Haida Gwaii Naturalist Perspective (Part 1)
(click on images to view them full size)
How We Learn.
Some of us are predominantly visual learners while others are auditory learners and still others need to be hands on to fully grasp concepts and ideas (likely the way we all cement concepts with actual learning is through practice), or a combination of all three. I find that I need all three to really get my head around new ideas and the older I get the more I need the visual and hands on portion to really cement things.
We have recently come back from a trip to Gwaii Hannas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site (Haida Gwaii) and we were fortunate enough to have a biologist/retired Parks employee/university professor/naturalist/birder/comedian guide as part of the crew (Danny Katt) on the Afterglow. It was a real educational treat and that is saying something because Jenn and Chris are no slouches when it comes to naturalist information (we travelled with them last year to the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary). Danny has actually done some lecturing on cruise ships and I can imagine that his talks are well attended. He makes learning fun and a memorable with a healthy dose of bad jokes and wonderful pneumonic devices - such as the 3 types of Orcas - Resident, Transient and Offshore - with residents being identifiable because of RES - residents eat salmon.
Black tailed sitka deer are an introduced species which has had a huge impact on the islands. (EXIF data 600mm, f6.3, 1/1000s, ISO6400)
He kept us well entertained with tidbits of information anytime we came across something - like our encounters with black sitka deer which were introduced to the islands and have had a massive impact on the forest understory. They have voracious appetites, few predators and they can swim, so it is difficult to eradicate them from the islands or contain them to specific locations.
I am always fascinated to watch and hear other peoples’ experiences during these sorts of trips as it is interesting to learn about their backgrounds and how they leverage past life learnings in the current experience. We had several retirees who have long been naturalists (Jane and Graham) and their knowledge made me realize how much richer their experience was because of their understanding. Graham was wonderful at pointing out different species and I also appreciated him nudging the end of my long lens to help me locate an animal or bird sighting.
Beautiful morning reflections in the still waters of a sheltered bay. (EXIF data 200mm, f4.5, 1/600s, ISO5000)
How we collect these various pieces of information and put them together in ways that prove useful to us is a marvel to me - it’s what makes us humans so interesting. One thing that this trip has done is help me to recognize that we’re never done learning and seeing how other people process information helps me to learn as well.
Having background information or being able to understand the motivations behind the behaviour of birds and animals makes the experience so much more interesting and rich. Ok I guess I’m officially a self confessed bird/wildlife/nature nerd!
The native animals we saw.
The coastal islands form such a diverse ecosystem with rock and sand beaches, shear cliffs, old growth forests, natural hot springs, protected inlets and bays, fresh water streams and springs. There is so much greenery and the significant amount of rain this area gets annually helps to maintain that lushness.
We saw a whole host of animals from the boat or during our kayak, zodiac or hiking trips and while some have been introduced to the area by well meaning explorers it was good to see native species. The river otters, black bears and the northern fur seal (what a surprise sighting), as well orcas, humpback whales, Stellar’s seals, harbour seals and Dall porpoise to name a few are doing well, but still face stress from the introduced species and human interactions. It is one of the reasons why the protection of this area is so important as it contains unique habitat that many of these insects, birds and animals need to survive and thrive.
Native black bear scrounging for food in the intertidal zone. (EXIF data 840mm, f6.4, 1/1000s, ISO 400)
The black bear is an interesting species as this particular variety is unique to the Haida region. It is the largest black bear species in the world and most notably their skull, jaw and molars are significantly larger which is an evolutionary adaptation for intertidal feeding on crabs and barnacles. We watched bears overturn rocks along the shore as they looked for food.
The most interesting and surprising find was the northern fur seal we came across in the water while travelling up Juan Perez Sound. We thought that we had sighted a dead whale floating at the surface and Chris circled back in order to verify and potentially report the sighting, but as we neared the dark blob in the water it suddenly started flipping over and over. Both Chris and Danny were excitedly exclaiming, “Northern Fur Seal”!!!
Northern Fur Seal. (EXIF data 600mm, f6.4, 1/400s, ISO200)
Now I have learned that when Jenn, Chris, or Danny get excited about something it is an unusual or super interesting sighting and this proved to be such a sighting. Northern fur seals are rarely seen in this area of Haida Gwaii as they tend to spend their time further out in the ocean and the majority of sightings are on the western side of the islands (we were keeping primarily to the eastern side of the islands between Haida Gwaii and the mainland). We spent a good 15 to 20 minutes just observing the seal and watching her antics as she flipped and rolled and generally enjoyed herself.
Northern fur seals are an eared seal with the male being significantly larger than the female (up to 4.5 times heavier) and they are also distinguished by their long ears. Our sighting was most likely a female based upon size and she seemed to be travelling alone. They are listed as vulnerable due to declining numbers of pups - 50% reduction since the 1970’s, so we felt very fortunate to see this one.
The introduced species
We saw two introduced species that seemed to have a significant impact on the landscape and some of the native species. The most significant impact seemed to be from the Black Tailed Sitka Deer which have decimated the understory of many islands with their grazing habits. These deer can also swim and so it is difficult to keep them contained or cull the herds effectively. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, there have been experiments to set up exclusionary zones by erecting fencing around forest areas and letting the plants and shrubs flourish without interference from the deer. The diversity and density of the understory in these areas was amazing and the regrowth which has occurred within a couple of years shows how impactful these grazing animals are.
Black tailed sitka deer fawn on Tanu - a historical Haida village. (EXIF data 200mm, f7.1, 1/400s, ISO6400)
Four or five different varieties of berry bushes were seen in the exclusion zone which are sparse or completely absent outside of that area. The fruit from berry bushes are key for animal food sources as well as indigenous traditions. We saw a fawn and doe on Tanu wandering throughout the abandoned village long house structures - munching away on the greenery.
Non native species - raccon. (EXIF data 840mm, f7.1, 1/400s, ISO5000)
The other notable introduced species we saw was the racoon. I was surprised by the number that we saw and how unfazed they were by our presence. One morning as I was kayaking and exploring the shoreline I saw a racoon busily scouring the shoreline for food and when he saw me he stopped and spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what I was.
He seemed to be much lighter in colouring than the racoons that I used to see in Ontario, but his curiosity was very familiar. At one point he lifted up his front paws - I’m not sure if this was to get a better vantage point view of me or to try and look larger and more menacing. Either way I soon continued on my way after taking a few photos of him.
I have put together a gallery of images from this trip which can be found here.
How has this experience impacted me?
I found that this experience had a much deeper impact on me than I imagined that it would - for example, the time I spent in Haida Gwaii really highlighted for me the intricate balance of the natural world. The week we spent there was hot, sunny and cloudless blue skies which might be ideal from most vacationers’ perspective, however this is not typical weather for this area. Usually it is mild with significant periods of rainy weather and mist or fog.
Apart from the fact that I quickly ran out of clothes to wear in warm temperatures and sunscreen was definitely needed multiple times a day and I came home with a lot of clean cool wet weather clothes. I also noted that the shifts and changes in our weather patterns have a definite impact on vegetation and insects which in turn works its way up the food chain to eventually impact the apex predators of the natural world.
One of the things that I enjoyed a lot about this visit is how little overt focus there is on tourists - there were no big souvenir shops, special attractions or deals directed at tourists. There was a deep spiritual feeling to our interactions with the Haida Watchmen who told us stories of their ancestors and way of life. A deep respect flowed towards all of the plants, birds and animals - recognizing the precarious balance there is between human interactions and nature. I enjoyed the seemingly slower but more intentional and present pace of life.
I feel that this visit helped me to connect with nature and appreciate one of the incredibly special places we have close by. More than anything it made me understand the importance of protecting these special places and preserving the habitat for future generations of wildlife as well as the culture of the Haida people.
Have you ever visited a place with a profound spiritual vibe? What were your takeaways from the experience - how did it change you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or drop me note directly by clicking on the “Connect With Me” button.
Seal lounging on the rocks. (EXIF data 840mm, f7.1, 1/600s, ISO400)
I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.
