My first fishing excursion in Alaska began aboard a small boat, down‑rigging for salmon. The day was lively; each of us landed a pink salmon.
On the return to port, the captain spotted a bald eagle perched in a shoreline tree, scanning the river below. Knowing I carried a camera, he eased the boat closer, giving me the chance to frame the bird against its watchful backdrop.
Later in the week, as the cruise ship pressed forward en route to a glacier, two more eagles appeared. They stood on calved ice, striking figures against the drifting floes. From their perch, they surveyed the shifting plain of floes carried downstream, scanning for their next meal.
Returning to the home port from a whale‑watching excursion, more eagles were seen, surveying the harbor from a tower. Alaska holds the largest population of bald eagles in North America — a fitting reminder of the wild abundance that defines this place
