They bark, they smell and weight more than 1000 lb / 500 kg… I am off course talking about the Stellar Sea Lions.
After an active day of kayaking surrounded by icebergs and hiking in rainforest (yes, you can actually do both in Alaska!) the sea was calm and the sun was still shining. The Captain decided to take advantage of the excellent weather conditions and set course out into open waters in Prince William Sound. We were going to meet the sea lions hanging out on Axel Lind Island.
PHOTO SERIES – STELLAR SEA LIONS
This watchful sea lion was paying attention as we came closer
I was surprised to learn the Stellar Sea Lions in Alaska received status as endangered/threatened for a period from 1990 after a significant drop in numbers. Today the populations seems to have stabilised. It was a lively bunch that met us this afternoon, with lots of barking and puffing.
Related: ‘Our Alaskan Honeymoon’
Well..not everyone was interested in all the hustle and bustle it seemed …
Before we headed into Eaglek Bay for the night we saw some transient Orcas (or Killer Whale if you prefer), it was the perfect ending of an exciting day.
Thanks for visiting! Comments are much appreciated, I would like to hear what you think.
you really had a great opportunity there to be so close to the Sea Stellars. Shots are also very good. I applaud you.
Thanks Alix! The Sea Stellars were fun to watch, never a quiet moment! Thanks for stopping by again. Your comments on the photos are much appreciated, glad you liked them.
Fantastic photos, I love these animals.
I love the photo with the orca.
Congratulations to the photographer.
Have a good weekend.
Thanks Hervé (or do you prefer Vever?). I also loved taking pictures of these amazing sea lions, very happy to come so close to them! And was happy to get a picture of the Orca as well as it did not stay around for long. Thanks for visiting and taking the time to leave a comment. Have a nice day!
Absolutely gorgeous shots. Quite an adventure! Have a lovely weekend!
Thanks a lot Lucy! I am always super happy when we get the opportunity to get this close to wildlife to observe it – and get some nice shots! 🙂
Those are wonderful. Another reminder that I have to put myself somewhere so I can photograph them for the first time.
Thanks for your generous comments on the photos Lyle! Exciting to get close to these huge and noisy sea lions. Only thing that doesn’t show in the picture is the smell….hehe:)
I’ve read about the smell!
Great shots and a great adventure 🙂
Thanks Claire! Appreciate your comment, thanks for stopping by. Quite an adventure it was – so sure!
We went to the sea lion cave in Oregon one time. Phew! They are stinky! 🙂
Yes I can imagine! Even being outdoors on the ocean we could smell the sea lions, I can imagine it must be overwhelming being in a cave with sea lions! Thanks for stopping by!
What a great experience, something new everyday. Enjoy the moment. Jim
Very funny and exciting to get up close to the Stellars. They are very fun to watch as there is constantly something happening (= someone fighting or showing off). Thanks for stopping by Jim!
Gorgeous photos!
Thanks! I am happy to hear you enjoyed the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them:) Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Your pictures are amazing. On a trip to Avila Beach near San Luis Obispo a couple of years ago, we drove north along the coast and were treated to the sight of hundreds of elephant seals lounging on the beach. They are incredible to watch. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Wow – hundreds of elephant seals must have been quite a sight. What an experience, that is something you don’t get to see everyday. Thanks for your generous comment on the photos, much appreciated.
The Alaskan coast is spectacular. I think the sea lions are my favorite coastal animal due to the grunting and playing they do. Thanks for sharing.
Yes it is truly one of a kind. Visiting and photographing the sea lions was definitely a treat, lots of fun pictures since they are so active. As you say, there is continuously someone showing off:) We got lots of nice pictures as memories. Thanks for stopping by Jeff!
Beautiful photos, especially of the killer whale (sounds scarier than ‘orca’) :). I am surprised that there is no snow – that place being Alaska, I thought there would still be a lot of snow.
Killer whale definitely sounds scarier than Orca. I am not sure whether or not one is more correct than the other:) The pictures are from early September last year when we were in Alaska on our honeymoon, so the some had ample of time to melt during the summer before we visited. But I am sure they would still have snow at this time of the year. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment!
Wonderful photo series, Inger. 🙂
Thank you very much Frank, much appreciated:)
What can I add? – Lovely photo’s!
Thank you, and thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Found your blog through Rockies Outdoors and am signing up to follow! Fantastic shots, and I love that you’re enjoying Alaska so much! We absolutely love it there, can’t wait to get back to our boat and explore the Bering Sea this summer. Hoping to see more of these sea lions, too!
I am so glad you found my blog, and that you took time to leave a comment so I can go check out your as well. Your blog looks really exciting, I would LOVE to do some sailing in Alaska (if I knew how to sail that is..) We absolutely had a blast in Alaska. We were there on our honeymoon September last year, so all our Alaska posts will be from that period. Thanks for stopping by!
My blog is catching up with some older stories too—we were sailing in Alaska last summer and I want to get all the stories up before we head back that way this year. It’ll be fun to read more about your adventures there as well as life in the mountains! I’ve never been to the Canadian Rockies and am having lots of fun seeing them vicariously through Rockies Outdoors and now your blog!
P.S. If you ever do get a chance for some sailing, in Alaska or anywhere else, it’s a blast!!
I don’t think I will ever get tired of pics of sea lions and seals (or, even better, seeing them in the wild)!
Thanks Sarah! They were a blast watching and photographing. I think we got hundreds of pictures of them, there was something new to take a picture of all the time. So much hustle and bustle with them:) Thanks for reading!
Near Cape Arago in Oregon I got to see a big colony a few years ago. What I remember most was the sounds!
They are great seeing in the wild! Pictures only tell half the story – like you say the noises they make for example gets lost in the photos. They were a blast! Thanks for reading.
Such cute looking sea lions! We’ve had a soft spot for them ever since we visited Galapagos, good to see that they are thriving elsewhere as well!
I have started the photo challenge, thank you for the invite Inger 🙂
Also I’ve done a little intro for my lovely invitee, hope that you approve 😀
They are very fun meeting in the wild for sure! We watched them for an hour I would guess, but I could have stayed all night:) And thanks for joining the B&W challenge btw, I have loved you pictures! 🙂
Were they friendly? How close could you get?
It has been a pleasure, lot of fun digging up old photos, seeing them in b&w has been rather revealing.
Hope you are enjoying your Easter break!
I can only judge by what I observed from watching them, and based on that I would not set a foot on their island! hehe…. They seems quite territorial. On the other hand they didn’t seem to fast on land so you could probably outrun them:)
They are scary creatures indeed, especially the bulls in mating season.
The ones we saw in the Galapagos were very friendly, they sit with people on the beach and neither bother the other. But It is true, they aren’t the most graceful creatures on land haha
What astounding photos! Such an amazing experience it must have been. Wow!
It was super fun! The noise, the smell, the hustle and bustle. Never a dull moment with these mammals:) Thanks for reading!
Great, clear, close up shots!
Thanks, appreciate you comment! Was definitely worthwhile having a telephoto lens for this trip:) Thanks for reading.
I’d say they are cute, but know they can be rather scary to be around. You got really beautiful photos of them. Can I ask, does it smell bad around them?
Thanks Donna! I have to be honest, yes they smell! Hehe… And I don’t think I would put my foot on that small beach, they were quite territorial:)
They are adorable! I have no idea they were endangered! Good to hear that certain measures to protect them have brought back their population! I hope such measures could be done to many endangered species 🙂 Great images!!
Thanks Indah! They are quite cute yet, and very fun to watch! I was not aware of their temporary ‘endangered’ status as either, something new I learned on my trip. The measured taken seemed to have worked well. Agreed, hope other species also can see the same benefit – I just read in the Norwegian news that the lynx received endangered status in Norway recently… Too many are taken out due to conflicts between farmers (having sheep and reindeer) and the lynx is seems.
I hope the lynx in Norway will be saved before it is too late 🙂
Always nice to see animals in the wild, because that’s where they belong. Beautiful photos, Inger! The more I read about Alaska, the more interested I become.
I couldn’t agree with you more Bama, that is where they belong – in the wild:) Thanks for your generous comment on the photos! You would love Alaska, it was such a great place with pristine wilderness.
Amazing pictures. The Alaskan coast is spectacular. What an exciting moment!
We really enjoyed Alaska. Both the coast and the inland had so much to offer. What stunning views and amazing wildlife:) Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!