Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
The salmon run congregates bears closer together and in higher numbers than they would otherwise tolerate. Like Big Brother on television, this creates drama. Family Drama When a sow with cubs begins fishing, the hungry cubs watch with rapt attention. Once she catches a salmon … Continue readingBrown Bear Stories (Part One)
It’s all about the timing. Life in coastal Alaska is dictated by the tides – for both human and non-human animals. On the shore of Lake Clark National Park, the annual silver salmon run has just begun. A few days ago, there were a few … Continue readingFishing Bears
Black-legged Kittiwakes I’m idly watching a colony of thousands of nesting kittiwakes, white gull-like birds that don’t really do it for me. But there’s a beautiful, rustic, derelict cannery along this stunning, cliff-lined inlet, where we’ve stopped on our way back to camp from an … Continue readingHunting Peregrine Falcons
Communication This bear argument is loud, powerful, and impassioned, yet fairly benign. All social species require a way to resolve conflict without risking their lives or their relationships. Just because you have power does not mean you need to use it. Nature has so much … Continue readingBears: A Heated Discussion
It’s low tide as we skiff ashore from John’s old tugboat. Following a deep channel, the captain brings the dinghy in as far as he can and then I step out into the incoming surf. In hip boots, I slosh through the water over hard-packed … Continue readingHallo Bay Bears and Wolves
The flight leaves Kodiak Island at 4pm. We have one last day to make the most of exploring this wild place. We passed by Fort Abercrombie Park, a World War II site with a beautifully rugged coast rumored to have a sow and cub hanging … Continue readingWandering Kodiak
Below the weir is a large shallow pool where a lone sow is wading. She occasionally darts in a rush of water toward salmon that are making their last journey upstream. She isn’t having much success in the middle of the pool. On the … Continue readingFrazer River Bear Families
The rising sun casts a warm peach glow across the calm, flat waters of Kukak Bay. We arrived here after dark last night dropping anchor next to Eagle Rock where a pair of oystercatchers is now starting their day. A sea otter is floating, bobbing, … Continue readingKukak Bay Serenity
It’s a rare, sunny, blue-sky, August day on the Katmai Coast. There’s a nice breeze that is keeping the bugs at bay. I can see bears fishing in the river and others walking the beach toward the mouth of the bay. I am eager to … Continue readingTwo Days Full of Bears in Geographic Harbor
After quickly adding layers – long underwear, rain pants, wool socks, thermal undershirt, sweater, coat, hat, and gloves – I grabbed my backpack and hip waders and boarded the skiff for our first trip ashore. We passed what I first thought was a sea otter. … Continue readingOur First Steps in Geographic Harbor