I just got back from four days at our cabin in Little Tutka Bay on the south side of Kachemak Bay. I was finishing a bunch of little projects before closing the place up for three months.
I took my cameras along because I know that a variety of sea sucks overwinter in the bays and coves on the south side because the weather is relatively mild and the coves protected. You can see Bufflehead, Barrow's Goldeneye, Mergansers, and Harlequin. The photo above is of male and female Harlequins taking flight after I sneaked up to them from behind a rocky point. They didn't see me, but my shutter noise spooked them and I panned the camera at a slow shutter speed to get the great motion of their wings and water splashing as they flew off. The detail you can see from the telephoto, especially of the males, gives you an idea of why they are named after the comic character developed in 17th century pantomime plays. I'll be doing a sea duck tour, with lunch at our cabin prepared by Ruth, during the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival in May 2016. If you want to want to see what we experience on the south side of the Bay, check the Festival's website for more details, and to sign up for any of the talks, classes and tours being offered. Registration begins in March. Our tour will be called Sea Ducks & Soup. My fishing buddy Jane Miles and I went out in search of a final "winter king" for the season yesterday. "Skookum", our boat, is coming out of the water for a required layup from December till March, so the last king of the season needs to be memorable: it was.
We fished from 10:30 in the morning till 3:30 in the afternoon without any action. "Winter Kings" are king salmon that are not local fish. They aren't here in Kachemak Bay to spawn. They generally come from Canadian rivers to spend their ocean life, 2-5 years, feeding in our rich waters. That means they're here 365 days a year. What a great fishery to be able to catch fresh king salmon whenever you want! As darkness approach, a snow squall moved up the bay and started covering our trolling gear. That's when this fish hit and even though it only weighed in at 13 pounds, it made multiple runs from the boat that were strong and exciting. Jane netted the fish and we ran for the home. Late last month this little otter spent a few days in the Homer small boat harbor. What a showoff! It was very approachable and not at all shy as dozens of visitors walking the dock followed it up and down the wharf shooting photos.
"How cute!", everyone exclaimed. When asked, I told folks that otters are vicious predators, right up at the high end of the food chain, with only seal, sea lions, and killer whales above them. I've seen them shred whole octopus alive that they've chased down. You'd think the animal with eight legs would have an advantage, but that's not the case. As cute as they appear, they are still a wild, wild animal. Like I said in my last post, Kachemak Bay saw the greatest number of whales in the Bay in many summers. What a show, with surge feeding, breaching and what I can only call "whale synchronized swimming". A mother and young daughter caught the action one evening on their way across the bay. The young girl was jumping up and down as this whale passed. Orca whales also made a visit and stuck around for the great return of pink and silver salmon that stretched from June into September. I think reason for so many whales, and the fish they feed on, staying in the bay is that there was also a prolific number of the bottom-of-the-food-chain creatures that abounded in the Bay this summer. I saw more shrimp and little crab inside halibut, salmon, and pollock than I ever had. And the schools of silvery sand lance were everywhere. The Bay lived up to its reputation as a rich environment this year. |
SKOOKUM BLOG
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