Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2018/08/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]WOW!? A very successful trip, I must say.? Thanks for sharing these wonderful images. Jim Nichols Tullahoma, TN USA On 8/17/2018 8:29 AM, Doug Herr via LUG wrote: > I've spent the last month on the road to visit Denali National Park and to > refresh friendships. A couple things were reinforced for me on this trip: > > (1) the hospitality of Alaskans is awesome > > and (2) pay attention to the boring critters. At the Savage River I > noticed some Mew Gulls > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/laridae/larus/megull00.html > > who were quite agitated about something they'd seen. Following the gulls > to a cut bank behind the Park Service restrooms at the river, a fox > trotted out of the brush, down the bank, and sat his (?) butt down not 20' > from where I was standing. I managed a couple of quick photos, but from my > standing position the background behind the fox was gravel so I sat down > and got as low as I could to get some greenery behind the fox: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/canidae/vulpes/refox01.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/canidae/vulpes/refox02.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/canidae/vulpes/refox03.html > > Earlier the same day while traveling from Fairbanks to Denali I spotted a > Northern Hawk Owl on top of a dead spruce tree (burned some years ago as I > understand it) but by the time I was able to pull over I'd stopped the > truck about 100 yards from the owl. After a few frantic minutes putting > the camera equipment together I walked toward the owl taking photos every > few yards just so I'd have something to show for my efforts. As you might > expect the bird flew before I'd gotten the pictures I wanted - and it > landed in another dead spruce tree almost next to the truck! After > walking back to the truck I had to wait a few minutes before the bird > deigned to glance in my direction: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/strigidae/surnia/nhowl01.html > > At Savage Rock (adjacent to the Savage River trailhead) was a Collared > Pika. From the summers I'd spent in the area many years ago I'd known of > this species in a less-accessible location in the park so it was a > pleasant surprise to find this critter at Savage Rock: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/ochotonidae/copika00.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/ochotonidae/copika01.html > > 2018 has been a good year for Snowshoe Hares: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/leporidae/lepus/snhare01.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/leporidae/lepus/snhare02.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/leporidae/lepus/snhare03.html > > On the ridge above the Eielson visitor center was the home of a couple of > Hoary Marmots, a large rodent in the squirrel family similar to the more > southern Yellow-bellied Marmot and the Groundhog of the east: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/sciuridae/marmota/homarm02.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/sciuridae/marmota/homarm03.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/sciuridae/marmota/homarm04.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/sciuridae/marmota/homarm05.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/sciuridae/marmota/homarm06.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/sciuridae/marmota/homarm07.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/sciuridae/marmota/homarm08.html > > Moose are surprisingly adept at hiding in the brush but they're more > active at dusk: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/cervidae/alces/moose01.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/cervidae/alces/moose02.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/cervidae/alces/moose03.html > > Caribou prefer less-forested areas than moose do: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/cervidae/rangifer/caribou01.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/cervidae/rangifer/caribou02.html > > Willow Ptarmigan is the state bird: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/phasianidae/lagopus/wiptar02.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/phasianidae/lagopus/wiptar03.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/phasianidae/lagopus/wiptar04.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/phasianidae/lagopus/wiptar05.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/phasianidae/lagopus/wiptar06.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/phasianidae/lagopus/wiptar07.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/phasianidae/lagopus/wiptar08.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/phasianidae/lagopus/wiptar09.html > > Along the Denali Highway between Cantwell and Paxson is spectacular > scenery, many good hiking trails and more animals: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/charadriidae/pluvialis/agplov00.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/clangula/ltduck01.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/haliaeetus/baeagl09.html > > A few random Alaskan critters: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/picoides/hawood02.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/sciuridae/spermophilus/agsqui04.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/corvidae/pica/bbmagp03.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/sciuridae/tamiasciurus/resqui00.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/pandionidae/osprey02.html > > On the return trip I passed through British Columbia's Muncho Lake > Provincial Park where I spotted Stone's Sheep, a subspecies of Dall's > Sheep: > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/bovidae/ovis/stshee00.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/bovidae/ovis/stshee01.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/bovidae/ovis/stshee02.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/bovidae/ovis/stshee03.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/bovidae/ovis/stshee04.html > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/bovidae/ovis/stshee05.html > > All photos: Sony a7rII > Northern Hawk Owl: Canon FD 500mm f/4.5 L > all other photos: Sony FE 100-400 GM > > I was so impressed with the performance of the Sony 100-400 lens that I > used it for nearly all of my photos. Almost everything else is now for > sale, the Canon FD 500, the FD 35mm T/S, the Leica 60 Macro and, dare I > say it, a backup 280 APO. > > There's more but this is plenty for now. As usual all comments are > welcome and please feel free to share with anyone who may be interested. > > > Doug Herr > Birdman of Sacramento > http://www.wildlightphoto.com > http://doug-herr.fineartamerica.com > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >