[Tweeters] SouthEast Alaska Trip Report

[jimbetz at jimbetz.com]

Hi,

   My wife and I just returned from a quick trip to SE Alaska.
We flew to Juneau, stayed 4 days, then got on the Columbia
(Alaska Ferry) and went to Haines, Skagway, Juneau (again),
Sitka, Petersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan, and then down the
Inside Passage to Bellingham (4+ days on the ferry).
This was not "a birding trip" but we did do some birding.

   We saw gulls almost everywhere - especially any place where
humans are gathered.  A few Bald Eagles, a few more Great Blue
Herons, -very- few passerines, Pelagic Cormorants, a few
Oystercatchers.  And Humpback Whales, spawning salmon (especially
in Ketchikan), seals, seal lions, otter (a few), and even some
Orca (Ketchikan).  We did not see any bear or moose - but they
were out there because there were hunters everywhere.

   I did get a few good pics of birds/birds in flight.  This new
camera is a dream for birding/wildlife photography.

   And lots of Cruise Ships as well.  I worked in SE Alaska for 2
summers in the 60's.  The growth in tourism is staggering and in
places such as Skagway it is beyond belief ... so many people
crowded into so many shops.  If there was a cruise ship in town
(there were often 2 or 3) you couldn't get served at a restaurant
anywhere near the port.  *Sigh*.
                                            - Jim in Burlington