Humpback Whales Bubble Netting

Alaska Wildlife Tour

One of the great things about southeast Alaska is the abundant wildlife that is all around you. On your boat ride out to the lodge, there is an opportunity to see a variety marine and terrestrial wildlife. Seals are a common sight. Bears, whales, deer, eagles, and dolphins are not uncommon.

As part of the tour is the underwater exploration, you will also see a variety of fish and invertebrates living in their wild and natural environment.

Once out at the lodge, there is more opportunity to see wildlife. Because of the salmon stream on our 62 acres, a large "flats" has developed at the lodge which is acres and acres of beach when the tide is out. This attracts seagulls (in the hundreds), cranes, bald eagles, and other birds which feed off the flats.

The salmon of course attract the bears, and some years it is a daily occurrence to see bears on the beach in the open. Other times, just a walk on the beach will flush previously unseen bears from the tall grass.

Deer are also sighted on the beach, usually in the morning hours.

Bear on the Beach

Black Bears

We only have black bears on Revilla Island, which is the island Ketchikan is on. Because of the salmon stream that flows through the 62 acres, you will have a great opportunity to view black bears. You can simply take photos from the lodge, or you can walk the beach and get a closer look. These are wild bears and may not let you get too close, before running away. Occasionally they come out of the tall grass to fish in the stream, running up and down going after salmon.

Humpback Whale Tail

Marine Mammals

Marine mammals are common in southeast Alaska. The most common is the seal. You may see these and other marine mammals such as humpback whales, killer whales, Dall's porpoise, and sea lions as well.

We have about three to four seals that are resident year round at the lodge. In the summer, as many as ten seals show up and call Saltery Lodge their home. They are all fishing for salmon that enter and leave our salmon stream. They love to throw their catch into the air, playing with it before they consume it.

Handfeeding Hummingbird

Alaskan Birds

The bird that everyone wants to see in Alaska is, of course, the bald eagle. We can virtually guarantee you that you will see see bald eagles. In fact, there are more bald eagles in southeast Alaska than in the entire lower-48. When the salmon are in our stream, it is not uncommon to see four to six eagles on the beach.

The other bird that we love to watch is the heron. We have a couple herons that live on the property year here at Saltery Lodge. We have seen as many as five herons on the beach at one time, fishing for tasty perch in the eel grass on our beach.

Seagulls are very common in southeast Alaska. They are nature's recycling system. Something has got to eat those dead salmon floating down the stream. In the summertime, we have about 100-200 birds on average on the beach. We have seen flocks as large as a thousand floating in the water in front of the lodge.

Other birds that you will see are: hummingbirds, ducks, mergansers, sea ducks, loons, king fishers, and song birds.

Pink Salmon School

Salmon

Every year, millions of salmon enter southeast Alaska's pristine and plentiful waters. They are heading to the very water they were born in, using their scent to guide them. Before they enter their stream, the gorge on herring, building the fat they will need when they enter the stream to spawn. When the pink Salmon are in the streams (Mid July to Mid September), you will be able to observe them up close and personal. You will also see them from the boat, milling around in the estuaries, waiting to enter the streams.