[Leica] IMG: Road trip to Alaska

[Doug Herr]

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