Wildlife
Sitka abounds with year-round wildlife! An ocean tour provides a means to capture on film one of the world's most striking assemblies of marine wildlife: humpback whales, sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, seabird rookeries and occasionally orcas and porpoises.
Although whales can be seen year-round while out on the ocean, humpbacks practically park themselves in front of Sitka's shores in the fall and early winter. A few miles from town, viewing scopes at Whale Park offer a glimpse of these gentle giants of the Pacific.
Located at the mouth of Sitka Sound, St. Lazaria Island, an Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge is home to hundreds of thousands of seabirds in summer. These birds include the ornate tufted puffin and its cousin, the rhinoceros auklet plus many more. Many boat tours include this unique birder's paradise.
Baranof Island, located in the heart of the Tongass National Forest, provides cover for brown bear, mountain goat and Sitka black-tailed deer. In Sitka, Bald Eagles are viewed year-round but the Alaska Raptor Center offers an unforgettable up-close encounter! The Center combines veterinary expertise and volunteer efforts to nurse back to health injured or sick birds of prey. While the center makes every effort to return eagles and other raptors back to the wild, a few never recover flight and remain housed as part of its Raptors in Residence Program. The Center’s newest state-of-the-art flight barn is an exceptional opportunity to see Bald Eagles being rehabilitated.