

Love & Prayers,
Ty & Ida Baumann