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| Beluga Whale in Turnagain Arm |
The next day, we headed down to Anchorage, leaving early in
the morning of an absolutely glorious day.
It’s just a 2 ½ hour drive and we zipped through town once
we hit the city limits, heading for Potter Marsh just south of town.
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| Turnagain Arm view |
Potter Marsh
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| Potter Marsh birds on a log |
Potter Marsh sits at the southern end of the Anchorage
Coastal Wildlife Refuge at the beginning of Turnagain Arm and is known as an
excellent birding spot.
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| Potter Marsh |
I walked the 1,550-foot wooden boardwalk that winds
through the marsh, ponds and sedges photographing the birds that were there.
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| Potter Marsh boardwalk |
Compared to the other places I had been so far, there were a lot of birds. But,
unfortunately, none were new for me. There were Northern Pintails …
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| Bottom's up! |
Greater Yellowlegs …
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| A line-up of the usual suspects |
Green-Winged Teals …
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| You don't always get to see so much green |
Blue-Winged Teals …
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| See? No blue showing |
Mallards …
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| But the Mallard is showing its blue |
Glaucous Gulls …
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| Eating a dead salmon |
... and some salmon, many of them already dead (I guess these guys were too tired to make it over the log) …
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| Late in the season there are lots of spent salmon |
Moose are known to frequent the marsh, but we didn’t see any.
Turnagain Arm
After a nice stroll, we headed south along the Seward
Highway with no particular destination in mind, traveling along the beautiful Turnagain
Arm, a narrow branch at the north end of Cook Inlet south of Anchorage.
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| Map: Google Maps |
Extending
in an east-west direction, it is between 40-45 miles long and forms part of the
northern boundary of the Kenai Peninsula.
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| Scott waiting for the bore, 2013 |
Known for dramatic tide ranges of up to 40 feet, sometimes
Turnagain Arm is a vast mud flat and sometimes it is lovely blue water. The
flood tide, the second greatest after the Bay of Fundy tidal bore, begins
with a wave with a height of up to six feet at times, running in from the west
at 5-6 miles an hour.
Back in 2013, Scott and I waited
patiently to see the big bore and it was pretty much a big bore. But, sometimes
it IS a big wave.
Historically, small steamers entered and left the Arm when
the tide was high, sometimes getting stuck in the quicksand-like mudflats if
they didn’t time their trips properly. Now, boats are fairly rare because most,
if not all, the places that they went are now connected by road.
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| Turnagain Arm, 2013 |
Rugged mountains rise 5,000-6,000 feet on both sides of the
Arm. Smaller river-carved valleys are
narrow and steep and the larger U-shaped ones were formed by glaciers.
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| Turnagain Arm |
There
are a number of glaciers hanging from the surrounding mountains, some extending
all the way down to the ocean. The most accessible is the Portage Glacier, in
the Portage Valley between the head of Turnagain Arm and Passage Canal. I
visited the Portage Glacier when I first went to Alaska in 1989, viewing if
from the observation deck by the Visitor Center ...
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| Portage Glacier, 1989 |
Now, it has receded so much
that you can’t even see the base of the glacier from the deck ...
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| Portage Glacier, 2018 |
Turnagain Arm was named by William Bligh of HMS Bounty (as
in “Mutiny on the …”) fame. Bligh was Captain James Cook's sailing master on his third and final voyage, in which he was looking for the Northwest Passage.
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| Turnagain Arm from Alyeska, 2013 |
Upon
reaching the head of Cook Inlet in 1778, Bligh correctly surmised that both nearby
Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm were the mouths of rivers and not the opening to the
Northwest Passage. But Cook sent Bligh to explore anyway.
In frustration,
Bligh's crew named the Arm "Turn Again." Early maps label Turnagain Arm as
the "Turnagain River."
From 1896 to 1898, there were a large number of placer
claims staked on the streams tributary to Turnagain Arm from the north, and on
a few of them, notably those on lower Crow Creek, mining was carried out in
subsequent years.
Turnagain is popular with tourists and has a number of
lovely turnouts and viewing areas. But, the road is narrow and winding – and
prone to traffic slowdowns.
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| Glacier on Turnagain Arm |
The morning we were traveling, we hit the Arm right when the
tide was at its highest. I always look for Beluga Whales because I know they
frequent Turnagain Arm. I have seen them at a great distance in Cook Inlet and
Scott has seen them actually surfing the tidal bore.
So, I was thrilled to see something white splashing in the
water very close to the shore. It turns out that it was about 30 Beluga Whales.
We turned around, parked and trekked back up the highway, ducking behind the
guardrail to avoid getting run over, until we made it to the Whales.
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| Belugas in Turnagain Arm |
The Beluga Whale is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean
related to the narwhal. Belugas are also called White Whales or Melonheads based on their appearance and Sea Canaries or Canary Whales because of their high-pitched
twitter.
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| Photo: Georgia Aquarium |
The Beluga's stocky body is between the size of a dolphin
and a true whale, with males growing to 11 to 18 feet long and weighing between
1,100 and 4,000 lbs.
Females measure 9.5 to 13.5 feet long and weigh 1,540 to 2,650 lbs.
They rank as mid-sized species among toothed whales.
The Beluga’s adaptation to the Arctic includes all-white
color, which camouflages it among ice flows, and the absence of a dorsal fin
that makes it easier to skim underneath the ice and also prevents heat
dissipation.
The distinctive protuberance at the front of its head houses an
echolocation organ called the melon.
The Beluga’s sense of hearing is highly
developed and its echolocation allows it to move about and find blowholes under
sheet ice.
Its body is round and tapers less smoothly to the head than
the tail. The sudden tapering to the base of its neck gives it the appearance
of shoulders, unique among whales. The tailfin grows and becomes increasingly
and ornately curved as the animal ages. The flippers are broad and short.
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| Belugas have no dorsal fin |
Belugas can live for 70 or 80 years, but they reach their
maximum size by the time they are 10. Between 40 and 50 percent of their body
weight is fat, which is a higher proportion than for cetaceans that do not
inhabit the Arctic, where fat only represents 30 percent. The
fat forms a layer that covers all of the body except the head, and it can be up
to 6 inches thick. It acts as insulation in freezing waters, as well as being
an important reserve during periods without food.
Unlike their white parents, baby Belugas are born grey and,
by the time they are a month old, have turned dark grey or blue grey. They then
start to progressively lose their pigmentation until they attain their
distinctive white coloration at the age of seven years in females and nine in
males. Calves stay with their mothers for about two years.
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| Top: Baby Beluga; photo: Georgia Aquarium; bottom: Baby Beluga in Turnagain Arm |
Unlike other cetaceans, Belugas seasonally shed their
skin. During the winter, it thickens and can become
yellowish, mainly on the back and fins. When they migrate to the estuaries
during the summer, they rub themselves on the gravel of the riverbeds to remove
the outer covering.
Unlike many dolphins and whales, the vertebrae in the Beluga’s
neck are not fused, allowing it to turn its head without rotating
its body. This gives it a better ability to see potential predators and to catch prey in deep water. Belugas have 36 to 40 blunt, slightly curved teeth
that they use not for chewing, but for catching prey, which they then tear up
and swallow nearly whole. Belugas only have a single blowhole opening, located
on the top of the head. It has a muscular covering, allowing it to be
completely sealed.
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| The Beluga blowhole has a single, closable opening |
Belugas are gregarious and regularly form small groups, or
pods, that may contain between two and 25 individuals, with an average of 10
members. Pods tend to be unstable with individuals moving from pod to pod. These
pods contain animals of both sexes and are led by a dominant male. Many
hundreds and even thousands of individuals can be present when the pods join
together in river estuaries during the summer.
Belugas are slow swimmers but can dive to 2,300 feet below the
surface. Unlike most cetaceans, they can swim backwards. They swim on the
surface between 5-10 percent of the time, while for the rest of the time they
swim at a depth sufficient to cover their bodies. They do not jump out of the
water like dolphins or killer whales. And, that makes them very tricky – very tricky
– to photograph. That’s why I have so many pictures of just the top of Beluga
whales.
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| The typical view of a Beluga |
They are opportunistic feeders that frequently hunt in
coordinated groups. Their diets vary according to locations and season but includes octopus, squid, shrimp, crabs, snails, sandworms and fish. The majority of the world’s 150,000 Belugas live in
the Arctic Ocean and the seas and coasts around North America, Russia and
Greenland. Most spend winters in the Arctic ice cap and migrate
to warmer river estuaries and coastal areas when the sea ice melts in summer.
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| A view across the Arm with a Beluga |
However, the population in Cook Inlet and nearby Turnagain Arm are resident and
do not migrate. They stay in the waters furthest
inside the Inlet during the summer and until the end of fall. Then, in the
winter, they disperse to the deeper water in the center of the Inlet without leaving
it.
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| Mother and baby Beluga |
The native peoples of North America and Russia have hunted Belugas
for many centuries. Belugas were also hunted commercially during the 19th century
and part of the 20th century. Currently, only certain Inuit and Alaska Native
groups are allowed to carry out subsistence hunting of Belugas. Threats include natural predators including Polar Bears and Orcas, river contamination and
infectious diseases.
The Beluga was designated as "near threatened"
in 2008, but the subpopulation from the Cook Inlet – to which the group we saw belongs – is considered critically endangered and is under the protection
of the United States' Endangered Species Act.
Belugas are one of the most commonly kept whales in
captivity and are popular with the public because to their color and cute expression.
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| Photo: Georgia Aquarium |
While we were watching, some other people taking photos were standing on the railroad tracks -- something I would never do on such a curvy track. Sure enough, a train suddenly approached. It was scary for a moment.
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At least these guys are not on the tracks
Whittier |
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| Whittier |
After spending a long time taking way too many identical photos
of these incredible animals, we decide that it was too late in the day to head
further south. So, we decided to go to Whittier for lunch at one of our
favorite places, Varly’s Swiftwater Café.
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| Scott enjoys seafood chowder at Varly's Swiftwater Café |
Whittier is an interesting town – it can be reached only by air,
sea or via an Alaska Railway tunnel. Up until 2000, only trains went through the
tunnel. Then, the tunnel was opened to cars during the time the trains were not
coming through.
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| Tunnel to Whittier |
Toll is $13 per car going in; there is no toll coming out. At
13,300 feet, the tunnel is the second-longest highway tunnel and longest
combined rail and highway tunnel in North America
The Whittier area was once part of a portage
route of the Chugach people native to Prince William Sound. Later, the passage
was used by Russian and American explorers, and by prospectors during
the gold rush.
The nearby Whittier glacier was named for American poet John
Greenleaf Whittier in 1915, and the town eventually took the name as well.
It
is located within the Chugach National Forest, the second-largest national
forest in the U.S.
During World War II, the U.S. Army constructed a military
facility, port and railroad terminus near Whittier Glacier and named the
facility Camp Sullivan. The spur of the Alaska Railroad to Camp Sullivan was
completed in 1943 and the port became the entrance for United States soldiers
into Alaska.
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| Alaska Railroad heading to Whittier |
Two buildings that dominate the town were built after World
War II. The 14-story Begich Towers was completed in 1957 and contains 150 two-
and three-bedroom apartments plus bachelor efficiency units that originally
housed dependent families and Civil Service employees. The Whittier School was
connected by a tunnel at the base of the west tower so students could safely
access school on days with bad weather.
The other main structure in town, the Buckner Building, was
completed in 1953, and was called the "city under one roof. “ Buckner is now abandoned, but Begich Towers is still occupied and is, in fact, where the majority
of Whittier residents live. The population of Whittier is slightly more than 200 people.
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| Whittier Harbor |
Whittier's port was an active Army facility until 1960.
In 1962, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed a petroleum terminal, pumping station and 62-mile-long pipeline to Anchorage.
In 1964, Whittier suffered $10 million of damage in the
9.2-magnitude “Good Friday earthquake.” The earthquake caused a 43-foot tsunami
and killed 13 people.
Whittier was incorporated in 1969 and became a port of call
for cruise ships, including many of the ones that travel from Vancouver, BC, Canada.
With a Subarctic climate and annual precipitation of 197.8
inches, Whittier is the wettest city in the U.S.
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| Glacier in Whittier |
At the Swiftwater, we had some delicious fried halibut – and Scott
had some of their famous seafood chowder. The food was so yummy that, on our
way back to Anchorage on our last day of the trip, we paid the $13 toll
to eat lunch there again. This time, because it was the end of the season, they
were out of seafood chowder. But, they still had halibut and that’s all that’s
important.
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| Lunch at Varly's Swiftwater Café |
At the nearby dock, I saw one of Alaska’s ubiquitous Moon
Jellies …
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| Moon Jelly |
… and a couple of Black Oystercatchers, which I have seen
before but never photographed …
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| Black Oystercatchers |
Williwaw First Viewing
Following our time in Whittier, we stopped at the Williwaw
fist observation deck along the Portage Highway where we both photographed and
videoed spawning Sockeye Salmon.
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| Sockeye Salmon |
I was using a small GoPro on a selfie stick and Scott was
using my new Olympus underwater camera. What was fascinating was that the
salmon swam away from the GoPro, but were attracted to the Olympus, most likely
because the Olympus is red. To see the video, click here.
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| Scott taking a video of an interested salmon |
Sockeye Salmon are the third-most common Pacific salmon
species, after Pink and Chum.
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| Sockeye Salmon |
They can grow up to 2 feet, 9 inches long and
weigh 5-15 lbs. Juveniles remain in freshwater until they are ready to migrate
to the ocean, over distances of up to 1,000 miles.
Sockeye are blue tinged with
silver in color while living in the ocean, but when they return to spawning
grounds, their bodies become red and their heads turn green. After spawning,
they start to decompose and eventually they die.
Interestingly, the name “Sockeye ,” doesn’t refer to their
eyes. Rather, it is an anglicization of suk-kegh, its name in Halkomelem, the
language of the indigenous people along the lower reaches of the Fraser River in
British Columbia. Suk-kegh means "red fish.”
The area around Williwaw is gorgeous. But, then, almost everywhere you look in that area is gorgeous.
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| A pond on the Portage Glacier Road |
Next, let's go north!
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| Scott and me in Utqiaġvik |
Trip date: August 17-September 4, 2018
