Tag: Ptarmigan

• Alaska with Friends

  

  Friends came to Alaska for 7 full days, and we traveled together 6 of those days.  They had a good “highlights” adventure, with 3 days at Denali National Park, one night boondocking along the Parks Highway,  one night at Russian River, one night in Seward, and one night at Portage Glacier. Their wishlist was wildlife viewing (including…

  Melissa Rudacille

  July 11, 2025

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, Birds, Camping in Alaska, Fishing in Alaska, travel, Wildlife

  Alaska Wildlife, Caribou, Denali, Denali National Park, fishing, glacier, Grizzly Bear, moose photos, Porpoises, Ptarmigan, Russian River, Teklanika Campground, Whittier

• Tracks in the Snow

  

  We have a new friend this year.  It’s nice to watch a snowshoe hare hop about first thing in the morning while one relieves oneself in the privy. This morning it was snowing when I got up and the dusting of fresh snow added interest to the tracks on my walk. Notice the fresh snow…

  Melissa Rudacille

  April 18, 2025

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, Birds, dry cabin, Life in Alaska, Wildlife

  Alaska weather, Alaska Wildlife, Bird Watching, Denali National Park, Ptarmigan, raised footprints in snow

• Day 14 Travel to Alaska Spring 2025

  

  We started the day on the Alaska  Marine Highway,  then drove the Haines Highway until it intersected with the Alaska (Alcan) Highway, continuing from Haines Junction to Kluane Lake.   We drove just over 200 miles after getting off the ferry, staying at one of our favorite places, Talbot Arm Motel in Destruction Bay,  Yukon. We…

  Melissa Rudacille

  April 14, 2025

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, Birds, travel, Travel to and from Alaska, Wildlife

  alaska, Alaska Ferry, Alaska Marine Highway, Alaska weather, Alcan Highway, Bird Watching, Haines Highway, Ptarmigan, spring road trip, travel

• Dalton Highway, Part I

  

  We had 4 wonderful (and tiring) days on the Dalton Highway.  We drove well north of the Arctic Circle on a quest to see wild Musk Ox.  Our trip deserves at least 3 posts, one on the animals,  one on the mountains and geography,  and one on time, distance, and sunlight.   As expected, we didn’t…

  Melissa Rudacille

  June 5, 2024

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, Birds, Camping in Alaska, Wildlife

  alaska, Alaska Wildlife, Arctic, Bird Watching, Caribou, Dalton Highway, Owls, Ptarmigan, Wolf, Yukon River

• Alaska Big Five on May 5, 2024

  

  We began our drive to Teklanika at 6 am, hoping to see wildlife. The day surpassed all expectations! The only easy wildlife siting was our first view of the large grizzly bear walking right down the road.  We stopped and turned off the car, and he just kept getting closer and closer!  About the time we…

  Melissa Rudacille

  May 5, 2024

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, Birds, Wildlife

  alaska, Alaska Wildlife, Caribou, Denali National Park, Grizzly Bear, Ptarmigan, Teklanika River, Wolf

• Denali, Susitna River, and Fairbanks

  

  While it is warming up fast, much of interior Alaska’s infrastructure is closed for another month or more.  The George Parks Highway is open pavement, but most rest areas and overlooks to the side of the road haven’t been cleared.  Many people before us had trudged thru the snow to this viewpoint of the Alaska…

  Melissa Rudacille

  May 3, 2024

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, Birds, When to travel to Alaska

  alaska, Alaska Wildlife, Bird Watching, break-up, Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, Denali, Denali Highway, Denali National Park, Migration, moose photos, Ptarmigan, Trumpeter Swans

• Denali and Wildlife,  Healy Week One 2024

  

  We have been back in Healy one week and have gone into Denali as far as Mountain Vista 3 times.  We saw The Mountain (and lots of beautiful lesser mountains).  Yesterday we watched a mostly white Ptarmigan walk along a gravel bar, and saw a moose grazing then lie down.   Today we saw fresh tracks…

  Melissa Rudacille

  April 20, 2024

  Alaska Wildlife, Birds, Life in Alaska, Wildlife

  Alaska Wildlife, Bird Watching, Denali, Denali National Park, healy, Ptarmigan

• Wildlife Count, 3 Nights at Teklanika Campground

  On our drive to Teklanika Campground we saw 11 Ptarmigan dust bathing and getting digestive gravel for their crops.  Mom and Dad work together raising the 9 chicks. It was the start of a wonderful 4-day/3-night experience. For the Denali Big Five seen during our 3 night stay: around 50 Dall sheep sitings, 16 Caribou,…

  Melissa Rudacille

  July 24, 2023

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, Camping in Alaska

  Alaska Wildlife, Arctic ground squirrels, Denali National Park, East Fork Transit Bus, Ptarmigan, Teklanika Campground

• Wildlife Babies IV, Week 17 in Healy

  

  On the road near home we saw a Ptarmigan and 5 chicks. We think it was a Ptarmigan as the adult clearly had feathered feet. The mother was not happy to have chicks on both sides of the road. They would run or fly from one side to the other, but didn’t seem interested in…

  Melissa Rudacille

  July 11, 2023

  Alaska Wildlife, Life in Alaska

  Alaska Wildlife, moose photos, Ptarmigan

• Denali Night, Moon and Moose

  

  It was a full moon last night, so we went into the Park when we would usually be getting ready for bed. We heard more Ptarmigan than we saw. C’s Facebook page has a video posted where you can hear them! Once the moon came up, it stayed close to the horizon, appearing to rise…

  Melissa Rudacille

  May 5, 2023

  Alaska Activities, Alaska Wildlife, Life in Alaska

  Denali National Park, moose photos, Moose with white hind legs, nautical twilight, Ptarmigan, Teklanika River