Category: Alaska Wildlife
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Potholes and Mosquitoes, Week 15 in Healy
Alaska is not all sunshine, rainbows and wildlife. At times the wildlife hides. There are a lot of potholes and frost heaves on Alaska roads. And there are even more mosquitoes than potholes. If we had caught even one fish last weekend this post might have a different title. When C found out at 9:30…
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Utqiagvik, Part 4
We didn’t see any live whales due to the ice. Once it melts they see bowhead, grey, orca and beluga whales. Residents showed us photos they had taken on their phones, some right from town. The pressure ridges in the ice grew during our 47 hours in town. The “pyramid” in the photo is just…
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Utqiagvik, Part 2 Polar Bears
We hoped we would see polar bears, but knew it was unlikely. They are occasionally seen near town, but if they get close are hazed aggressively to give them a healthy fear of town. By midnight before our flight out we had tried twice to get a ride to Point Barrow, learning that the road…
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Utqiagvik, Part 1
We walked on water. The Arctic Ocean is still frozen at the coast here at Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) though this section thaws every summer. This community and area is unique and wonderful. The majority of the population is Inupiat with a deep tradition of whaling and of demanding their self-determination as a people and community.…
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Fox and Grizzlies, Week 13 in Healy
June 12 we saw this gorgeous fox on Stampede Road. Then on June 14 I watched a mother grizzly bear and her year old cub from the Park Road. Whenever they sat or stood up I enjoyed seeing them at a distance as they rolled around, interacted, and watched a raven. Mostly they laid down…
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Wildlife Babies III, Denali National Park
When I went back past the Park bus depot nearly 2 hours later no moose were visible. When C left work at 6:30, there were moose in the same general area.
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Adorable Porcupine, Week 12 in Healy
This adorable guy in Denali National Park had our vote for highlight of the day. Until we decided to drive out Stampede Road as well. Then this cooperative caribou with impressive antlers became the highlight of the day. It is early June and those antlers will keep growing for months! The scenery behind him is…
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Moose Crossing Lake
We had zero success fishing at Otto Lake this evening. We headed to the nearby lake in a cold drizzle. For the first few hours it stayed overcast and drizzled. We didn’t get a single bite. We saw lots of birds & 2 moose at a distance which was neat. Then the sun came out,…
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Wildlife Babies II, Denali National Park
I saw tiny twin moose calves today! A first for this year. Today’s mother moose did NOT want her babies out in the open. So the above photo is from last year with a less cautious mother. This mom wanted a drink, but kept coming back whenever her calves tried to leave cover to follow…
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Spring Foraging, Week 11 in Healy
Fireweed & rose shoots have finally brought some freshly harvested greens to my diet. I also added some variety to my berries today. The bog cranberries taste similar to lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea, lowbush cranberry). Both overwintered well & are very juicy despite being around 7 months old. My tastiest find was a few dried blueberries.…
Me & C 