Spending Time With the Neighbors...

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Yesterday I spent some quality time with this female moose and her calf!

She was browsing the crabapple trees in our neighborhood. 

I'm sure she was feeling the effects of all the fermented apples,

because I was able to get really close to her.  No need for a

zoom lens, just a car and a window did the trick.

I felt pretty safe in my car and she seemed more interested

in eating fermented apples.

She gave me a quick look when I took this photo, checked on

her calf and then went on with whats really important…

food!!!

37 Degree Heat Wave

It actually reached 40 degrees in Cooper Landing this week.  Pretty amazing 

temperatures for this time of the year.  The average is 15 degrees, so I'm loving

every minute!   Hope your all having a nice winter....

Color in December

Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

I can't believe it's already December, 

my time fly's!!!  

I went out in search of some color this weekend…

I'm always amazed at my finds…

Even with snow, tiny pops of leftover fall foliage  

brought a smile to my face!!!  

I hope you enjoy it, as much as I did!

Finally a New Post!!!

It's been a long time since I last posted on my blog…

My days are filled with work and any spare moments I have

I try to spend photographing the beauty of nature.

Hope this post finds you all well.

I will try to check in more often!

Until next time stay safe!

Busy Bees!!

We are having the most amazing summer

and the bees are taking full

advantage of it!

This one is working my Lambs Ear plant.

I love all the texture.

Enjoy!

Yellow Warbler

These sweet little yellow birds are only about five

inches long.  They also don't sit still very well.

I think I must have taken 50 photos of him

before I finally got one semi ok photo.

It's hard to believe Alaska has such a cute

yellow bird in the summertime.

A Great Day for Chasing Butterflies!

Wow, it was 90 degrees today in my garden!

What a magnificent summer we are having.

Butterflies were busy drinking nectar from all the flowers, 

and the birds where panting from all the heat.

This is a summer to remember!!!

The Amazing Spider House!

I love how diverse nature is, and I love how I never tire

of searching for more of its tiny hidden treasures.

I think this spider house is a perfect example.

It's not only beautiful, but also very interesting to look at.

To me it almost looks like a little boat, and if you look closely

you can see the entry/exit of this smartly designed house.

I love the way the spider manipulated the leaf around to suit

its final purpose.  The spider is snug inside his humble abode and is

ready to ride out anything the weather brings him. 

It can be cool inside if it's hot out, dry inside if it's wet, and warm

if the temperature drops. 

It truly is a perfect house!!!

My photo doesn't show the spider, but if you look you can see his

dark shadow next to the entry door.

Green Spring Reflections

I took this photo earlier this spring...I love all the different

soft green shades.

Enjoy  :o)

Coyote Encounter....

This is another view of the Coyote I saw the other day.  

He stopped briefly to look at me.  I wonder if I was the

first human he had ever seen.  We gazed at each

other in silence...it was a very good moment.

Rainy Day Jewels....

A sad goodbye to all our warm weather, we are back to a daily dose of rain.

I'm missing the warmth of those beautiful 80 degree days!!

However....the rain has its own beauty!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!!!

Baby Black-capped Chickadee

This is a cute little baby Chickadee.  These little birds make their

home year round in Alaska.  They are one of the few 

songbirds that stay and endure our cold winters.

This little baby was very nervous of me taking its picture

and flew off only moments after I took its photo. 

Capitate Lousewort

These small growing flowers are currently blooming at higher elevations.

They can also be found on the tundra and in Denali Park.

Such elegant little flowers, with such a non elegant name! 

:o)

Golden-crowned Sparrow

I spotted this beautiful little sparrow on a hike the other day, it's a 

breath of fresh air after our long dark winter months.

I love their simple three note descending whistle in the springtime!

This little guy was still collecting nesting material.  I guess their nesting

season is from early spring to August.  Seems rather late for a bird nesting

in Alaska, but I'm sure they know what their doing!  :o)

Coyote Sighting

I spotted this Coyote the other day making its way along the roadside.

I have seen several searching in ditches for roadside kills.

I was amazed that this one didn't make the usual mad dash into the woods which is

usually the case.  

Twinflowers....

These tiny little flowers belong in a fairy landscape.

They grow on runners and are really low to the ground, so taking 

a photo means you have to get down low to your subjects.

There is no exception to that rule...enjoy!

Damelsflys!!!

I'm just learning how to identify dragonflies, but

I am pretty sure this is a Common Blue Damselfly and not

an Azure.  Whichever dragonfly it is, I am grateful for them

because they have an appetite for mosquitoes!!!

And these year we have more than our share!!!

Baby Stellar Jay

I love that face!!!

Cotton-Grass

Alaskan Cotton-grass or Cottonsedge.  These are perennial plants with 

slender, grass-like leaves.  The seed heads are covered in a fluffy mass of cotton 

which also serves as "down".  This helps elevate the temperature of the 

reproductive organs by trapping solar radiation....

Nature is so neat!!!

Tree Swallow

I love this bird!!!   This is a Tree Swallow,  

they average about 5 inches long and they weigh 

about 20 grams.  The males have beautiful iridescent blue-green 

backs and white underparts.

Enjoy!

Loon

Loons are such beautiful creatures.  I was lucky 

enough to get a photo of this one....enjoy!

Baby Birds Are Everywhere!!!

The Canadian Geese have chicks now and so do almost all

the other birds.  I think this warm weather has helped

the hatching process.  This little chick was in a group of about

eighteen.  They steal your heart right away when you see them.

This chick is only several days old at most.

Enjoy!!!!

Baby Arctic Tern

I didn't know it, but this chick was right at my feet.  I could have reached

out and picked it up.  It was such a wonderful day I decided to sit on a inviting  rock out by Potter's

Marsh that was vacant.  It was the perfect spot to observe all the dragonfly's buzzing around.

It was very peaceful for about 15 minutes when all of a sudden an Arctic 

Tern decided he wanted to feed me a caterpillar.   After several dive

bombings I decided a quick exit was in order.  That's when this little guy

jumped up on the rock I was sitting on.   I had no idea....bad little pair of 

parents to leave their chick unattended!!!!

Canadian Goose

This Canadian Goose and I had a heart to heart talk. I

was honored to get so close to her. 

She had so much soul in her eyes, I wonder what she

was thinking.  When animals let me get close to them

I try to give them their space.  She seemed as

curious about me as I was of her.

It was a very good day!

:o)

Arctic Tern

This little Arctic Tern let me get really close to him.  I 

think he was trying to cool off on his perch.  We both

eyed each other for about 15 minutes and then I left

him alone to revel in his breeze.  

Wild Alaskan Strawberry Flowers

I found a wonderful patch of wild strawberry flowers 

today.  It was so exciting to see so many flowers in bloom!

It's going to make for a wonderful harvest in the fall!!

Portage Valley...

Portage Valley is beautiful anytime of the year.

I took this photo about three weeks in the evening.

I am sure a lot of the snow is now gone.  We have been

blessed with warm weather lately...

Unheard of warm days in the 70's & even into the 80's!

Turnagain Pass

It's springtime in the pass right now and all the yellow

meadow flowers are blooming!!!

I'm loving our warm weather right now!!!!

Spring Violets

I was amazed to find so many little violets along the Seward Highway.

Hundreds of little clumps everywhere.

All these years and I never spotted them before!!

My Love For Chickens!

This is a photo of one of my sister-in-laws chickens.  She has

a small flock of free range chickens in her yard.

I was in heaven taking photos of them.

I can't remember the name of this particular breed,  but he impressed

me with his fluffy cheek feathers!

Deer Sighting in Montana

While on a recent trip to Montana, I had several deer sightings.  

We have deer in Alaska, but not in my area.  

I loved seeing them!!!

Clematis Flower

While traveling through Idaho, Montana, Oregon, & Washington,

I was lucky enough to see several of these beautiful flowers!

I can't wait till mine starts blooming!!!

Male Red-breasted Merganser

I love this birds hairstyle.  For some reason

he reminds me of the Woody Woodpecker 

cartoon character.

Beautiful duck!

A Very Tired Canadian Goose...

A single Canadian Goose on the shores of Kenai Lake.  This goose 

was very tired and was resting and warming itself up on the 

shoreline rocks.  I saw this goose feeding on young green 

shoots throughout the day.  I'm thinking it couldn't 

keep up with the rest of its flock.  I really hope  it

was able to join up with a group passing through the 

valley.  I sat with this goose for a little while 

and kept it company.

Yellowlegs Shorebird

A Yellowlegs shorebird....

This bird was busy trying to divert my attention away from his

mate.  He did a very good job.

Lichen Bliss

I love taking photos of lichen!!!  

I love it's beauty!!!

Enjoy!

Red-necked Grebe

I took a walk on a rainy day down by the Lagoon this last sunday,

and was lucky enough to spot this Red-necked Grebe.  

He was a really great little diver.

He was busy catching little minnows when I spotted him.

Goodbye Winter Coats!!

I'm excited to get rid of my winter coat for a couple of months, so 

I'm thinking this Alaskan Hare has the same thoughts as we head

toward warmer weather!!!  

Most of the rabbits that I have seen have already lost their winter

coats, but this bunny seems to be hanging on to his.

He looks rather elegant with his mismatched coat!  :o)

Pine Siskin

This little Pine Siskin came to my deck looking for 

free handouts, but none were available.

Springtime and birdseed = bear visitors, so the seed buffet will be closed till fall.

Red Breasted Mergansers....

These Mergansers are such a beautiful pair.  I had to sneak up on them to capture this photo.

Someday I might invest in a bigger lens, but then again that might

spoil all the fun of trying to capture a photo.

I'm sure they were wondering why I was hiding behind a boat dock!!

The male was always between me and the female protecting her.  

The lake still had a lot of ice so flying away was not their best option.

These are beautiful diving ducks.  They feed on fish, (fry, minnows, herring)

and occasionally shrimp or crabs.  They usually dive for food, hunting on lakes and rivers,

in coastal bays and a sea.  These two were on Kenai Lake.

Alaskan Pussy Willows

Springtime always has me searching for pussy willows, especially

those that look like they could be part of a firework display.

When the days are warm enough for the bees to fly from their hives, then 

these wonderful burst of color and pollen greet them.

Happy Spring and Mother's Day everyone!

Male Northern Shoveler

This is a photo of a male Northern Shoveler.   I guess they are a pretty

common duck and are listed as a dabbler.  They feed by dabbling for

plant food, swinging their bills from side to side and straining the food from the water.

They use their highly specialized bill to forage for aquatic invertebrates -  a carnivorous diet.  They have small, comb-like structures on the edge of their bill that act like sieves.  This allows them to skim crustaceans and plankton from the water's surface.  I love their bills!!  

Arctic Tern

This small little bird, the Arctic Tern is well know for its long

yearly migration.   Its travel from its Arctic breeding grounds to its wintering 

grounds off of Antarctic may cover as much as 25,000 miles.  This is the farthest yearly journey of

any migratory bird.  Pretty impressive!!!  These little guys can live up

to 35 years.  I spotted them this last Thursday, such a welcome site!!!

Snow Goose

These geese were so much fun to watch this spring as they 

stopped to rest out at Potters Marsh.

I've never seen them out there before, so it was a treat to see them.  

I think I have over 500 photos of them.  

I might share a few more throughout the year.

The First Flowers of the Season!!!!

It's always exciting to see our first set of flowers!!!

These tulips are thriving in their warm south facing bed.

Those little things in life can be the most rewarding, and

these spring flowers are one of those little things!!!

Oregon Sunset....

Spent the weekend in Oregon...

I stopped to take this photo on an overlook up on Bald Ridge Mountain right

as the sun was setting...beautiful!!

Dall Sheep

I took this photo in March out on the Seward Highway, so there is still a lot

of snow on the ground.  I'm so glad we don't have a lot of snow laying about anymore.

I sat and watched this sheep and a group of others for about a hour or

so.  Wonderful to be able to sit so close to them without them 

running off.

The Melting Process...

Spring is taking its time this year, but slowly

it's taking a hold on the snow.

These fish bones from last fall decided it was time to surface

from their snowy winter home.

Natures Heart Shapes

This neat heart appeared on a sunny day last weekend.

Enjoy!!!