Saw-whet Owl Banding & Measuring

As promised, here are more photos of the saw-whet owl banding process. I've been able to join a few of these outings to observe and photograph, with both saw-whet and boreal owls. I am always grateful to be a part of the operation and expand my knowledge of these little forest dwelling raptors.

Colin

First time seeing the outside world...

Waiting to be weighed & measured

Juvenile saw-whet owl, close to fledging

Measuring the wings

Taking measurements while the owlet took the opportunity to void its bowels

It's always a good idea to bring a spare sheet for recording measurements

Juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owl

Last summer I had the opportunity to once again observe and assist in the banding of baby saw-whet owls. I've been able to take part in this process a few times now; it's always a joy and an honor to photograph these tiny owls and document the process of helping them to proliferate in Southcentral Alaska.

I'll have more images to share this week, so please stay tuned...

Cheers!

Colin

Isbjørn 🇳🇴 = Polar Bear

Still going through images from Svalbard, Norway. We saw at least 12 individual polar bears aside from the female we observed crossing the ice pack. The others were viewed from Zodiacs and on more than one occasion, a scheduled landing was canceled due to bears in the vicinity.

Have a great weekend and thank you for following along!

Colin

PS - in less than 2 weeks I'll be back in Namibia to lead a group with Nat Expo Tours, LLC, so please stay tuned…

Polar bear in Hingstsletta

Polar bear tracks near the mud, Ymerbukta

Polar bear mother and cub sleeping on the beach, Kapp Lee

Happy Autumn and the March 2023 Arctic Norway Aurora Adventure!

Happy Autumn, everyone!


With the equinox comes increased solar activity and subsequently, aurora borealis. Along with that, we are heading toward the next solar maximum, so opportunities for sights like this should continue to increase over the next few years...

I will be guiding local aurora borealis tours for Alaska Photo Treks again this season and speaking of aurora tours, Mike and I have added a new trip to our schedule at Nat Expo Tours – the March 2023 Arctic Norway Aurora Adventure! Dates are March 14-22, 2023. Details and itinerary on our website.

We are offering a $200 discount for all subscribers to our newsletter. You can subscribe on our homepage: www.natexpotours.com

Happy Aurora Hunting!

Colin

Auroral corona & moon at the Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska

Aurora borealis over the Chugach Mountains, Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska

Humpback Whale Video, Iceland

When the whales are too close to fit in the frame, sometimes it's easier to put the telephoto down and just shoot with your phone. Taken in Iceland's longest fjord, Eyjafjordur, with Whale Watching Hauganes. Shot an iPhone 13 Pro Max in cinematic mode...

We have already scheduled next year's Iceland Tour with Nat Expo Tours! Dates are June 19-28, 2023. More info and a detailed itinerary on our site: June 2023 Iceland Tour

Please message me if you have any questions about Iceland or any of our 2023 tours, including Cuba in February, an aurora adventure to arctic Norway in March, and Namibia in October, or visit our website: www.natexpotours.com

Cheers!

Colin

Polar Bear on the pack ice, 82˚N latitude, Svalbard, Norway

A polar bear crosses the pack ice north of Svalbard, Norway with Oceanwide Expeditions. Our ship, the M/V Ortelius, passed 82˚N latitude as we watched this female bear cross the moving ice. Footage by Mike Haring and myself.

It's very possible that we will lead a group to Svalbard in the near future with Nat Expo Tours. We currently have next year's tours up on our site and if you subscribe to our newsletter on the homepage, you will get a $200 discount on the Arctic Norway Aurora Adventure, March 14-22, 2023: www.natexpotours.com

Thank you for following,

Colin

Alkefjellet, Svalbard

Alkefjellet, Day 6 of our Svalbard adventure with Oceanwide Expeditions. A birder's paradise to say the least, where flocks of guillemots and gulls filled the cliffs and sky, at times resembling a swarm of insects when viewed from a distance.

Please stay tuned for more from Svalbard as I edit through thousands of images & videos...

Thank you for following along!

Colin

Brünnich’s Guillemot

Brünnich’s Guillemot

Brünnich’s Guillemots

Guillemots and gulls

Our ship, the M/V Oretlius

Atlantic Walrus

The Atlantic walrus, or Odobenus rosmarus, is also known as “Tooth Walker” by Inuit peoples because they use their tusks to haul themselves ashore and move around on land. Odobenus translates from Latin as “tooth walking sea horse.”

Svalbard, Norway was my first opportunity to witness and photograph these saber-toothed sea cows of the north (I wrote that one). At more than 2,000 pounds, they are massive creatures, and it would be easy to underestimate their agility by just watching them on land but to observe them in the water is a different story…

I have more to share from our Svalbard adventure with Oceanwide Expeditions, so please stay tuned. We may eventually take a group there with Nat Expo Tours, but for now we are scheduled to return to arctic Norway for an Aurora & Arctic Landscape Tour in March of 2023! Please message me for details on that or visit our website: https://naturalexposurestours.com/norway-tour/

Cheers!

Colin

 

 

 

Atlantic Puffins, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland

The Westman Islands in Iceland are home to the world's largest Atlantic puffin colony. We were lucky to have great weather on the islands as we observed & photographed the puffins collecting food for their young, which will soon emerge from their burrows and plunge into the ocean below. Take a look at the third image and you'll see what I mean when I say these little sh*ts are challenging to capture in flight...

We have already scheduled next year's Iceland tour with Nat Expo Tours. Dates are June 19-28, 2023. Cost is $4,695. More details on our website: www.natexpotours.com

Please message me if you have any questions. Thank you and feel free to share!

Colin

Icelandic Horse Hairstyles

What else to do on a windy day in Akureyri but photograph Icelandic horses? The seas were too rough for our scheduled whale watch, so we took our group to local farms & equestrian centers to appreciate the beautiful breed of horses only found in Iceland. The light and wind were perfect in nature’s studio for creating these portraits…

Stay tuned for details on our 2023 Iceland tour with Nat Expo Tours, LLC. We are looking to add new activities next year, possibilities include a horseback ride and a guided expedition to a glacier cave.

Cheers!

Colin

Humpback whale in Iceland's longest fjord, Ejyafjördur

After 2 days of strong winds, we were able to take our group out with Whale Watching Hauganes on Sunday morning before driving back to Reykjavik for the final night of the tour. It definitely was one of the best whale experiences I've had in Iceland, with several moments like this right next to our boat.

I'm home and getting settled in, with a bit of editing here & there. I have much more to share from both Svalbard and Iceland in the coming days. We will be posting details of our 2023 Iceland Tour with Nat Expo Tours, LLC in the near future as well, and we are looking at June of next year...

As always, thank you for following along,

Colin

Svalbard

Svalbard, Norway.

I am fortunate to have visited this iconic destination, a place sought after by almost any nature photographer. We spent 9 days cruising around the archipelago with Oceandwide Expeditions, making land excursions (when there weren't any polar bears present) and going beyond 82˚ North latitude, within 500 miles of the north pole. We saw a total of 12 bears, one walking across the polar icepack. I will have more to share when I have time to edit through thousands of images & videos. I am now in Iceland, leading a photography tour with Nat Expo Tours.

As always, thank you for following along!

Colin

Polar bear on the icepack

Arctic plant life

Morning sky from the bow of the Ortelius

Boreal Owlets

Hello Everyone,

Here is a bit of extreme cuteness for your day...

These are boreal owlets, a species slightly larger and somewhat similar in appearance to the northern saw-whet owl. Earlier this summer I had the opportunity to join two biologists and photograph the process of banding the little owls before they fledged from the nest. I am always honored and grateful for these opportunities to expand my knowledge of local wildlife and witness first-hand the process of assisting a species to proliferate. Between both biologists, they monitor approximately 100 nesting boxes throughout Alaska, and this was the only box inhabited by boreal owls…

Thank you, as always, for following along, and have a great weekend!

Colin

Northern Saw-whet Owl

This is probably my best image of an adult saw-whet owl to date. They are very small creatures and mostly nocturnal, which makes sightings & photo ops extremely rare. Stay tuned for more owl photos in the coming days, including boreal owlets...

Have a great Monday out there and thank you for following along!

Colin

Nature Photography Day, 2022

Happy Nature Photography Day, 2022! A far cry from the days of shooting film, the art and technology of photography continues to evolve and while I do miss the simplicity and excitement of examining 35mm slides after a big shoot, the limit of what is possible continues to expand beyond what was imaginable just a few years ago.

Aurora borealis time lapse video. Taken in Eagle River Valley, April 2022.

As always, thank you for following along!

Colin

PS - If you received this via email, please click “Read in browser” to view the video

End of Aurora Season...

I think it's safe to say the aurora viewing season is over at this latitude. Last season was very active, and the activity should continue to increase as we move toward the solar maximum. Here are a few more images from April 9 in Eagle River Valley, AK.

I plan to guide aurora tours again next season for Alaska Photo Treks and if all goes as planned, Mike Haring and I will add a multi-day aurora tour to our schedule with Nat Expo Tours next spring.

Thank you for following along and have a great weekend!

Colin

PS - I recently updated the my aurora borealis galleries…

More April 9 Aurora

Another favorite image from the night of April 9, 2022. Again, the aurora dances over Harp Mountain next to a bright moon. Here you can see the footbridge on the Albert Loop trail leading into the forest and toward the river, a favorite route at the Eagle River Nature Center.

Alas, my tour business partner and I are looking into the possibility of leading an aurora photography tour in the spring of 2023 with Nat Expo Tours. Potential destinations include Arctic Alaska or northern Scandinavia. Please stay tuned for details…

Cheers!

Colin

 

Earth Day 2022

Early morning aurora over Dillon Mountain, Brooks Range, Alaska, March 31, 2022.

Happy Earth Day, 2022! Earth Day is significant to me for many reasons, and every year I make a point to explore someplace new on this date. I am currently in my home state of Minnesota and will be visiting a local wildlife refuge for the first time.

Thank you for following and I hope you take some time to enjoy the outdoors today...

Colin

 



Aurora over Sukakpak Mountain

Back to the Arctic for this one - the aurora dances over Sukakpak Mountain in Alaska's Brooks Range. Taken in the early morning hours of March 31, 2022 near the community of Wiseman.

Looks like I will be guiding one more aurora tour for the season with Alaska Photo Treks tonight. Fingers crossed we have a nice display for our guests!

Colin

 

April Auroras, Eagle River Valley

If you had clear skies this past weekend, you may have been treated to some vibrant auroras - truly one of the most brilliant displays I’ve seen in this part of Alaska!

I had two students who were making up a class rescheduled from last month, and our timing was perfect. They learned the basics of setting up to shoot the lights and then got a crash course in making quick adjustments to capture fast moving aurora! In the end, we all came away with beautiful images.

Have a great week out there and thank you for following along!

Colin