Sitka, Alaska

We docked very early in Sitka, a traditional Alaskan fishing town with a population of 9,000.

Our 8am excursion was called "Otters, Raptors & Bears, Oh My!!". The catamaran tour around Sitka Sound was wonderful and the weather was perfect.

Sitka is surrounded by Spruce covered mountains, jagged snowy mountains and Mt Edgecumbe, a snow covered volcano.

Sitka only has a total of 18 miles of roads, so owning a boat is a priority over owning a car. Most teenagers have boats before they have cars.

In the protected areas of Sitka Sound, the reflections were gorgeous!

Sitka sound is a wildlife haven! We saw many Bald Eagles perched & in flight, families of Otters, colonies of Sea Lions, Grey Whales fluking & breaching and a single Humpback Whale. I was in wildlife photography heaven!

Otters 

Common Murre

After 3 hours on the water, our excursion moved to a coach where we were taken to the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Centre. Here, rescued injured birds spend time in ICU before being moved to a large "physical therapy" area. There were mainly bald eagles, but there were some owls, kestrels and hawks as well.

From there we went to a rescue centre called 'Fortress of the Bear'. Alaska is the only state where rescued, orphaned or injured bears are not legally allowed to be released into the wild after rehabilitation, so the centre was established not only for rehab, but as a haven for these bears, who would otherwise be shot. They were gorgeous! 

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