Alaska Bits -- 25 -- whale watching in Juneau

Well, yes, I know these are not whales, but when you go whale watching out of Juneau, you don't know what you might see.

...like these guys--stellar sea lions--

...hundreds of them on an island. They were males who had finished with the mating season and come back here to rest. Mating season is rough on stellar sea lion males...

...because they fight a lot over the ladies and they are rough fighters. So they bask on the beach--do a little swimming.


And generally hang out.

But the main attraction was the whales. The first hint is a spout.

Then you see that back with  the hump--humpback whales.

...and then they breach.

Humpbacks normally are loners. This day there are a dozen or more hanging out together feeding. That's is logical, as you go to eat where the food is right? It must have been a great buffet that day.

Each whale's fluke or tail has a different pattern of white and gray, like a fingerprint. Whale watching staff know some of them by name.

We had seen several eagles too far for a good picture on the way out, but this one was waiting for us when we got off the boat.