November Sunrise, Beauty in Subtlety

One of the many things I love about Alaskan winters is being able to sleep in and still catch a sunrise. This was taken around 9:15 this morning at the Nature Center.

Winter Landscape

Woke up to a fresh winter landscape at the Nature Center this morning. We've gotten close to 9" of snow so far, which is more than we received in any single snowfall last season. Let's hope this is a sign of things to come!

Minnesota Morning

A beautiful start to the day near my hometown of Outing, Minnesota. I've only got one more day here, tomorrow I head back to Minneapolis and then fly home on Thursday. Alaska is my home now, there is nowhere else I'd rather live, but every place has its own unique, intrinsic beauty and I do miss these dramatic Midwestern skies.

Lake George Sunset

A nice ending to the day here in the heart of lake country, Minnesota. Alaska is home now and I couldn't imagine living any place else, but it's nice to be here to visit family and appreciate the area in which I grew up.

Lake Country Sunrise

Good morning from Lake George, Minnesota. After a few days of totally clear skies, we had some clouds move in overnight to add a bit of color to this morning's sunrise. How many fellow early birds were awake to enjoy this scene today?

Hometown Aurora

It was a subtle display last night, still it's always good to be out chasing auroras near my hometown of Outing, MN. This was taken over Lake George around midnight.

Correction

Friends, I have a correction to make. After reviewing the photos of the bear from the Nature Center yesterday, I realized that I had incorrectly identified it as the bear that charged at the viewing decks, which led to the Rodak Trail closure one month ago. That particular bear (which caused the trail closure) is the same bear that has been hanging around the river at mile 9 of Eagle River Road the past few days and has a distinct mark across its snout. The bear we saw yesterday is a smaller individual and did not have the facial mark. Furthermore, upon closer inspection of my bear photos from last August, it turns out that was yet another individual that was chasing salmon near the viewing decks. As it turns out, I have photographed three different bears here since early August. They have similarly shaped faces and coloration, with only subtle differences in their appearance.

My apologies for the incorrect information,

Colin

Halloween Visitor

She’s baaack! Look who showed up at the Halloween trick-or-treat walk at the Eagle River Nature Center today. This is the same bear that I’d been photographing earlier this summer & fall - the same bear that bluff charged a few times, which led to the temporary closure of the Rodak Nature Trail and viewing decks. The trail has been open for more than a week now and this is the first reported sighting since before the closure on October 3, although she has recently been spotted just a few miles down the road. She made her usual rounds in the creek and past the viewing decks, occasionally picking up a decaying salmon to gnaw on. Because of the event we were hosting, there were a number of people on the trails and fortunately she passed by without turning her attention to the onlookers. Hopefully, the rapidly shortening daylight hours will soon trigger her instinct to seek higher ground and den for the winter.

Hug a Sheep Day

Happy Halloween from CTP and unless you're outside in New Zealand or Montana, I'll bet you didn't realize that the last Saturday in October is also "Hug a Sheep Day" (seriously, Google it). So by all means, go out and hug a sheep today if you have the opportunity, let him or her know that we appreciate all the wool clothing that they make possible, but let it go at that...

Photos taken in New Zealand 2014 (WWOOF New Zealand).

Rodak Nature Trail Reopened

After nearly three weeks of closure, the Rodak Nature Trail was reopened today by Chugach State Park. It was a blustery evening with rainy weather making its way down the valley yet beautiful in a monochromatic way, and always a good place to clear my mind, breathe and create. I’ve used this little hiatus to catch up on a bit of editing as well as process last summer’s salmon, but I truly missed this scene and starting my days here.



Beary Irresponsible

I just witnessed a very unfortunate situation. I saw the Nature Center bear this evening, about 1.5 miles down the road from the visitor center. She was feeding on what I had thought to be road kill, but after she left the area I took a closer look and it appears to be some kind of game meat that was discarded, judging from the wax paper that was lying on the ground with the meat. There was a large femur and other bones, probably from a moose or caribou. Somebody possibly dumped it or it could be another example of people being irresponsible with their trash. Whatever the cause, it has created a hazardous situation and when a bear becomes accustomed to rummaging through trash in search of food, things usually don't end well for the bear. Problem bears are often the result of human carelessness.

Alaska Dispatch News

Did anyone happen to read ADN this morning? They wrote a nice piece about the brown bear and the trail closure at the Nature Center and used two of my photos. They even quoted me quite a few times with excerpts taken from last Sunday's post

Click on the photo to link to the article:

Channel 4 News, Anchorage

Well, after Channel 2 News ran the story about the bear at the Nature Center last night (Oct. 6), I got a call today from Channel 4 News. They interviewed me at their studio and I will be on the 9pm broadcast this evening. Also, Alaska Dispatch News should be running two of my bear images in tomorrow's paper. Not sure how I am going to handle all of this media exposure...

Setting the Record Straight

In case you missed last night's television broadcast, here is the online story and video about the Nature Center bear and the trail closure along with my images. Since the information they were relaying came from me (indirectly), I thought I should point out a few inconsistencies. This past Saturday evening, I spoke with the area biologist and the ranger who subsequently closed the trail after I witnessed the bear’s behavior becoming increasingly aggressive and intolerant of humans. First, I never once said that it “slapped the viewing deck.” I have no idea where that statement came from but it certainly wasn’t from me. Second, the bear that our neighbor Richard was speaking of during the segment was NOT the same bear that I have been photographing around the viewing decks. That was a larger, lighter colored bear that was in the area earlier this summer and most certainly not the bear that caused the trail closure. Finally, the photos I submitted were taken when the bear was fishing, before any of the aggressive behavior and bluff charges took place. In other words, when the newscaster said that the photos I took were showing what I believed to be the bear’s aggressive behavior, that statement didn’t originate from me either.

For the record, I made the call to report the bear’s behavior and bluff charges, which I believed was of concern, before it escalated into a full-blown charge or a mauling. The headline “Bear Charges Visitors…” might be a bit over-hyped. Ironically, when the news team called to inquire if I had any photos that I could submit, they never asked for my account of what happened, even though I am the one who witnessed the incidents first-hand and made the report to the Fish & Game biologist, nor did they contact the Nature Center for any information on the story. Aside from all of this, I was happy to contribute my photos for the segment and I hope that people will respect the trail closure and ultimately the bear itself, which is only trying to pack on weight for the long winter slumber. Click on the image to link to the story:

 

 

Too Close for Comfort

Outside of Alaska, people often ask if I am afraid to live in such close proximity to bears. Honestly, I find comfort in the fact that these creatures still exist and I cherish the notion of such large predators roaming the expansive wild that is Alaska, my home. I couldn’t imagine living anyplace else and not having this allure surrounding me. By choice, I do not carry a firearm when I hike. That is not a statement against guns, simply my decision not to carry one in the backcountry.

Of all the different species that I have photographed since I first picked up a camera nearly 20 years ago, I have spent more time with Alaska’s brown/grizzly bears than any other animal. Only on a few occasions did I ever feel there was a clear and present danger, despite being so close to one of the world’s largest and most powerful predators, yesterday was one of those instances.

Over the past few days, I have watched this bear’s behavior become increasingly aggressive toward people viewing her while she is fishing. She appears somewhat desperate with winter approaching, trying to pack on as much weight as possible before denning. Most of the salmon she picks up are dead and decaying and after a few bites, she moves on to find another, apparently hoping it will taste better than the last. Just one week ago, while leading a fall photography class, she didn't pay us any mind as we observed and photographed her going about her business for more than an hour. Since then, on more than one occasion, she bluff-charged at us (myself and a fellow ERNC volunteer) as well as Nature Center visitors while we were on the viewing decks.

Yesterday evening I walked down to the smaller deck by myself in hopes of once again taking advantage of the opportunity to photograph her before she seeks higher ground for winter slumber. When she appeared, I immediately sensed that something was awry. My heart was beating loudly, as if I felt her exasperation. She followed her normal routine of splashing around in the creek and trying to pounce on live salmon. As usual, she picked up a rotting fish to gnaw on but quickly lost interest, at which point she seemed more intent on acknowledging my presence and asserting her dominance. She walked closer to the deck, which sits on a slope overlooking the waterway. The front of the deck is only about 5 feet off the ground with a wooden rail and open at the back, offering no protection should she decide to pursue. As she approached, she turned her gaze toward me and started walking toward the deck, following the footpath that leads around to the backside. Initially, I was expecting her to bluff charge, as she has done recently, but when she locked her eyes on me it no longer felt like a bluff, this time it felt real. She continued toward the deck until all that separated us was about 20 feet and the wooden handrail. I slowly back pedaled, saying “Hey bear” in a calm voice until I was out of her field of vision, at which point she turned and walked back down to the creek and I breathed a huge sigh of relief, my heart pounding inside my chest.

As a result of the bear’s recent behavior, Chugach State Park has closed off the Rodak Nature Trail and the viewing decks until further notice. While I am disappointed in the loss of this wonderful photographic opportunity, this is the best decision for both the bear and visitors to the Nature Center. With her growing intolerance of humans, it could be a matter of time before she decides to attack somebody she sees as a threat to her fishing grounds.

Autumn Colors and Termination Dust

Fall colors & fresh snow, or "termination dust" as Alaskans refer to it, dusting the mountains of Eagle River Valley, October 1, 2015. I was out at this spot twice last week to get a photo of the valley in autumn to complete my four-season collage. I wasn't entirely happy with what I came away with so after the rain and snow let up and the skies cleared, I hiked back out to Dew Mound today to give it one more shot. I'm much happier with today's image, the white-capped mountains add a dramatic touch that conveys the changing season and impending winter. I will post the collage as soon as it is complete and add it to my online store as well.

Defensive Bear

I've been making the most of my time with this little bear, knowing that soon she will be heading to her denning area higher in the mountains. As fond as I am of her, she seems to be getting a bit defensive over her fishing grounds. Bear that in mind (pun) if you're out this way and be sure to give her plenty of space.