August 2nd, 2012: Alaska Sealife Center, Our First Day in Seward

Rhinoceros Auklets, Horned and Tufted Puffins, and  Red-Legged Kittewakes were just three of the birds in the aviary. One of the Rhinoceros Auklets was taking a bath and actually splashed water on us as it preened its feathers.To be so close to a Rhinocerous Aukley that it was splashing water on us was really amazing! It made us hope we would see one in the wild so we could count it on our bird list.
The first day in any city is really a day of planned discovery. Its a way for us to figure out what we what to see and do so after visiting the Seward Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center we headed out to make plans,(A good friendly place with great advice given).
Our first stop was to reserve bookings on a day cruise and so we are set to travel to the Kenai Fiords National Park, this Saturday. Next we looked at a place where you can pay a five dollar access fee and catch salmon, and last we went to the Alaska Sealife Center.

The Alaska Sealife Center was not built by Exxon but was built with some of the money from a settled lawsuit, hmmm why does it take a lawsuit for oil companies to admit their wrongdoing? Its a large building that was constructed along the waterfront in some of the area that were destroyed by the Great Alaskan Earthquake of 1964.
The Earthquake threw a tsunami that reached forty feet high in Ressurrection Bay, and sitting here camped on the waterfront it is reassuring to know that a tsunami warning alert now is in place. Anyway, as we entered the Sealife Center we were warmly greeted by the staff, bought our tickets,(the tour saver book saved us 20 dollars), and rode the elevator to the second floor. There I saw swimming sardines and I recognized them imeadiately although I have never before seen them out of a can and without a package of crackers!

A little further on were displays that discussed the salmon types found in Alaska and even tanks with live chinook and coho salmon smolt. A fossilized Sockeye salmon had also been found and so we got to see how nature preserves fish for long term storage.
A Ranger led presentation on Global Warming was going on in the theater and we learned quite a bit from a very good slideshow/lecture. Next we stopped to touch sea annomees, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins and I remembered when I put a sea urchin spine into my hand while diving in Florida.

Steller Sea Lions and a Harbor Seal swam playfully in their large tanks and although I am not a fan of large mammals being in captivity it was nice to see them up close before our cuise to the Rookeries.
The Alaska Sealife Center turned out to be perhaps the best display we have seen so far, that shows the Alaskan Sea Wildlife, and was money well spent. As I write this I know my favorite section was the aviary but it was all good. All in all it was very good first day in Seward! Clear skies