We have not seen any signs of creatures while driving around Seward. We’ve driven 6 miles back and forth into town every day and we drove out to the Exit Glacier. No deer, moose, or bears. Luckily, we went out on a boat and spotted more wildlife. One local guy we met during our trip asked us one day if we saw any “game” that day. To hunters and the like, I guess you can call it that.
I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this guy. He was posing for everyone on the boat as we passed by. Too cute!
We spotted whales again, but this time there were three orca whales in addition to humpbacks.
One of the larger orcas had a really tall dorsal fin, but it was folded over. The captain told us that they do not see orcas in the bay very often.
These birds are related to puffins. They obviously like this rocky perch when they are not diving for food.
Puffins are my favorite and we saw lots of them. There were very few in Valdez during our boat tour there. They were all over the sides of cliffs and flying around the boat. Once they got food, they would swim on the water for a while before they could fly again.
Then we got to see puffins up close at the Alaska Sealife Center. The center is Alaska’s only permanent marine mammal rehabilitation facility. They provide education about the ocean and marine life to visitors, as well as conducting research.
I like the white belly on this puffin. He dove under the water and chased a fish twice his size. We could watch from a window below the surface.
The Sealife Center created almost the same exact rock formations that are found along the water. These guys were photographed in the wild.
One highlight at the Sealife Center is this baby walrus. He crawled onto a mining barge outside Nome, where gold miners discovered him on June 14th. Seeing no mother around, the crew reported the orphan to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who contacted the Sealife Center. Two employees stay in quarantine with the one month old calf 24 hours a day, to keep him hydrated, nourished, medicated and monitored.
The calf reached an important milestone last week when he learned to drink from a bottle. He likes to cuddle with the staff who take turns caring for him. He went right over to this guy and crawled on him as we watched from above.
This harbor seal shared a tank with another seal. Most of the animals here will live the rest of their days in captivity, being well fed and healthy. They don’t have the skills to survive in the wild, and that makes me sad.
It’s fun to get Darin to pose for cheesy pictures. Our last boat was much bigger, so I know he can handle this one.
The marina in Seward is absolutely gorgeous on a sunny day. I took this picture on another day while we were walking around town. Sometimes you can spot sea otters around the dock while they are looking for food.
