Arctic Fox near Vik, Iceland

Greetings from Iceland - 🇮🇸

Today we explored a glacial ice cave near the town of Vik on the south coast, famous for its black sand beaches, and after the guided tour we were treated to a wonderful encounter with an arctic fox! This is my sixth trip to Iceland, and previously I'd only caught a brief glimpse of an arctic fox, so this was a rare opportunity. Our guests were thrilled, as were Mike and I. Tomorrow we will make our way to Vatnajökull (Europe's largest glacier), then to the east fjords and eventually across the highlands to the north.

Cheers!

Colin

 

Hidden Leopard

Another master of camouflage, the African leopard. It's easy to see how prey could walk under a tree completely unaware of the predator directly above, and leopards are known to jump down from a perch onto their prey.

In this case, the leopard had been resting in the branches when, in this moment, it took notice of an impala passing by. We watched it stealthily descend the tree and stalk the impala, crawling on its belly at times. They were both soon out of sight, so we do not know how it ended up for either of them...

November 2023, Kruger National Park, South Africa 🇿🇦

 

Scenes from Svalbard, Norway, August 2022

Svalbard certainly is the most vast and wild landscape I've ever visited. It was a bucket list trip of a lifetime, though I believe I will make it back there before too long. It's also the furthest north I've been on the planet, at one point going beyond 82˚N latitude into the polar ice pack. Even in the latter part of summer, the sun never dipped below the horizon while we where there.

Colin

 

Our ship, the M/V Ortelius

Abundant birdlife on the ice bergs

Svalbard reindeer, a smaller subspecies unique to these islands

April 2023 Geomagnetic Storm

April 23, 2023 - maybe the most intense geomagnetic storm I've experienced in Southcentral Alaska. I wish my lens was just a little wider to capture the full display that was overhead. This was also the night that I took the cover photo for my 2025 “Seasons of the Eagle River Nature Center” calendars (available for preorder on my site by clicking on the image at the top).

I'm catching up two years’ worth of editing and continue to find winning images like this one. Stay tuned for more...

Have a great weekend!

Colin

 

October 2024 Namibia Tour

Namibia just celebrated 34 years of independence and remains one of the best functioning democracies in all of Africa. With an array of beautiful scenery and wildlife, coastline, vibrant culture and more, it is one of my favorite destinations in the world.

I look forward to returning to Namibia this October, where Mike and I will be leading another tour with Nat Expo Tours. We still have a few spaces open, if you or anyone you know might be interested. We’ve added a few days to the itinerary this year to include the Caprivi Strip of northern Namibia, Botswana, and Victoria Falls.

Dates are Oct 11-25, 2024. Cost is $7,895 per person and includes all transportation & lodging in Namibia and Botswana, breakfast & dinner every day, all locally guided tours & park fees, photographic instruction (for those who would like), and more!

Please contact me if you are interested or visit our site for more info and a detailed itinerary: https://natexpotours.com/2024-namibia/

Cheers!

Colin

 

Sossusvlei dry ancient lakebed, Namib-Naukluft National Park

Etosha National Park

Himba community

Flamingos in Walvis Bay

Elephant herd in the Caprivi Strip, northern Namibia

José, El Hombre de la Guitarra

José, El Hombre de la Guitarra, "The Guitar Man." José was a sweet man who always entertained us with his guitar at his restaurant in the countryside near Trinidad de Cuba - it's a regular stop on our horseback ride. In 2020, my good friend Joleigh Rainwater, who had traveled to Cuba with me the year prior, brought him two sets of guitar strings and a copy of her photo "José's Hands", which received an award at the Alaska State Fair in 2019.

 

During the pandemic years when I was unable to visit Cuba, José tragically passed away after an accident while working on the roof of his restaurant. When I showed my photo of José to his son, Andy, he became very emotional and told me the story of losing his dad. I was able to email the image to a guest in the second group this year (2024) to be photo printed and put into a frame, as a gift to Andy. Here is my tribute to José, with contributions from our tour guests, and Joleigh.

 

Cuba 2024

Another Cuba trip is in the books! We had two wonderful groups this year and look forward to returning in February, 2025. We have two time slots available again next year.

Looking at this year's schedule, we still have a few spots open for Iceland in June and Namibia in October. Please email me if you have any questions or visit our website for more info and itineraries: www.natexpotours.com

Cheers!

Colin

 

Near John Lennon Park in Havana

A tobacco farm (finca) in Viñales

Sunrise over Viñales Valley

Waiting for the Aurora at Paradise Haven Cabin, Eagle River Nature Center

Last night I set up at a familiar locale in hopes of catching the aurora borealis. As it often goes, the lights did not come out and hence, the image I had in mind did not materialize. After struggling to keep a fire going in the wood stove at -20˚F and no activity in the sky, I decided it was best to wait for another opportunity...

There is more potential activity in the coming days and I am scheduled to guide an aurora tour for Alaska Photo Treks this Saturday, so hopefully we will have better luck.

Cheers,

Colin

 

"Seasons of the Eagle River Nature Center" 2025 calendars are off to press!

It's official - my "Seasons of the Eagle River Nature Center" 2025 calendars have gone to press!

I signed off on the proof & paid the balance for design & printing yesterday (I designed the front cover, the rest of the layout was done by Todd Communications of Anchorage). The calendars will arrive in Alaska this summer and be mailed out in July, after I return from leading our Iceland tour with Nat Expo Tours, LLC. Last year I printed 500 calendars and sold out by the first week of October, so I ordered 1,000 calendars this time, all of which will be signed & numbered..

I've pre-sold almost 50 calendars so far. Cost is $18 each and I am currently running a special of two calendars for $30 (+$5 shipping or local pickup/no shipping). Click here to reserve yours today!
Cheers!

Colin

 

African Wild Dogs in the Rain, Kruger National Park

African wild dogs in the rain, Kruger National Park, SA.

This pack of wild dogs (painted dogs) had a litter of puppies and gave us some great photo ops. The falling rain added a nice element and made for great expressions on the dogs' faces. These are some of my favorite images of the endangered canines.

Have a great weekend out there. It looks like we might have a bit of aurora borealis - perfect timing for my aurora & nighttime photography class at the Eagle River Nature Center tomorrow night (Feb 20). I would have shared the registration link but the class literally filled overnight, before I had a chance to post it. I will look into offering another class in late March.

As always, thank you for following,

Colin

 

African Wild Dogs

The African wild dog, also called the painted dog, is one of the rarest mammals in Africa. We were fortunate to have wonderful encounters with three different packs in Kruger National park.

I'm getting back around to editing through my images from last year's trip Namibia and South Africa. I will have more to share in the coming days...

Cheers!

Colin

 

Leopard in a Tree, Kruger National Park

Spotted leopard, Kruger NP, South Africa. This was probably my favorite sighting in Africa last year.

I was really hoping to see a leopard in a tree and toward the end of our week in Kruger, my wish came true. We watched this beautiful cat as it napped in the branches and then stealthily descended the tree to stalk an impala.

I still have a lot of images and videos to edit through, so stay tuned for more...

Cheers!

Colin

 

"Seasons of the Eagle River Nature Center" 2025 Calendar Preorder Special

Happy New Year, everyone!

2023 was a monumental year that, among other things, included the release of my first book, "Seasons of the Nature Center." I am happy to report that I have now sold over 900 copies - more than half of my stock. Considering they just arrived in June, that is a remarkable pace! Signed copies are still available in my online store: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store

I also produced a 2024 calendar, which sold out (500 copies) by the first week in October. Based on that success, I am happy to announce my "Seasons of the Eagle River Nature Center" 2025 Calendar with a sneak peek at the cover below (photo taken during a strong geomagnetic storm last April). I will be printing 1,000 calendars this time, once again all signed and numbered and priced at $18.

The calendars should be delivered by July 2024, and I am currently offering a preorder special of two calendars for $30 + $5 shipping or local pickup/no shipping. They will be numbered in the order that the preorders are received. In other words, the first person to order today will get #'s 1 & 2, and so forth. Who will get the first calendars??? The link is live, you can reserve your copies today: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store/two-2025-seasons-of-the-eagle-river-nature-center-calendars-signed-numbered

Thank you for following, and all the best for 2024 and beyond!

Colin

 

Male Lion, Kruger National Park

Male lion, Kruger National Park, South Africa. This was taken our first day in the park. It was late afternoon and the grass was blowing in the breeze, as was his mane.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday with family and friends.

I would like to send a big thank you Odd Man Rush Brewing in Eagle River for hosting my final book signing of the year last Friday. It was a very successful night, after a couple big days for orders following the book review in Anchorage Daily News last week. Click here to read ADN’s review.

I am still taking orders for signed copies of my book, "Seasons of the Nature Center," on my site. As of now, well over half have been sold: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store

Thank you for following and all the best for 2024 and beyond!

Colin

 

Happy Winter Solstice, 2023

Happy Winter Solstice to all of you in the Northern Hemisphere!
(Photo taken at the Eagle River Nature Center's annual Solstice Ice Lantern Walk last Friday)

I truly love this time of year - the snow, the peace, the low angle light, and the rest...

It is also my day to reset, let go, and welcome the year ahead. This is my New Year, and I look forward to ringing it in and honoring the returning light with my tradition of completing 108 sun salutations at Namaste North Yoga Studio in Anchorage.

Have a great day, however you may choose to honor the shift in light and seasons.

Namaste 🙏

Colin

PS - I have one last book signing of the year at Odd Man Rush Brewing in Eagle River tomorrow, (12/22) from 5-8 pm. Please stop by, grab a local brew and get a signed copy of "Seasons of the Nature Center"