[Leica] IMG: Road trip to Alaska

Fri Aug 17 06:50:29 PDT 2018

I'm impressed, too, but I think it's the photographer and not the lens that
impresses me ;-)

Tina

On Fri, Aug 17, 2018 at 9:29 AM, Doug Herr via LUG <lug at leica-users.org>
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
>
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>

-- 
Tina Manley
www.tinamanley.com
tina-manley.artistwebsites.com
http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley
<http://www.alamy.com/stock-photography/3B49552F-90A0-4D0A-A11D-2175C937AA91/Tina+Manley.html>