In December a Facebook "challenge" was making the rounds named #challengeonnaturephotography. One of my favorite underwater photographers, Allison Vitsky Sallmon, nominated me to give it a try, and these are the seven images I plucked from my files to share. Each bears a special place in my personal history of…

A bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) pulls a fish from the water on the fly, leaving a splash in its wake. The fish can be seen in the eagle's talons. Bald eagle makes a splash while in flight as it takes a fish out of the water.Image ID: 22584Species: Bald eagle,…

See the new bald eagle photos. This photo of a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is quite simply composed but was not quite so simple to execute. The wind was blowing steadily parallel to the sun angle which led to the eagles banking and circling in front of me. But often…

See the new bald eagle photos. This adult bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was observed foraging for bits of food in a shallow tidal stream on a broad sand beach. The bits of white in the air are snowflakes -- it was a wet snow and made the eagle look pretty…

See the new bald eagle photos. A large group of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was gathered on the snow-covered ground when periodically another eagle would arrive, in flight, and join the group by skimming just over their heads, slowing with wings outstretched, finding a suitable spot amid the crush, and…

See the new bald eagle photos. There were several perches that the bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) would use each morning. The broad wooden perches could typically accomodate several eagles each. In this image the eagle on the left, which has been on the perch for a while, throws its head…

See the new bald eagle photos. Having over 200 bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nearby would seem to make it easy to gather a variety of photos. But I was tempted to shoot the same few compositions repeatedly and had to make an effort to look for different compositions and angles…

See the new bald eagle photos. During two of the mornings that I was in Homer, I was fortunate to be inside Jean Keane's yard as the bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) gathered to eat herring. This was quite something, to be so close to so many eagles. Unnatural perhaps, as…

See the new bald eagle photos. This is a juvenile bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). The speckled brown and white coloration is highly variable among juvenile bald eagles which can sometimes resemble golden eagles. It is typically not until the fourth year that juveniles mature and assume the characteristic brown body…

Photographing Bald Eagles in Homer AK -- What Worked and What Didn't Bald eagle in flight, banking over beach with Kachemak Bay in background. Image ID: 22613 Species: Bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Haliaeetus leucocephalus washingtoniensis Location: Kachemak Bay, Homer, Alaska, USA If you have seen much of this web site,…

I was up north in Homer, Alaska to photograph bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), but I grabbed a couple landscape shots of the beautiful Kenai Mountains, which lie across Kachemak Bay from the Homer Spit. This was my view one morning, after the clouds and snow had cleared out leaving blue…

Bald eagle in flight, sidelit, cloudy sky and Kenai Mountains in the background.Image ID: 22596Species: Bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Haliaeetus leucocephalus washingtoniensisLocation: Kachemak Bay, Homer, Alaska, USA OK, I've been running since I was thirteen. That's 32 years of running. I'm not a skinny guy, which means I've been pounding…

Bald eagle, closeup of head and shoulders showing distinctive white head feathers, yellow beak and brown body and wings.Image ID: 22582Species: Bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Haliaeetus leucocephalus washingtoniensisLocation: Kachemak Bay, Homer, Alaska, USA Going to try my hand at photographing some bald eagles in the cold. Up at 4am, shower,…

One of the interesting behaviors of coastal brown bears (Ursus arctos) is their interest in eating razor clams. Negative low tides expose broad tide flats along the Cook Inlet coast. Brown bears are quite tuned to the timing of these low tides and will arrive at the beach shortly before…

This coastal brown bear sow caught the scent of an approaching adult male. Nervous for her cubs, who could be attacked by the male, she stands in the deep sedge grass to get a better look around. A brown bear mother (sow) stands in tall sedge grass to look for…

In 2005 I received a recommendation to visit Silver Salmon Creek Lodge to see bears. I already had a trip planned to Brooks Camp so I didn't look into SSCL for a while. A week at Brooks in July 2006, with superb weather, company and bears, helped me to realize…

While out hiking around the Exit Glacier area I was so impressed by the weather that I decided to go to the airport and look for a pilot to take me flying. I love flying in the little planes, wheeled and float alike, in Alaska. For some reason I feel…

My goal in July was to shoot portraits of bears. I scheduled my visit before the arrival of salmon so that the bears would be in the meadows eating sedge grass and staging in the area, waiting for salmon to arrive. Next trip will be a bit later to coincide…

This young female coastal brown bear (Ursus arctos) was often around when I was visiting Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. We saw her clamming on the tide flats and grazing on sedge grass in the meadows. She is a really good looking bear, with a thick blond coat and…

On my recent trip to photograph coastal brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Lake Clark National Park, I experienced nearly perfect weather for a full week, with just one day of light drizzle and only a few overcast days. About half the time we had full sun, with hardly a cloud…

While visiting Kenai Fjords National Park recently, I spent the morning taking an easy hike up to the terminal end (terminus?) of Exit Glacier. This is a popular spot, since it is a gentle hike and it is the main attraction of the only road that enters the national park.…

Some Thoughts on Visiting Brooks Camp, Katmai National Park, Alaska to See Coastal Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) Coastal brown bear (Ursus arctos), near the bridge, Brooks Camp, Katmai National Park, Alaska Brooks Camp is located in the heart of Katmai National Park, Alaska. Long famous for its world-class fishing, spectacular…

Some Thoughts on Visiting Brooks Camp, Katmai National Park, Alaska to See Coastal Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) Coastal brown bear (Ursus arctos), near the bridge, Brooks Camp, Katmai National Park, Alaska Brooks Camp is located in the heart of Katmai National Park, Alaska. Long famous for its world-class fishing, spectacular…

This sea otter (Enhydra lutris), was photographed in Resurrection Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska: Sea otter.Image ID: 16940Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutrisLocation: Resurrection Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska, USA Keywords: sea otter photos, Enhydra lutris

This brown bear knows why it's called "fishing" and not "catching". On this overcast morning he waited nearly motionless atop the falls for an hour, watching the churning pools below the falls, before a school of salmon came up the river and gave him opportunities to catch a meal. Brooks…

These two brown bears know why its called "fishing" and not "catching". On this overcast morning they waited nearly motionless atop the falls for an hour, watching the churning pools below the falls, before a school of salmon came up the river and gave them opportunities to catch a meal.…

This spring brown bear cub had major Kung Fu attitude, adopting his best Bruce Lee stance when he stood up to see above the tall grass: Brown bear cub, a few months old.Image ID: 17217Species: Brown bear, Ursus arctosLocation: Brooks River, Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA Keywords: Brown bear photos,…

I have posted 382 photos from my 10-day trip to visit Alaska's Kenai Fjords National Park and Katmai National Park, including sea otters (Enhydra lutris), Stellar sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), and most notably, brown bears (Ursus arctos, also known as grizzly bears). Here are a few: Sea otter.Image ID: 16940Species:…

Psst, hey buddy, the salmon fishing sucks here and I'm starving. On three I say we bust a move and take out that white-meat photographer over there... Brown bear (grizzly bear).Image ID: 17158Species: Brown bear, Ursus arctosLocation: Brooks River, Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA See also: Photos of brown bears…

The brown bear on the right, which we nicknamed Scarface for his battered head bearing many previous scars, got hammered hard by the boar on the left. Scarface was not having any luck catching salmon and tried to steal a fish from the one on the left. Big mistake. The…

This Alaskan Brown Bear (or grizzly bear, Ursus arctos) was quite skilled at catching salmon jumping up falls. He had honed his technique and was expert at energy conservation, barely moving until the moment he would suddenly snag a salmon in midair, then barely moving again as he ate it.…

This young Alaskan brown bear (Ursus arctos) waited patiently for the bruisers to get their fill and leave the prime spots above the falls before he was able to go in and have a turn. He had not really figured out how best to catch the fish in mid-air and…