Tag: wildlife photography

A herd of caribou stands on an ice shelf, staring directly at the viewer. On a rise in the midground stands a lone bull with massive antlers, silhouetted against the distand blue mountains.

Caribou Kingdom: The Magic of Migration in The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

August 1, 2024

I crawled from my tent and stared at the ice wall along the northern horizon. It looked like something from a fantasy novel, the bulwark of some legendary polar kingdom. No escalade could scale these battlements: the shimmering bastion was a superior mirage, reflected from the Beaufort Sea eleven miles away. And this was no … More Caribou Kingdom: The Magic of Migration in The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Aialik Glacier rises in a sheer wall of craggy blue and white ice. Tiny kayaks bob in the middle ground.

Kayaking Aialik Glacier, Where Geology Mirrors Psychology

June 28, 2024

My Laddie’s mother came to visit us in May, and since she’s fond of kayaking, we took her to Seward for a paddling excursion at Aialik Glacier. I’d watched the weather forecast all week and booked just a few days ahead, choosing the lone sunny spot in the meteorological lineup, It didn’t disappoint. Mountains rose … More Kayaking Aialik Glacier, Where Geology Mirrors Psychology

A silhouetted figure stands atop beach logs on Dungeness Spir. Mt Rainier rises misty blue in the background.

Three Hidden Wildlife Walks Outside Olympic National Park

June 1, 2024

Almost three million visitors flocked to Washington’s Olympic National Park in 2023, but the biome doesn’t stop at the park gates. The surrounding areas offer many lesser-known gems. On our recent trip to the Olympic Peninsula, my Laddie and I explored three local sanctuaries full of wonderful wildlife (and unlike many of the popular hikes, … More Three Hidden Wildlife Walks Outside Olympic National Park

Vanishing Vagabonds: Crossing Paths With Bohemian Waxwings

February 29, 2024

Too often I forget that Nature is more than a postcard: an exotic destination like jungles, deserts, or coral reefs. It’s not a place we visit, but a realm we inhabit. Environmental phenomena can whisk us on journeys even in the humblest urban landscape. Still we chase the thrill of terra nova, like earlier this … More Vanishing Vagabonds: Crossing Paths With Bohemian Waxwings

A Common Redpoll bird pops up from a snowbank, its red cap vibrant against the white snow. Several flakes fly up around its speckled breast.

Bird Joy: Science warms to the idea that birds play in the snow

January 25, 2024

After researching how climate change threatens snowy Arctic biomes, I’ve been spending as much time as I can outdoors in the Alaskan winter. A recent 20-Fahrenheit afternoon felt warm after December’s negative temperatures. My neighborhood stream, artificially heated for utility purposes, burbled along with less ice than usual encrusting its rocks and reeds. Birds took … More Bird Joy: Science warms to the idea that birds play in the snow

God Save The Queensland, Part I: Destination Daintree

March 26, 2023

This two-part blog post series begins with my first visit to north Queensland in July 2022, and concludes with a second trip to the Gold Coast in March 2023. I stepped out into the winter day and immediately began dripping sweat. “How is this place habitable in summer?” I asked my Laddie, crossing the Woolworths … More God Save The Queensland, Part I: Destination Daintree