draggonlaady (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
draggonlaady) wrote2011-06-15 09:02 pm
draggonlaady) wrote2011-06-15 09:02 pm
Alaska; Day 5
So on Day 5, the plan was that Leanna and I would kayak to shore, hike to a place called Fossil Bluffs (different than Fossil Beach), and then come back to Northern Song. Dennis was going to do boat stuff while we hiked, and then we were going to go look for the plane wreck.
What actually happened was that Leanna and I made it about a quarter of the way to the bluffs, a nice, level hike on easy ground, when we got called back to the boat. The otter crew had decided to move to a different area in hopes of catching more otters. So we headed back to Northern Song, and moved base. On our way out of the bay, Cap'n Dennis swung the Northern Song in along the cliff with the pictograph; which was both cool and scary/impressive, because he pulled the boat in RIGHT next to the cliff to get a good look. It was even making Leanna nervous. Turns out there's a second pictograph, this one a boat (though it looks more like a fish spine to me).
We moved around the point of the bay, into Keku Strait. I went out with the otter crew that afternoon again to check nets. It was a good afternoon for catching things, apparently; the first net we checked had 2 otters in it. 1 was a pup, and escaped as we pulled mom out of the net (the pups are small enough that they can wiggle out easier than the adults can). We couldn't catch the pup with the dipnet, so we beached S on a nearby "deserted island" to keep an eye on the pup, and hustled the mom to the Jerry O.
Cap'n Dave and I went to check the other net while Z and V hauled the otter to Jerry O. And that was exciting. There were four otters in the net. The 2 on the end were fighting with each other (bad!), 1 was a pup (again!) and there was another pup swimming around crying (the one away from the group in that pick is the loose pup). We had only 1 box with us. (Oops!) We radioed for helpers and boxes, and pulled otter number 1 into the one box we had. At that point, the pup in the net made a break for it, so now we had 2 pups swimming around whistling for mommy. The otter we'd just boxed was calling back to the pup who'd just escaped. We left her wound in the net in the box for the moment, and then help arrived. They started at the other end of the net with the second boat, and pulled in the biggest of the otters--he was an 87 pound male, one of the fighters. As it happens, he's a crappy fighter. The female next to him (50 pounds) had banged his face up something fierce, but had not a mark on herself. Got the male un-netted, pulled the second female up and got her boxed, decided that it would be too long a time to leave pups apart from mom by the time they got through the line-up, and we released the female that Dave and I had pulled in, as she appeared to be not only nursing, but pregnant again.
Hauled the other 2 back to the Jerry O, dropped them off and picked up mom #1 to transport back to her pup. They made a big, happy ruckus when they got back together!
Got some pretty good close-up shots while waiting for boxes.
Treading water
Should I be worried?
Nah! Not worried.
Boat is more interesting than other otters fighting behind her.
Box is open?
Hmm. That's a bit of a drop. You sure you can't lower me more?
Fine, fine! I'll dive.
Back home, free again, but not in any big hurry to get away from the skiff.
Day 5 ended up having a total of 5 otters radioed, 2 pups escaped, and 1 release. Big day! We never did end up looking for the plane that day.
Lunch was smoked cod, pretty good but not my favorite fish ever, and dinner was black cod marinated in something yummy. Much good. (Good thing Bruce wasn't along, he'd have gone hungry all day! Silly boy doesn't like fish.)
What actually happened was that Leanna and I made it about a quarter of the way to the bluffs, a nice, level hike on easy ground, when we got called back to the boat. The otter crew had decided to move to a different area in hopes of catching more otters. So we headed back to Northern Song, and moved base. On our way out of the bay, Cap'n Dennis swung the Northern Song in along the cliff with the pictograph; which was both cool and scary/impressive, because he pulled the boat in RIGHT next to the cliff to get a good look. It was even making Leanna nervous. Turns out there's a second pictograph, this one a boat (though it looks more like a fish spine to me).
We moved around the point of the bay, into Keku Strait. I went out with the otter crew that afternoon again to check nets. It was a good afternoon for catching things, apparently; the first net we checked had 2 otters in it. 1 was a pup, and escaped as we pulled mom out of the net (the pups are small enough that they can wiggle out easier than the adults can). We couldn't catch the pup with the dipnet, so we beached S on a nearby "deserted island" to keep an eye on the pup, and hustled the mom to the Jerry O.
Cap'n Dave and I went to check the other net while Z and V hauled the otter to Jerry O. And that was exciting. There were four otters in the net. The 2 on the end were fighting with each other (bad!), 1 was a pup (again!) and there was another pup swimming around crying (the one away from the group in that pick is the loose pup). We had only 1 box with us. (Oops!) We radioed for helpers and boxes, and pulled otter number 1 into the one box we had. At that point, the pup in the net made a break for it, so now we had 2 pups swimming around whistling for mommy. The otter we'd just boxed was calling back to the pup who'd just escaped. We left her wound in the net in the box for the moment, and then help arrived. They started at the other end of the net with the second boat, and pulled in the biggest of the otters--he was an 87 pound male, one of the fighters. As it happens, he's a crappy fighter. The female next to him (50 pounds) had banged his face up something fierce, but had not a mark on herself. Got the male un-netted, pulled the second female up and got her boxed, decided that it would be too long a time to leave pups apart from mom by the time they got through the line-up, and we released the female that Dave and I had pulled in, as she appeared to be not only nursing, but pregnant again.
Hauled the other 2 back to the Jerry O, dropped them off and picked up mom #1 to transport back to her pup. They made a big, happy ruckus when they got back together!
Got some pretty good close-up shots while waiting for boxes.
Treading water
Should I be worried?
Nah! Not worried.
Boat is more interesting than other otters fighting behind her.
Box is open?
Hmm. That's a bit of a drop. You sure you can't lower me more?
Fine, fine! I'll dive.
Back home, free again, but not in any big hurry to get away from the skiff.
Day 5 ended up having a total of 5 otters radioed, 2 pups escaped, and 1 release. Big day! We never did end up looking for the plane that day.
Lunch was smoked cod, pretty good but not my favorite fish ever, and dinner was black cod marinated in something yummy. Much good. (Good thing Bruce wasn't along, he'd have gone hungry all day! Silly boy doesn't like fish.)