Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Coyote

This handsome fellow is dubbed Wile E. by the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center staff. He was named after the famed coyote that got outwitted by a roadrunner bird, time and time again, in “The Road Runner” cartoons (1940s–1960s). Wile E. lives in the brown bear enclosure at the Center and is normally quite elusive. On the day of our visit, he ventured out just a few brief moments to check us out. We never did see any of the bears!

Here’s the tender background story that the staff told us about Wile E. He came to the Center as an abandoned pup and was raised to adulthood. Then they decided to release him back into the wild. Wile E. must have decided that life was pretty good at the Center, because he showed back up several months later and managed to get back in the enclosure. They never did figure out how he managed these feats. This was the only home he knew, so he found a way!

This is the last of my series Wildlife Wonders of Alaska series. I hope you have enjoyed seeing photos of many of God’s great creatures!

Counting the Bears

I have been working on a few more of my bear pictures this Sunday afternoon. Oh my, they are such beautiful creatures!  I know that you are counting the days until the Katmai brown bears series begins. 

By happenstance, one of the gals who was on our Alaska trip last year just sent me the link to this video. It shows a field counting and tagging exercise for black bears in Ontario, Canada.  Perhaps this will tide you over a bit.  Enjoy!

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Harbor Seals

One of the marine mammals that you can usually spot during a cruise around the coast of Alaska is the harbor seal. We saw this group off of Aialik Bay in Kenai Fjords National Park. The harbor seal is known as a “sea dog” since it looks like an earless dog when it sticks its head out of the water. Their faces are quite adorable, and some of the ones in this photo look like they are sharing a private joke about the pesky tourists. 

The thick coats of the harbor seals tend to be grayish color with black spots or rings. Even though they molt yearly, these markings will remain and are unique to individual seals. Most of the darker colors appear on their backs. This is a defense mechanism so that they blend in with the water when viewed from above. 

Harbor seals are excellent divers and have something called a dive reflex. This dive reflex is activated when the seal submerges its head. It automatically causes the seal to hold its breath, slow its heartbeat, and reduce the amount of oxygen being delivered to all organs except the brain and the heart. This dive reflex works so well that the seal is even able to sleep underwater and subconsciously come to the surface for oxygen throughout its slumber. What a trick!

January - A Look Ahead

My blog is now four years old! It’s hard to believe that it has reached that milestone. I started this little spot on the web a couple of months after I retired, thinking that it would be a good pastime. Little did I realize how many great friends I would make along the way! I also had no idea how much it would spur me to improve my photography. It’s been a wild ride! 

I have traditionally held a giveaway whenever I have a “blogaversary”. This time is no different, except there is going to be a little twist. No entering will be involved. Stay tuned for a later post! 

This is a month for us to hunker down, stay warm, and stay healthy. I am over the nasty cold that flung itself on me right before Christmas, thank goodness. Hubby will continue to do his regular exercises and heal up from his hip replacement surgery last month. He’ll have another follow-up visit to the doctor in a couple of weeks. Until then, I remain the designated driver for shopping errands. He is progressing very well and deeply appreciates all the good wishes that my blogging friends have expressed. 

It is a month of indoor pursuits. Soups and chili will probably get featured a lot on our menus. We’ll feed the birds and watch their antics. My consulting work will continue. Our Kindles will stay loaded up with electronic books to entertain our minds. And, we'll be processing digital travel photos in our spare time. 

The famed Katmai brown bears will finally make their appearance this month on my blog. No ifs, ands, or buts. (Except for a furry kind of butt, LOL). The photos are long overdue. I am still torn about processing a few more. I can’t keep tinkering with the images of these charming creatures. I hope you will be mesmerized too.

A Look Back at 2011

It was an incredible year! Looking in my mind’s rearview mirror, 2011 is chocked full with memories and adventures.

• We spent our first entire year at our new Grey Havens cottage, experiencing every season. It no longer feels like we are visiting. It feels like home! 
• In January, I started a new consulting job with my former employer and put my retirement status on hold. The work continued throughout the year, and it will finally come to a close in a few more months. It has seriously impacted my free time, but the unexpected income has provided us a welcomed financial cushion in these difficult economic times. 
• We had several snowfalls early in the year, giving us an opportunity to photograph the cheerful birds that visited our bird feeders and our lovely neighborhood shrouded in a white cloak. 
• Our cottage welcomed the completion of some landscaping projects in the spring. We continued to spot deer and other wildlife as they venture into our yard from the adjacent woodlands. 
• In April, we explored national parks and other scenic areas in north-central New Mexico. We saw incredible vistas like the one shown above at Tent Rocks National Park. 
• During the month of May, we bit the Apple and switched over from old PC computers to new iMacs. Though the transition took a little adjustment (you know what they say about old dogs and new tricks), we haven’t experienced a single computer system problem since then. 
• My photo editing skills continued to improve during the year. We added Nik Complete software to our arsenal of digital processing tools. I also started to feature larger-sized images on my blog, linked to my flickr account. 
• My blog celebrated its 3-year anniversary, 500th post, and 600th post. Though I worked, my wee blog ended the year with an all-time high of posts. Numerous series about our travels and participation in the photo challenge contributed to this prolific achievement. I also featured custom blog headers and backgrounds throughout the year! 
• In July, we traveled throughout Alaska, photographing astonishing scenery and wildlife for three memorable weeks. It was truly a trip of a lifetime that we will fondly remember. If you followed my blog this year, you got a visual taste of our legendary 49th state. 
• In late September and early October, we traveled to the Canadian Maritimes and enjoyed quaint coastal scenery. I’ll be featuring photos from that trip later on this year. 
• My sweet hubby received a bionic hip this past month and spent three weeks at a rehabilitation facility to assist in his recovery. We celebrated a very low-key Christmas and gave thanks to the miracles of modern medicine. 

We have had our share of personal challenges throughout the year. Life at Grey Havens is not always a bed of roses. But we strive to focus on those moments that bring us joy, live our lives to the fullest, and show kindnesses along the way. Some of you started last year’s journey with me, and some began to visit later on. I hope that you enjoyed the ride. I certainly did! 

2011 is put to bed. It’s history. 

Okay, 2012 - bring it ON! Won’t you join me?