Auke Bay - Mendenhall Glacier Fauna (July-September 2021)
&layout=none&ref=https://bobeastaughimagery.zenfolio.com/blog/2022/6/auke-bay---mendenhall-glacier-fauna-july-september-2021)
The Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area has animals, of course, but nearly everywhere in Alaska does.
Most prominent at the glacier are the ravens. Habituated to human food (or what passes for it among people who leave food waste in the parking areas and pickup truck beds), ravens importune, at close range. Their wings make a surprisingly loud, leathery sound. They are muscular, smart, and pushy. And they seem cunning in a clever, thoughtful, maybe malign, way.
131A0221-3
131A0382_DxO
131A0211
Not one of the prize animals, porcupines nonetheless get credit for stamina and determination. They are visible in nearby trees and less commonly on the ground. They move faster than sloths, but then too, everything does. They seem thoughtful, maybe because they appear to be placid and unemotional. They could be philosopher academics, relying on quills for protection from the barbs of others. (They do not, by the way, "shoot" their quills.)
131A9054
untitled-9127
131A6430-Edit
There are eagles, but many fewer when fish are absent. This eagle uses an iceberg as an observation post.
131A8973
This immature bald eagle, wings outstretched a little to dry itself, is nearly camouflaged on a wet day.
untitled-9954
And there are squirrels.
131A1409
Bears are frequently seen, even when the salmon are not running. A mother black bear sent her two cubs into the trees for naps and safety while she prowled around, a shadowy shape that was almost invisible in the dense brush. Summoned by her and undeterred by the humans watching from the elevated viewing walkway, the two cubs descended, using their claws as brakes, causing showers of bark chips.
131A8443-Edit
131A8487_DxO-2
131A8474_DxO-1
131A8463-Edit-2
131A8463-Edit-2-2
Reunited on the ground, the family disappeared into the brush.
A single salmon pauses before continuing up-stream by the visitor's deck. Another salmon was less successful, but may have fed the cubs.
131A8606
131A0001
There are also LBB (little brown birds), most of which don't allow such a close approach, even one this unthreatening.
131A6378_DxO-2
Comments
After a lifetime of mainly expressing myself with words, my postings here will mainly rely on images. They will speak for themselves to some extent, but I'll usually add a few comments of explanation. I've taken photographs for decades, since the 1950's, inspired in part by my father's photographic skill. Four years of photo assignments and quality darkroom time eventually gave way to decades of casual and family picture-taking. I re-immersed myself when I left film and turned to digital.