Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
Taken back in June and a cute image for #FoxFriday. This darling little one was one of four at the den near where I live.
Usually the kits paid me no attention but on the evening this image was taken, this particular little one was quite fascinated by the guy with the big camera. During breaks between battles with its siblings, it would come over and just watch me. I of course didn’t mind.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
There is nothing worse than someone putting their face up to yours and them having a severe case of halitosis. 😉
These two harbor seals were having a bit of a disagreement on the rocks of Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska. This was a fun stop as we visited a haulout where there was a colony of about two dozen of these cool creatures.
I think the thing that struck me most about the visit was the noise. These guys are very, very vocal to each other – their non-stop cacophony of barking was quite striking.
Harbor seals are common along the U.S. Pacific and Atlantic coasts and their numbers across much of the range are stable. However, in Alaska, the population is much less than it was in the 70s and 80s and there is concern population may be declining.
What a great way to end a fantastic day on the water!
We were returning to Seward, Alaska after eight hours or so touring Kenai Fjords National Park. A quick rain shower chased us inside but then I looked out and saw this incredibly colorful and dramatic display.
Rain wasn’t going to stop me from getting a pic of that! I grabbed my camera, ran out onto the deck and started clicking. My images really don’t do it justice either. The rainbow was one of the most bright I have ever seen.
Just extraordinary!
We of course were more than happy to oblige this big one as it marched down the road in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Nearing the end of our 9 hour day in the park, the caribou we had seen up to that point were not exactly photogenic. They were usually far away or those that were close were pretty scraggly looking as they shed their winter coats. Suddenly this one appeared in the road and it was on a mission coming right at us.
I quickly popped my camera up and shot some pics of it through the windshield of the bus. Given the conditions, the images didn’t come out too bad.
Caribou are also oftentimes called reindeer and inhabit the northern latitudes of North America, Europe, Asia and Greenland. A member of the deer family, one unique thing about them is that both males and females get antlers so you can’t determine their gender from that alone.
Size does differ between them though with bulls averaging between 400 and 600 pounds while females average around half that. Judging by the size, I am guessing this is a bull as it was quite large.
A break from pics of my visit to the 49th state to an image from the 38th taken this past weekend.
My photo outing Saturday wasn’t as productive as I would have liked but I did find a few worthy subjects. Most notable were the first signs of blooming sunflower fields.
Only a small portion of them have opened with prime time probably still a week or two away. The ones that were open did make a few, nice compositions like this one.
A fun visit to this colony of stellar sea lions in Aialak Bay in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska. As you can tell, these guys weren’t exactly bundles of energy. 😀
They pretty much just lounged around although they were a bit curious about us as we approached by boat. That back one though couldn’t even be bothered to turn around properly, instead just rolling over to look. Ha!
This was the first time I have seen a sea lion and couldn’t help but be struck by how big they were.
Females average seven feet long and weigh 600 pounds. Males are a good bit larger at nine feet long and average 1500 pounds with the big boys going up to 2400 pounds!
The Aleuts call them “seevitchie” and Russians call them “sivuch”. Both translate to “seawolf.” The name we call them comes from a naturalist aboard the 1741 Vitus Bering expeditions, George Wilhelm Steller.
Returning to Seward, Alaska on our day-long boat trip, the captain reported seeing a humpback whale. We stopped and waited, anticipating it would surface again after a few minutes.
Indeed it did and while it didn’t give us a great look, we did get to see its arching back and its fluke as it dived again. Our view was fleeting, lasting only a few seconds, but it was thrilling to see one of these massive creatures of the ocean.
Taken in Homer, Alaska a couple weeks ago and a cool one for Freedom Friday.
While we have no shortage of bald eagles here in Colorado (at least in the winter), I was looking forward to seeing them in a different environment and in greater numbers in Alaska. Interestingly enough, that didn’t quite pan out.
While we did see them everywhere we went, they were one or two at a time – nothing like what I envisioned. I suspect that is due to the late summer time-frame but don’t know for sure.
This particular one is one of a mated pair that had a nest on the very end of the infamous Homer Spit. When the tide was out, they would leave their fledgling at home and hit the beach looking for whatever the receding waters left behind. This one happened to find a fish and was jealously guarding it from the gulls.
Look at those faces!
While watching bears along Moraine Creek in Katmai National Park & Preserve two weeks ago, we observed a sow and three cubs working their way down the river. We never did get in a great position to get pics of all four of them together.
However, as our time there was ending, mom stashed her cubs in a field of fireweed while she went and fished. The curious cubs couldn’t help but stick their heads up making for a couple of cute shots. It was an awesome way to end our day with these incredible creatures.
Across the Resurrection River from our campsite near Seward, this mountain provided a ton of awesome pics during our three days in the area. No matter when I looked, it just was cool looking – clouds, no clouds, morning, evening – it always looked nice.
This was taken on our first day, not long after arrival. I had originally done it in color and a friend suggested black and white might be better. I have to say, I would agree.
