Category: Wildlife
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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.…
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Wildlife Babies I, Denali National Park
I saw a baby Dall Sheep! My first wildlife baby of the year. I could see it well with the binoculars but didn’t even try for a photo. C saw a moose baby earlier this week. I hope to see a baby caribou this year! On Friday I took the free Park shuttle bus to…
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Wildlife in and near Denali National Park
In 24 hours I saw 3 Moose, 3 Porcupines, 2 Caribou, 2 Dall sheep, and my first Harlequin ducks. We also saw lots of Ptarmigan & at least one Spruce grouse. I like living here. The ducks were strikingly gorgeous hanging out on the thawing river.
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Steese Highway III
We saw a variety of ducks along the Steese, including some gorgeous ones I had never seen before. I think we saw Scaups, Goldeneyes, and maybe Buffleheads. We finally saw some mammals! We worked our way up in size. Red squirrels, a beaver, then a porcupine. I most wanted to see caribou while C most…
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Steese Highway
We spent the weekend traveling the Steese Highway, which brings travelers within 50 miles of the Arctic Circle. Be sure to stop at Chatanika Lodge for a meal (likely a great place to spend the night too). It is a quirky & fascinating Alaskan backwoods “museum” that you can explore while waiting for your delicious…
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Pinecone Middens, Insects: Week 8 in Healy
The melting snow has revealed several pinecone middens assembled by the resident red squirrel. Also insects are coming out. I find it strange but joyous to see butterflies when there is still so much snow around. Not nearly as happy to see other insects!
Me & C 