Our travels this last week took us through Tok, Alaska and down the Tok-Cutoff to the Richardson Highway and on to the famous port of Valdez. Our plans for Valdez included a one-day glacier-watching trip and a lot of walking and biking around the area. Although perhaps best known for the terrible Exxon Valdez oil spill, Valdez has to be one of the most beautiful places in Alaska. From our camper I can see steep, snowy mountains on all sides, and the formerly formidable Valdez Glacier. This glacier used to come all the way down to the old town of Valdez (the new Valdez was built a few miles away after the 1964 earthquake.) Now the glacier has retreated far up the valley, as have virtually all glaciers in this area.
Gulls seem to be present everywhere you go in and around Valdez. In the tidal lagoon behind our campground, Black-legged Kittiwakes have been showing up every evening around 10 or 11 p.m. They busily gather as many wet grasses as they can in their beaks and fly away. I asked a local guide about nesting colonies, and he said the closest one is 15 miles away. I wonder if a new colony is getting started.
The big gulls, Glaucous-winged and Herring, hang around the docks in the harbor and wait for people to return with their halibut for the day. The gulls then enjoy a fish dinner after the catch are cleaned. Nearby, Mew Gulls gather and some nest in the marshy areas around the edge of town. We saw Mew Gulls nesting near the 3,000-foot passes in the Yukon and above Valdez.
My favorite birds from the glacier trip were the puffins. We saw both Tufted Puffins and Horned Puffins. It was hard to get good photos from the boat but these birds are really distinctive and fun to watch. The Columbia and Mears Glaciers were amazing. The Columbia is melting faster than any other area glacier, and the bay is full of icebergs at least 16 miles out from the glacier. It is impossible to get close, but our captain gingerly picked his way through the floating ice to give us some great views. Mears Glacier is quite different – we were able to approach within one-quarter mile and spent an hour watching and listening as chunks of ice broke off and crashed into the water (calving).
Meanwhile, back in Valdez, someone has been bringing small fish out to the open area behind our campground in the evening. The Bald Eagles know all about this and at least six of them were on hand to show off their skills, flying an approach just like a jetliner, and then swooping down to pick up the fish with their talons. The immature eagles havent got this down very well yet, so they just landed and waited for a handout. I dont think this is something that folks should do but it surely was fun to watch.
Soon we will have to leave Valdez and head back up the Richardson and across to Anchorage. Our first month is gone and we are looking forward to seeing more new places and birds in the coming weeks.
Good birding!
