Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
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
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
The car ahead of me is braking. A deer? No, a coyote. No, it’s a wolf!! A timber wolf is trotting across the highway! If that’s not a good omen, I don’t know what is! It was the long legs that made me think deer, … Continue readingVince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary
Oleander Cove After the distraction of the friendly hermit crabs on the beach, I wade into the cool, clear water. Even covered by my full wetsuit, I feel the chill of the northern Caribbean. I submerge and float over the rough limestone that covers the … Continue readingSnorkeling Eleuthera Bahamas
It’s a classic Glacier National Park hike. Mid-day in July or August you’ll find people circling the parking lot for an hour or more looking for a place to park as traffic backs up on the narrow, winding, two-lane Going to the Sun Road as … Continue readingHidden Lake Trail at Logan Pass
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