Inside Passage, British Columbia, Canada
We enjoyed a leisurely morning aboard the Sea Bird cruising through scenic waterways between the maze of islands that make up coastal British Columbia. We were visited by black and white Dall’s porpoises and had sightings of Bonaparte’s gulls, bald eagles, common mergansers, and common goldeneyes. On Swindle Island we passed by the native village of Klemtu, with a good view of the Big House. At Waterfall Point on Sarah Island, there were two lovely cascades, one of which we inspected quite closely.
Later in the morning, Jason gave a PowerPoint presentation explaining geology and plate tectonics as an introduction and background in preparation for understanding our physical, and thus our biological, setting.
We chose Carter Bay, at the junction of Finlayson Channel and Sheep Passage to go ashore for our afternoon activities. Kayakers and Zodiacs explored the inlet by water, while walkers had a chance to poke into the forest. We observed pairs of Barrow’s goldeneyes paddling on the calm water, dark-eyed juncos and golden-crowned sparrows foraging along the shore, and three species of thrushes. Shorebirds rested near the end of the inlet, where there was a waterfall. Some of these birds were just passing through on their northward migration.
There were only animal trails to take us through the forest, showing evidence of their makers left by river otters, wolves, bears and deer. Some of the vegetation was just beginning to leaf-out, but there were a few early-bloomers, such as marsh marigold, salmonberry, and yellow skunk cabbage. Jelly and bird’s nest fungi were interesting curiosities found near the forest floor. Captain George Vancouver named this bay after John Carter, a member of his exploration team, who was buried here in 1793 after suffering from paralytic shellfish poisoning following ingestion of tainted mussels. A commemorative plaque has been placed here.
We lifted the anchor and continued our cruise northward. Along Graham Reach, we were lucky and thrilled to spot a pod of three killer whales, including a large adult male, and were treated to close looks before dinner. Killer whales are the largest members of the dolphin family and are always found in close proximity to their near relatives. It is likely that these whales were “transients”, which roam throughout this area feeding on other marine mammals.
After dinner we passed by the abandoned cannery at Butedale, with yet another waterfall next to collapsing buildings. A black bear was briefly sighted on the shore here as the light waned and a full and exciting day came to a close as we looked forward to the next days to come.
We enjoyed a leisurely morning aboard the Sea Bird cruising through scenic waterways between the maze of islands that make up coastal British Columbia. We were visited by black and white Dall’s porpoises and had sightings of Bonaparte’s gulls, bald eagles, common mergansers, and common goldeneyes. On Swindle Island we passed by the native village of Klemtu, with a good view of the Big House. At Waterfall Point on Sarah Island, there were two lovely cascades, one of which we inspected quite closely.
Later in the morning, Jason gave a PowerPoint presentation explaining geology and plate tectonics as an introduction and background in preparation for understanding our physical, and thus our biological, setting.
We chose Carter Bay, at the junction of Finlayson Channel and Sheep Passage to go ashore for our afternoon activities. Kayakers and Zodiacs explored the inlet by water, while walkers had a chance to poke into the forest. We observed pairs of Barrow’s goldeneyes paddling on the calm water, dark-eyed juncos and golden-crowned sparrows foraging along the shore, and three species of thrushes. Shorebirds rested near the end of the inlet, where there was a waterfall. Some of these birds were just passing through on their northward migration.
There were only animal trails to take us through the forest, showing evidence of their makers left by river otters, wolves, bears and deer. Some of the vegetation was just beginning to leaf-out, but there were a few early-bloomers, such as marsh marigold, salmonberry, and yellow skunk cabbage. Jelly and bird’s nest fungi were interesting curiosities found near the forest floor. Captain George Vancouver named this bay after John Carter, a member of his exploration team, who was buried here in 1793 after suffering from paralytic shellfish poisoning following ingestion of tainted mussels. A commemorative plaque has been placed here.
We lifted the anchor and continued our cruise northward. Along Graham Reach, we were lucky and thrilled to spot a pod of three killer whales, including a large adult male, and were treated to close looks before dinner. Killer whales are the largest members of the dolphin family and are always found in close proximity to their near relatives. It is likely that these whales were “transients”, which roam throughout this area feeding on other marine mammals.
After dinner we passed by the abandoned cannery at Butedale, with yet another waterfall next to collapsing buildings. A black bear was briefly sighted on the shore here as the light waned and a full and exciting day came to a close as we looked forward to the next days to come.
