Seldovia Nature Tours

08/23/2024

Trees, volcanoes, mud, birds, and berries — these Seldovia kids were excited to get out and explore the Otterbahn Trail earlier this month!

PC: Natali Jones

08/22/2024

Today’s find on the Rocky Ridge Trail.
Bawk Bawk!

08/20/2024

Two Fox Sparrows along the Otterbahn Trail, 8/20/24.

08/20/2024

Well, good morning! Looks like this black bear has been finding plenty of roughage along the Otterbahn Trail. Maybe pushki seeds?

08/20/2024

Morning at Outside Beach

08/19/2024

Low-tiding this morning, 8/19/24.
I don’t post many photos of myself, but here’s one my friend Tania took today.

All the creatures pictured here:
1) Cindy Mom, your guide.
2) Staghorn bryozoan.
3) Blood star.
4) Brittle star.
5) Sea peach.

If you want to schedule a low-tide trip in Seldovia this year, get in touch! There are very specific dates and times for this activity.

08/18/2024

Fireweed blazing away at its peak, Seldovia Point and Kachemak Bay brooding in the background.

08/10/2024

Really doesn’t get much better than this.

08/09/2024

We are in that sweet spot where darkness, summer temperatures, and the Perseid meteor showers overlap! If the weather cooperates, make sure to check out the night sky in the wee hours on Sunday and Monday. Although we are still within the "astronomical twilight" part of the year, it is actually dark enough to see stars now.
True darkness arrives in Seldovia on August 19th, 18 whole minutes of it, between 2:01 and 2:19 AM.

The sky isn’t falling, but the “stars” sure are! This weekend marks the peak for the Perseid meteor shower with about 60 meteors per hour in the very early hours of Sunday and Monday mornings.

The Perseids is one of the easiest meteor showers to view without knowing much astronomy. All one needs is a dark spot, a way to be comfortable while looking upward and patience. Fortunately, the moon sets early in the evening this weekend, around 11:30 pm, creating a dark sky. Although most of the meteor shower is best seen with as little light pollution as possible, you will still be able to see some of the brightest of falling “stars” wherever you are located.

The Perseid meteor shower is an annual event peaking around the beginning to middle of August each year. The meteors for this shower come from the Swift-Tuttle comet debris entering Earth’s upper atmosphere. Also, the shower gets its name from where the meteor shower appears to originate, between the constellations of Perseus and Cassiopeia.
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

08/09/2024

Nice one!
Had a rollicking good time on the Otterbahn today with a bunch of Seldovia kids in collaboration with Rise Grad and SVT. We found five kinds of edible berries (salmonberries, blueberries, trailing raspberries, watermelonberries, and black currants)!

08/08/2024

Did you know that you can see four volcanoes from Seldovia? We use the mnemonic device "AIRS" to remember their names in order from west to east. These photos show Augustine and Iliamna. It's fun to take at look at the Alaska Volcano Observatory's site for more information.

Augustine
60 miles away
4,133' elevation
Most recent eruptions: 2005, 1986, 1976, 1971, 1963, 1944, 1935

Iliamna
63 miles away
10,016' elevation
Most recent eruptions: 4,000 yBP (years before present)

Redoubt
80 miles away
10,197' elevation
Most recent eruptions: 2009. 1989, 1966

Spurr
130 miles away
11,069' elevation
Most recent eruptions: 1992, 1953

Information from Alaska Volcano Observatory, https://avo.alaska.edu/volcano/

08/08/2024

Blueberries and salmonberries get most of the attention around here, but check out these luscious watermelonberries! Not only are they the color of watermelon, they do actually taste like watermelon, and they have seeds that you can spit out, just like an old fashioned watermelon. They’re juicy and while you wouldn’t make a pie or anything out of them, they’re a nice little trail side snack.

07/31/2024

Vivian’s fireweed; evening.

07/26/2024

It’s a rainy day today in Seldovia; I’m glad I got out for a surf & turf combo on Wednesday! Hiked the Rocky Ridge Trail in the morning, then a little spin around Seldovia Bay in the evening. The daylight hours are still long enough to have a variety of different adventures all on the same day.

07/24/2024

Today’s low tiding adventures at Jakolof Bay, 7/23/2024. A minus 4.4’ tide!

07/22/2024

Sometimes you just need a Bald Eagle.
This big baby is getting closer to fledging every day — yesterday’s practice included wing flaps! There’s a sibling down in the nest someplace, too, out of view.

07/21/2024

Low-tiding today, 7/21/2024.
At Inside Beach, Seldovia, Alaska.

07/20/2024

What a color combo! Fireweed and arnica are coming into their own, together.

07/19/2024

Bog Wintergreen (Pyrola asarifolia), according to Janice Schofield in her book Discovering Wild Plants, can be used as “a breath-freshening mouthwash on camping trips. Chop one teaspoon of pyrola leaves, one teaspoon of mint leaves and steep in one cup of boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain. Let stand until cool and then gargle with the fluids.”

07/15/2024

One of the most important questions I ask my clients: “Do you want to save time at the end of your tour so you can get ice cream?”
I had to do some market research today and finally tried an ice cream sandwich at Otter Cove, located at the Seldovia Boardwalk Hotel. Yum! It was big enough to share. They have a nice covered deck to sit on next to the harbor, so even if it’s sprinkling you can still enjoy your treat while you look at the view. 10/10

07/15/2024

Wildflowers are just getting going around here; for the birds, summer is over. Believe it or not, they’re are already migrating to their wintering grounds! In my outdoor vegetable garden (not in greenhouse) I’m about to do my first harvest of kale — at this point, it is a race to see if the zucchini can produce before the first frost hits.
I’m not ready yet to use the F word, so I’ll just say that sometimes the breeze feels a bit autumnal. The days are noticeably shorter and the nights’ darkness is deeper. There is no reason to grieve. There is joy in every season. People ask me why I live in Seldovia, and this is a big part of it: I am able to live in the second kind of time described here, in “Of Time and Turtles” by Sy Montgomery.
“Two kinds of time exist side by side: the frenzied, fleeting, harried time, rushing along like the cars on the interstate, and the eternal, cyclical, renewing time of the seasons.”

07/12/2024

Don’t blink! Summer is fleeting. Get out there and enjoy it.

07/09/2024

The white bog orchids, also known as "Bog Candles" are blooming! Platanthera dilatata is a native orchid in Alaska. Platanthera is the largest genus of orchids found in North America, with a total of 33 species. Besides P. dilatata, there are 9 other species of Platanthera found in Alaska.

07/06/2024

I did a similar gig on St. Lazaria Island in 2014. Highly recommend! This is a great opportunity. If you have any interest at all, apply!

UPDATE 7/12/24: The biologist has received enough applications. Thank you.

Rare opportunity for the right people! Volunteer field assistants needed to assist at the Barren Islands (near Homer, AK).

Applications being accepted for volunteers to go to the Barren Islands for a seabird monitoring trip. Working dates (no exceptions): 14 August to 6 September, 2024. Tasks include counting burrows and to search for chicks in fork-tailed storm petrel and tufted puffin study plots. There is also some boat work to support monitoring of black-legged kittiwakes and common murres. The team will be based at a remote island field camp with shared cabin quarters. Limited electricity, no communities, and no internet. Must be able to handle and carry heavy gear, hike on steep terrain, make careful observations, record detailed data, work and live happily in damp and cool conditions, and get along well in the small group of three. Previous rock-climbing experience and biology background are helpful. We provide transportation to Homer, Alaska, field camp food, and most field gear.

These positions will go fast to the right people!

📷USFWS photos

Image of man rock climbing on side of mountain and picture of man on side of mountain fixing a camera.

07/01/2024

06/30/2024

Don’t miss July’s low tide trips!
Sunday July 21 - Outside Beach 8:30-10:30 AM
Tuesday July 23 - Jakolof Bay Dock 9:45-11:45 AM
Wednesday July 24 - Inside Beach 10:15 AM-12:15 PM

All of these will require you to either be in Seldovia the night before the trip, or arrange transportation to get here early the day of. (They are not compatible with the Seldovia Bay Ferry or Central Charters boat schedules.) There’s currently ONE SPOT left on a Mako’s Water Taxi departing Homer at 9:00 AM on the 23rd. Better get on that if you want to join us at Jakolof Bay. Call Mako’s at 907-235-9055.

Book your low tide trip with Seldovia Nature Tours now:
https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/seldovianaturetours/items/208568/calendar/2024/07/?full-items=yes&flow=340805

06/30/2024

Lupines are going full blast right now!

06/30/2024

Here’s a new one!

My friend Tania and I went out this morning to collect bull kelp and nori. When we got back to the beach we found several of these fascinating creatures in my boat. Here’s what Sea Grant Alaska has to say about it:

“The oval-anchored stalked jelly (Haliclystus stejnegeri) is a jellyfish that waits for its food to pass by, rather than swim in pursuit or drift aimlessly. This species inhabits surge-swept areas and is usually found attached to algae or rocks. It captures food (mostly tiny crustaceans) using its eight multi-tentacled arms.”

Wild!

06/28/2024

Did you know that Seldovia is really fun to explore on a bike? Most of town is flat, with a few little rolling hills on the ride to Outside Beach. If you are really adventuresome, you can bring your own bike over on and ride the 10 miles into town. Or bring your bike directly to town on the . If you want to rent a bike from the , you can get one for four hours for just $25! I will happily guide you around Seldovia, while riding my own bike. 🚲

06/27/2024

I have noticed that Dwarf Fireweed, also known as River Beauty, starts blooming just a little before “regular” Common Fireweed. Dwarf Fireweed maxes out at 20 inches tall, while Common Fireweed can grow up to five feet tall. Both are members of the Epilobium genus, and thrive in early successional habitats: places that have been disturbed by fire, river action, glacial tillage, or bulldozers. I found this River Beauty at the Seldovia airport on June 26, 2024.