Archive for the ‘Birds’ Category
Photos of birds, bald eagles, tundra swans, hawks, waterfowl, wading birds and more.
Saturday, November 28th, 2009
Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) soaring against the mountains of Kachemak Bay State Park, sunset, Homer, Alaska. Click on the image for a larger version.
Hey Folks,
Few creatures express the wild quite like a soaring bald eagle does.
This photo is presented as a memorial to the late Jean Keene, good friend and a dear lady, from Homer, Alaska. Jean’s love for the eagles gave bird lovers, wildlife lovers and photographers from all around the world a lifetime of amazing opportunity, but more than that she showed by example how to care about the creatures with whom we share the earth.
Thank you Jean – may you Rest in Peace.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: alpenglow, Bald eagles, Birds, eagles, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Homer, Kachemak Bay, Mountains, soaring, sunset
Posted in Alaska, Birds, Musings, Wildlife | 3 Comments »
Friday, March 20th, 2009
Hey folks,
Here’s a Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), year-round Alaska resident, perched on a small spruce tree. There’s not a lot of birds in the great north woods this time of year, so it’s always a treat when they stop by. I’ll try to get a photo of his close cousin, the Boreal Chickadee – so far, no luck.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Alaska, Birds, Black-capped Chickadee, Wildlife, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park, Wrangell St. Elias
Posted in Alaska, Birds, Wildlife, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | No Comments »
Friday, February 13th, 2009
Pine Grosbeak Photo.
[display_podcast]
Hey Folks,
I was listening to this tune the other day, and this little intro just HAD to go with this image. So, here it is.
Sorry for the delay in posts, again. I came in to Anchorage for a few days, and have been sitting, faithfully, at my computer trying to make it start. It locked up during an update, apparently, and then I couldn’t get it to start. I managed to back up most of the data on it, though it took forever. I thought the HD was fried, but it appears no problems there. I’m still working on getting all the programs back up, etc, and it’s taking way too long. I’m about sick of this computer business – I’m ready to head back to the safety of the woods. I’ll take 40-50 below zero temperatures over technology problems anyday. This stuff is too much hassle.
I did manage to take a few bird photos in the park before I came back out. They’re tricky little critters to shoot, but lots of fun. This male Pine Grosbeak was pretty cool, and I managed to get a few images. They’re named a ‘pine’ Grosbeak because they do so love the pine or coniferous forests (I spose Coniferous Grosbeak doesn’t sound so cool a name). Technically, they’re not a true Grosbeak, but a large Finch. The scientific name for the bird is Pinicola enucleator, which is pretty fancy. ‘Pinicola’ translates as ‘pine dweller’. They’re one of the few birds who winter this far north .. all the smarter ones fly south to warmer climes.
For folks such as my father, you have to click the “play” button located directly under the photo to hear the track that goes with this photo. For folks a little more hip than my dad, you get a prize if you know who the author of the track is; composer, track title, and album, please. No googling allowed.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Birds, Pine Grosbeak, Wildlife, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park
Posted in Alaska, Birds, Wildlife, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 8 Comments »
Monday, December 15th, 2008
Hey Folks,
Owls rock!
Here’s a Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) taking flight from its perch on the top of a white spruce tree. These owls seem to be much more tolerant of my presence than their larger cousins, the Great Horned Owl. They’re also much more active during the daytime. Northern Hawk Owls tend to live in the boreal forests of the north, but do move south in leaner years when food is scarce. This year it looks like a bumper year for owls up here, so I doubt many of them will head south. Hopefully, that means I’ll get some photos. 
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Alaska, Birds, Northern Hawk Owl, owls, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park
Posted in Alaska, Birds, Wildlife, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 4 Comments »
Monday, December 8th, 2008
Hey Folks,
Here’s a 3-toed woodpecker (three-toed woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis) from Wrangell – St. Elias National Park.
Welcome back, albeit briefly. I’m going to spend the next couple of months recharging a bit, and breaking from the net and blogging and writing and reading and blah, blah, blah. A little quiet time will do me good, I think. Hopefully during that time I’ll pick up some new images and also try to come up with some ideas to write about that will make the blog a little more interesting. We’ll see how that goes.
I’ll try to make a post or 2 along the way. In the meantime, you folks be careful out there.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: 3-toed woodpecker, Birds, three-toed woodpecker, woodpeckers, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park
Posted in Alaska, Birds, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 7 Comments »
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
Hey Folks,
Just as a head’s up – unfortunately, my posting here is about to slow down considerably. I, apparently, have a great deal of work to catch up on. And I was hoping, if things worked out well, I’d have some good internet time in the next few months .. but that appears to be unlikely now. I’ll try to keep posting here as possible, it’ll be a little slower for a while, I think. Bummer, eh?
In moving along with my ‘showing some older, pre-blog-photo-era images, I thought I’d post a bald eagle image. This is from the winter of 2002. (more…)
Posted in Alaska, Birds, Wildlife | 1 Comment »
Thursday, October 9th, 2008
hey Folks,
Here’s a male spruce grouse that I photographed a week or so ago. These birds are SO cool, and will completely bury themselves under the snow in the winter, blasting up from their hides in a frenzied eruption of snow, feathers and noise when you stroll by – and scaring the hiker immeasurably in the process.
I’ve not had any luck with photographing grouse in the park before, though I have photos from other places, so this one I was glad to catch.
Male spruce grouse, Wrangell – St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
Cheers
Carl
Posted in Alaska, Birds, Fall, Wildlife, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
Hey Folks,
Here’s a Pectoral sandpiper photo, taken on our recent trip to ANWR, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. The shorebirds out on the coastal plain were really a treat – we were so lucky to see a number of cool birds. I’ll try to write a thorough report when I get time. In the meantime, dig this.
Cheers
Carl
PS – I edited this after the great biologist Milo Burcham pointed out the error of my initial post, which said the bird is a buff-breasted sandpiper – Milo, of course, is correct, and I, of course, was wrong – the bird is a pectoral sandpiper. Thanks Milo.
Posted in Alaska, ANWR, Birds, Environmental Issues, News, Travel, Wildlife | 5 Comments »
Sunday, August 3rd, 2008
Hey Folks,
Here’s a Pacific Loon image I got late one evening near the Canning River, on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, Alaska. This photo took me quite a while, and a lot of walking, to swing. I think it was nearly 2am when I clicked the shutter here. I’d been over near this pond earlier, but not able to get close. I ended up walking around for a long time, finding a few other birds to photograph, and then cam back by the loon pond. This loon and its mate were getting more and more comfortable with this strange tripod-toting creature wandering around, and finally came close enough for me to manage a few photos. I wish the light was a little brighter, and the wind not present, as the rippled effect on the water isn’t as nice as a calmer surface, but one takes what one can in the arctic. At least the wind kept the bugs at bay.
Section 1002, the coastal plain, of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the area hotly debated over with the proposals to drill for oil. I think the wildlife that live there, will be much better off if drilling and gas extraction aren’t allowed; I think we’ll be better off for it, too.
Cheers
Carl
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, ANWR, Birds, Environmental Issues, Rafting, Travel, Wildlife | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
hey Folks,
I just got back in from a long and really cool trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – awesome place! This is a photo of a Long-tailed Jaeger, sitting on a small mound on the coastal plain, taken around 1:00am; gotta love that summer arctic thing!
I’ve got about a million things to do, so this is just a quick short post – but do stay tuned. I have some ground-breaking stuff here, new, never before taken photos from the Refuge, and some discussion that will likely amaze a number of readers – the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a topical place right now, with the oil prices, and all, and I’m sure you’ll find some of my findings very interesting, maybe a little disturbing (or disturbed), and even surprising.
Cheers
Carl
Posted in Alaska, ANWR, Birds, Wildlife | 4 Comments »
