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Coho Count III
Total salmon for 3 days: 10 coho and 1 chum. M 2 coho, C 8 coho and one chum. Running total for 5 trips this summer is 2 sockeye, 33 coho, 9 chum and at least 10 pink. We released most of these fish, but enjoyed eating or giving away others. Sept 8 – Sheep…
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Perky Pikas
I worked hard to see my first pika back in July. The two this week were much more cooperative! I was even able to quietly run get C who was looking for sheep, come back, and watch one who was still busily harvesting and eating vegetation. These little rabbit relatives are so cute as they…
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Alaska Sealife Center
While in Seward last week I managed to go to the Sealife Center three times. I especially liked the bird habitat where the birds are used to people and let you get really close. After months of trying to identify unfamiliar birds that won’t sit still, I greatly enjoyed this exhibit. If I lived…
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Termination Dust, Weather, Week 25 in Healy
Yesterday and today we had a dusting of snow at elevation. Summer is over! Low of 39 degrees and high of 58 (we hear Virginia is sweltering at 98). Saturday was a rare sunny day so we went into the park. Hard to believe we only have a few weeks left before we start the…
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Coho Count II
C and I caught 12 coho salmon over a 9 day outing. I caught 2 coho (both on the last day!). C caught 10 coho, releasing 2. It rained 7 of 9 days, sometimes raining very hard. Those 2 days without rain were marvelous! August 22 – half day of fishing at Sheep Creek Slough. …
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Sea Otters in Seward
This evening I watched 2 sea otters for awhile. C pointed out the first one while we were walking. Then he headed further down the beach to fish for salmon. It is drizzling, a great improvement on the driving rain we have been getting off and on the past 3 days. If it had rained…
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Sandhill Crane Festival
I spent much of the day at the Sandhill Crane Festival in Fairbanks (while C was working). First I spent several fascinating hours at the Alaska Songbird Institute’s (ASI) bird banding station during a busy morning of banding around 60 wild birds. The birds are caught in mist nets, then gently banded, measured and released.…
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Long Weekend with Coho Count
Salmon: 11 coho, 5 pink, 1 chum Rain: 6 out of 6 days (never all day) Foraging: red raspberries, highbush cranberries, sea lettuce seaweed Glaciers: Lots! (At a distance) August 10 Melissa worked in a.m. then we drove south to Montana Creek. Lots of pinks and chum, not many coho though we saw someone catch…
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Summer Washstation at our Dry Cabin
The lack of running water gets to be normal after awhile, just a bit inconvenient. I remember being frustrated trying to find practical steps on how to live without plumbing. The main tip is to use less water which with practice won’t be as hard as you think. But in the summer I can splurge…
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Wildfires, Week 21 in Healy
July 24 to 26 Alaska had thousands of ground lightening strikes which started many fires, including some just north of Healy (Anderson area) and around Fairbanks. C and his helicopter have been busy! Below are his photos showing what they did to protect some infrastructure one day. The windy conditions were lousy for a back…
Me & C
Roaming: Shenandoah River to the Alaska Range
Me & C 