IMAGE OF THE MONTH FOR DECEMBER, 2006 (Scroll down for previous months)

AUGUST SUNRISE Cloudy Sunrise Over Pond Near Teklanika, Denali National Park While digitizing old transparencies for archival purposes, I ran across this forgotten image taken early one August morning over 26 years ago. A typical cloudy August morning--once the sun rose further into the cloulds, the good shooting light was gone. Camera, lens and exposure are long forgotten, but the Kodachrome transparency is still the same excellent quality as it was 26 years ago.

IMAGE OF THE MONTH FOR NOVEMBER, 2006

GROOMING SERVICE Yellow-billed Oxpecker On Masai Giraffe Knee, Serengeti NP, Tanzania The first time you see a bird hanging off an animal, your brain does a "double take", since that is not a typical behavior. Several species of birds, like the Oxpeckers, have developed symbiotic relationships with most large African animals--for the welcome removal of parasites in those unreachable spots, the animals tolerate the constant presence of the birds, chattering, climbing and poking. But toleration to a point--animals are constantly shaking the birds off when they get too close to their eyes or prod a tender spot. Canon 1D Mark II digital camera, EF 500mm L f4.5 lens with EF 1.4X Extender, exposure of 1/320 second at f8, ISO 250.

IMAGE OF THE MONTH FOR OCTOBER, 2006

ENIGMATIC BEARS Grizzly Bears, Highway Pass, Denali National Park These two bears were somewhat of an enigma among the regular Park road users this summer -- mainly their relationship. Some believed them to be a sow and her 2 or 3 year old cub; others thought they may be 3 year old siblings, or perhaps a mated pair that has remained together much later than usual. Pat Owen, a National Park Service Wildlife Biologist, has just confirmed that indeed they are a sow and her 3 year old male cub, and that they will probably den together this winter. Three year old cubs usually wander off on their own when boars (male bears) start courting the sow in early summer, so three year olds remaining with their mother are somewhat rare. And despite the Polychromatic background of this photograph, it was taken on Eastern Highway Pass rather than Polychrome. Canon 1D Mark II digital camera, EF 500mm L f4.5 lens, exposure of 1/500 second at f7.1, ISO 160.

IMAGE OF THE MONTH FOR SEPTEMBER, 2006

TRAFFIC STOPPER Grizzly Bear Crossing The Park Road, Highway Pass, Denali National Park Most Park visitors must be content with a far-off view of bears and wolves, so when a grizzly decides to come close to the road, everyone hangs around in the hope that it will cross the road for an even closer view. And of course the professional photographers are quite happy when that happens, even if that means they might not be able to get close themselves in the ensuing traffic jam. But this grizzly slowly worked her way along the road before crossing, giving most everyone a good view, and hopefully, a better idea why we have national parks. Canon 5D digital camera, EF 100-400mm L f4.5 lens at 100mm, handheld with Image Stabilization. Exposure of 1/200 second at f8, ISO 320.

IMAGE OF THE MONTH FOR AUGUST, 2006

FLEET OF FOOT Male Gray Wolf, Sable Pass, Denali National Park To survive, a wolf must be fleet of foot. Rarely can a wolf fully sneak up on prey--most have to be persued and caught, often with some kind of dramatic showdown. This wolf had spotted an Arctic Ground Squirrel at some distance, so was very intently running towards it. He disappeared behind a slight knoll, and to my surpise, quickly re-appeared with a sow and cub grizzly chasing it! Apparently he stumbled upon them on the other side of the knoll. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch the pursuit all in one frame. Canon 5D digital camera, EF 100-400mm L f4.5 lens at 400mm, handheld with Image Stabilization set to ignore sideways movement. Exposure of 1/60 second at f7.1, ISO 400.

IMAGE OF THE MONTH FOR JULY, 2006

MMMH...GOOD! Grizzly Bear Cub, Polychrome, Denali National Park With all the photographs of bears feeding on caribou and moose carcasses, one might conclude that grizzly bears are mainly carnivorous. But bears are food opportunists, and since meat is relatively rare in the wild, their main diet consists of plants, berries and roots. This yearling, along with its twin and mother, was "mowing the lawn" along the Park Road, much to the delight of six bus-loads of visitors. Canon 5D digital camera, EF 100-400mm L f4.5 lens at 330mm, handheld with Image Stabilization. Exposure of 1/100 second at f8, ISO 250.

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