The Alaska Sealife Center in Seward is a great place to spend a day or two if you are really interested in birds and seals and sea lions native Alaska fish. They have it all beautifully on exhibit for us to see and in some cases interact, as in feed the animals. It is a special fee to have the ability to do that, but how exciting is that.
This second photo shows a duck on the surface of the water and a puffin below the water. They are amazing divers along with cormorant who also live here. I went to the Sealife Center before I went on the cruise just to get a close up look at these birds, and Alaska is a birders paradise with the huge range of migratory birds that stop here.
While on the ocean we saw all these birds and more. Another was a red faced cormorant that moved into a cave and the only other place he is found is Russia. The variety of ducks that inhabit the waters of Alaska in mind boggling. While I am not a birder per se, it was truly wonderful to see where they live and the variety of species that live in harmony with one another.
I was not aware that birders often have a count of the varieties of birds they have seen. That day I easily ticked off more than 9 different varieties. The puffins are fun to watch either in flight or on the water. In flight those tiny little wings flapping away are rather comical looking, kind of like me when I attempt to run on my short stubby legs.
Another fun thing that lives in the sea life center is this octopus. To see up close and in person is amazing. But the birds truly captivated me that day. Then to go on the next day and see them sitting out on the ocean was so beautiful. On that day we also saw 3 separate eagles as an added bonus.
The same sea lions at the Sealife Center were just sitting on this rock beach and looked beautiful. At least 50 of them on the rocks, in and out of the water. You really feel like just a tiny speck in the whole life cycle you see play out in front of your eyes here.
kathy70 