Slowly we are adjusting, today I awoke properly @ 5am, although John was awake from 2 ish.
Just after 6 am we went for coffee in the main lodge, which I drank while sorting out my photos. Thanks to Remmy we ran outside to see two wolves running along the rocky shoreline towards the point. They were very pale almost white with dark backs....but too far away for photos.
Having had our first wildlife encounter for the day we had breakfast, and watched a red fox pass by. As the bacon was ultra crispy, I had my one foree from a lacto-vegetarian diet and had a piece with my omelette.
Just after 9 am we all set off for our days adventures with Chris.
There was a raft of sea otters - but because my SD card failed I couldn't take a photo but luckily I had swopped it for a new one before we saw one wolf return along the coast ( today's photo) - we had been tipped off by Perry, on the radio, who had seen them wander back through camp.
The wolf disappeared though as a big male bear with seemingly no ears appeared round a headland, clambering over the rocks and moving towards us.
We watched as he walked around the beach and on to another rocky outcrop where he sat and contemplated before getting in the water and swimming to a small island, checking it out and swimming back - we know he eventually walked back through camp leaving his nose print on the lounge window! Perry told us that he had got on his hind legs and looked in - banging and shaking the lodge as he went! We headed off to try our luck elsewhere and saw more sea otters who disappeared as they saw us, a seal finally balanced on a rock and then low and behold another bear in the water swimming - this time it was crossing a large patch of water and struggling a little but got quicker as it got closer to shore. We could see it was a young bear who then made his way up the beach and into the vegetation to feed.
Our next encounter was with a mother and two cubs cooling in the water before walking up a steep slope while eating the grasses and berries as they went. At this time of year they are looking for the ripe salmon berries - they look like raspberries although not as sweet......we tried one.
As the wind was getting up we went into the bay where the plane landed yesterday for lunch on the beach - it was hot - I watched a merganser with 15 chicks on the water and we also watched the cross fox - after lunch we approached closer in the boat and got some great pictures of it foraging for fish trapped in the mussel beds as the tide retreated.
The afternoon was scenic but bear less - we walked to an area with wild flowers and great views - I could see bear paw prints in the mud below. We saw a pigeon guillemot, marbled murrelets and then our first ever bald eagle youngsters - looking like eagles albeit black/ brown with white patches and unable to fly.
Back at the lodge we refreshed with mugs of tea and looked in the shop before I had a pre dinner photo sorting session and shower - interrupted by shouts of a bear approaching. It was a young male, who frequented the lodge as a cub, but now on his own and dealing with his hormones and memories - potentially a toxic mix - as he's being a bit of a nuisance - recently killing a young moose calf nearby and pulling a container off a wall and going at the incinerator bins. Perry had to shout and wave aggressively to discourage him advancing through the camp - we can all say he might have looked a small bear but he was quite big close up as he popped his head round the corner of the shed. After that excitement it was dinner!