Miscellany...

I am attempting to post at least once a week so here is a quick post with some random shots that I have taken since being in Alaska. 

Berries seem to be everywhere and we have spent quite a few hours picking them.  I have officially become a canner (if such a word exists) and made a batch of blueberry jam.  Cathy also made salmonberry jam which was quite delicious.  Raspberries are next.

This is from a hike to Herbert Glacier. This small inland lake along the way was very calm providing a serene moment.

The racemes on the Devil's club are starting to fruit providing a great contrast to the green that pervades the rest of the forest.  This bristly plant is used locally for medicinal purposes as well as a food source for deer.

This set of brown bear tracks was from the last set of surveys we did on Admiralty Island.  There was a sow with two cubs and a separate single boar hanging around the area we surveyed.  We did not get to see them but saw plenty of sign, noticeably more than the June surveys.  I am guessing these were tracks from the single boar since I did not find any smaller tracks nearby.  As much as I am appreciative that we did not bump into a brown bear while scurrying through dense game trails, there is a part of me that is disappointed I have yet to see a brown bear.  There is still time however.  Not surprisingly, we finished the surveys without seeing a goshawk or any indication that they have recently used the area. 

I thought I would end with another picture of the very photogenic seal from Tracy Arm in a very posed moment - picture number two of sixty-nine.

The twelve hour tour...

Cathy and I took a day-long boat tour to Tracy Arm fjord located about 45 miles south of Juneau. It is a rather remarkable place with the fjord approximately 30 miles long. Icebergs of all sizes (and all shades of amazing blues) were floating in the water as the boat made its way up the passage.

The views throughout the entire channel were quite spectacular.  The striations and carvings of eons of glacial activity was obvious and the steep mountainsides added to the geological snapshot.

When we left Juneau the clouds were hanging low, but as we headed further south the sun slowly appeared.  Despite the sun, there was still a significant change in temperature (even I ended up wearing two coats) as the boat made its way up the channel towards the glacier. We were able to experience some fantastic calving at the glaciers.  The captain cut the engines and we floated just off the edge of the accumulated ice about three-quarters of a mile from the glacier.  One of the calvings was rather large and created a deceivingly large wave that slowly made it to the boat.  I was (and I believe many others on board were also) rather surprised at how much water the calving displaced.

The shades of blue were amazing.  The water was a deep aqua that, until now, I would have only associated with waters in the Caribbean. 

The blues in the glacier are more prevalent just after calving and the icebergs soon become white as they frost over.

We also saw plenty of wildlife.  A mountain goat and her young one were a constant (at a bit of a distance, the white blips in the center) during our time in front of Sawyer Glacier.  It was at this moment when I developed a serious case of lens envy as some of the other photographers on the boat whipped out their rather large lenses and were able to zoom in on the distant goats. However, what I lacked in clarity, I would like to think I made up in shots of ideal goat habitat. Nice rocks...right?

I have been trying to get a decent picture of a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) since I have been here and finally succeeded with this immature eagle.

I also saw my first pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba).  Neat birds in the auk family (includes puffins, auklets, murrelets) with feet that are bright red. They nest in crevices along vertical rock surfaces that were prevalent on this trip.

On the way out of the fjord we came across a sow black bear (Ursus americanus) and her cub busy eating something along the rocky shore.  The sow didn't mind the numerous eyes staring at her but the cub wasn't as confiding and soon scurried up the steep rocks with mom in tow.

 

One of my goals this trip was to take numerous pictures; something I have managed to avoid throughout my life.  My friend Rob was kind enough (and, quite frankly, rather brave) to lend me his camera package for the summer.  I am trying to get to know the intricacies of photography but am finding safety in numbers.  I think it is safe to say I have taken more pictures in the last month than my entire life prior - nearly one-thousand on this day alone. Of those nearly one-thousand, I took sixty-nine of this very willing and photogenic harbor seal (Phoca vitulina).

Rooster-esque ravens

Until recently I have awoke to the incessant cawing of a family of ravens. Ravens are ubiquitous here and are well known for their creative approaches to finding food. Just last week, some of the perpetually ravenous ravens found their way into the back of one of Cathy's neighbors truck where garbage was left overnight. It then became apparent that bears may relate certain raven activity with a food source, and it wasn't long before a black bear showed up and crawled in the back of the truck. It has been a bit quieter the last few days and it appears the young may have dispersed to signal dawn for some (un)lucky people elsewhere.

I have been nursing a sprained ankle for the last few weeks so my exploration has been limited until I get through the second set of surveys next week. I took a drive over to Douglas Island which is connected to downtown Juneau by a lone bridge. This waterfall was alongside the road but caught my attention.


The island has the only downhill skiing in the area (that I am aware of) and I noticed a number of homes had some version of used skis as decorative items at the end of their driveways. However, I think this was by far the most elaborate (and colorful).


After a day at the office Cathy and I went on what was supposed to be a short hike on the trail system near the Mendenhall Glacier. We got a bit turned around (honestly, not lost, just took a few wrong turns...really) and covered a bit more ground than planned, but it felt great to be out and moving around after convalescing the last couple weeks. These are a couple plants that are new to me since being in Alaska.

Nootka Lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis)

Watermelon Berry (Streptopus amplexifolius)

Broomrape (Boschniakia rossica) (a.k.a. Ground Cone)

I am familiar with horsetail, but had never seen this dense of a stand. The entire lake was covered in this prehistoric plant.

Horsetail (Equisetum spp.)

This waterfall seems to float among the trees on the side of the mountain.

(Waterfallicus pseudofloatus)

We didn't plan on going as far as the glacier, but we were able to see the remnant of a recent calving.

(Icicus mendenhallianus)

I am headed back to Admiralty Island next week to finish up the goshawk surveys and to do a deer habitat assessment. I am definitely looking forward to getting back outside.

Life's a beach...

We finished the first round of surveys last week; round two will take place at the end of July. The weather has been wet (and lots of low level clouds lately- the picture above is from Cathy's back porch), but Cathy and I took advantage of a dry spell and took a hike to one of her favorite beaches (and her dog Kai's favorite). This is one of the meadows teeming with fireweed - which I have been told once the raceme is fully flowered it signals the end of summer; these are pretty close! The ocean and beach is to the right in this picture.

We saw plenty of bald eagles, both immature and adults. Not the best picture, but I am learning.

This is the beach side looking over some of the flats and the Chilkat Range in the background. Quite spectacular.

One the way to the beach we saw this Bog Orchid. A first for me. Quite aromatic.

We also saw humpback whales in the distance...far distance. See the dorsal fin in the middle of the picture, just in front of the spray? Honestly, it's a whale...we also saw sea lions, but I would have a hard time convincing anyone that the pictures I have are anything more than a rock in the water.