Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
We’re sitting on top of a bluff overlooking the Thumb River in Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, watching and waiting for Kodiak’s famed brown bears. The slope down to the river is steep, partially vegetated, but mostly exposed dirt and rock. A wildlife trail leads down … Continue readingBold, Curious Kodiak Island Fox
“In wilderness is the preservation of the world.” – Henry David Thoreau A dark shape in the matted grass above the Thumb River catches my eye. A cross fox is rolling, feet toward the sky, scratching his back. He stood, shook, and disappeared behind a … Continue readingThe Foxes of Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge
I didn’t expect to find myself in the middle of spring bird migration in Anchorage in late April. But that is exactly what happened. I guess when summer only lasts three months before the snow flies again, you’d better be here when it starts. I … Continue readingSpring Bird Migration in Anchorage
Georgia has Old Car City, but Alaska has Eklutna Tailrace. Sure Old Car City has more than 4000 cars over six miles of land. Yet, Alaska has the serendipitous surprise of bits and pieces of dilapidated cars peeking out of the ground that’s reclaiming them … Continue readingOld Car City Alaska Style
The Promise Signs along the roads keep promising moose. It seems every two or three miles, there is another sign for moose. Yet, I can’t seem to find one. Alaska has the largest subspecies of moose in the world. Its Latin name, Alces alces gigas, … Continue readingSearching for Moose in Alaska
A guest post by Rob I went out fishing during our most recent stay in Alaska at Silver Salmon Creek Lodge in Lake Clark National Park. One afternoon I went out with a guide and another couple to fish. We fished a bend in the … Continue readingA Fed Bear
Don’t Mess with Mama Bear Mama bears are notoriously, fiercely protective of their cubs. It’s unusual for adult male bears (boars) to hang out here. In other places where I’ve watched bears fish, the opposite is true; sows with cubs are rare. This stretch of … Continue readingBrown Bear Stories (Part Two)
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