Our trip to Kodiak Island was disappointing due to a combination of unrealistic expectations on my part, over saturation with the orientation process and too many people in close quarters. To me, Kodiak has always been synonymous with it’s unique population of Brown Bear (aka Grizzly although that term is reserved in Alaska for a smaller version living more than 50 miles inland). The Kodiak Brown Bear is impressive; our largest land carnivore averaging 600-800# with a height of 5’on all fours,10' upright. Our orientation included lectures on bear physiology, behavior and bear safety; we saw numerous artistic renditions of bears and heard more than a few stories about bears, but in our three days there, we saw no bears - none, zip, nada. On an island where the ratio of bears to people is 1:4 we saw nary a foot print although prints had been sighted not far from the bunkhouse. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that what I expected was a dramatic expansion of my childhood visit to Yellowstone in which bears congregated around our car. I underestimated both the reclusive nature of these wild animals (the bears in Yellowstone were unnaturally and unfortunately habituated to people and their “treats”) and the vastness of Kodiak Island only 100 miles of which has road access. To actually experience bears on Kodiak, one must travel by light aircraft to their feeding grounds which, in springtime, are emerging grasslands or isolated beaches where they dig for clams. Later in summer they move to streams congested with spawning salmon where the wealth of food causes them to temporarily congregate and provides wonderful photos for National Geographic and wildlife magazines not to mention fuel for my imagination.

Our “orientation”included several boring and repetitive sessions redeemed only by the opportunity to meet and hear Larry Van Dahele, a world renowned bear expert. The12 hr. ferry trip included special moments as well. We saw sea otters, some with babies riding atop their bellies (sea otters generally swim and float on their backs), humpback whales - one quite nearby, and many seabird species including the tufted puffin - think pudgy black bird with a colorful face and feathered head tufts reminiscent of Einstein on a bad hair day. And, while touring Kodiak Island, we came upon a domestic buffalo herd grazing near the beach with spouts of a passing pod of grey whales in the sea beyond. Just over the next rise were the silos of part of the strategic star wars defense program - sometimes the contrasts here are bizarre. In town we explored Kodiak’s harbor; visited Aleutic and Russian history museums and a WWII defensive outpost. And we “people watched” - I’ve included photos of Russians (many Alaskans are of Russian ancestry and still hold to the old ways of dress and Russian language usage while texting on cell phones and purchasing all the modern conveniences). And then there was Daryl and his brother Daryl. We are more and more taken by the contrasts here.

Unsimple things

Then again, there is always the giant grandeur that is Alaska. Most of these were taken on Kodiak Island, the second largest island in the U.S. where we went for training. We arrived on a rare sunny day and I was able to capture the early spring beauty of a place noted for its bad weather. Hope you enjoy looking as much as I did taking.

Simple things

The magnificence of this land is most often seen in its scale and grandeur. This is of course the Alaska everyone knows, however often ignored is the beauty in a simple
tidepool. This compilation of photos were taken on a lowtide walk by our bunkhouse.

Bunkhouse musings

Soooooo... It’s yet another day of gray overcast sky and cold, “rainish” weather - not as in downpour or even a slow soaking, just perpetual wetness like a rain forest. Yes, I still consider the opportunity to live here and explore Alaska to be fabulous, but not every day is fabulous. I am beginning to feel sun deprived - SAD. All the locals assure us that this is an atypically late and cold spring which helps only in that their misery equals or bests our own after their having waited through the long, dark winter. Given all that, they are a remarkably cheerful lot. And it holds out hope that a change for the better is just around the corner. Erv and I have come to the conclusion that while we remain delighted to have the opportunity to live and work here, we are clearly not year-round resident material.

We are also preparing to say good-bye to our fellow sojourners in the bunk house:
Scott, a 44yo engineer turned biologist - a returning bio-tech, he is very knowledgeable about the Aleutian Islands, the birds and research. As a youth he served in the Peace Corps in Africa and has also lived and worked in South America among other places. He continues considering work in international development which is one of the few settings in which he thinks progress can be made, but he is not sure he wants expose himself to the continual realities of poverty on the one hand and insensitive greed and politics on the other. His sharp, organized and analytical mind seems well suited to the work he will be doing here and anything he would choose in the future. He’s also frugal and a good cook and enjoys organizing large scale communal meals.
Kevin is in his mid 30's and also a returning bio-tech. Like Scott, he has a sharp, organized mind and is well traveled on more than one continent. We enjoy their discussions of the risks and benefits of their nomadic lifestyles which often follow seasonal biological research-related field jobs dependent on annual funding cycles. His broad knowledge of birds is impressive.
Leah and Rob are a couple in their late 20's who have served together on Aleutian field assignments in the past. They came a bit later and are not as familiar to us although it is immediately apparent that they are also quite able, dedicated and give one a sense of conscious, thoughtful living and confidence. Leah, an early AM runner, is simultaneously working on her MS. Unrelated, but remarkable are their tanned fit physiques and Rob’s great braids.
Ray, the only first timer in this group is our favorite. He’s 27 and hails from Montana. A lanky 6'6", he, like my son, is a cancer survivor (lymphoma @12-13yo). Like most all of the other bio-techs, he is lean, fit, self reliant, well read and extremely bright. We especially enjoy his dry wit and easy going way - again reminiscent of Erik. Ray and Scott have savage cribbage matches but Ray seems equally as comfortable watching old movies and discussing life, music and/or photography with us. He is also wood worker who hunts with bow and arrows he’s crafted himself. All of these “guys” are wonderfully multidimensional and we are rarely at a loss for interesting conversation! They are inspiring and we will surely miss their company.

My writing this last night must have pleased the weather gods - it’s about 9:30AM now and already 47F with mostly sunny skies. We’re off to check out nesting eagles and trumpeter swans and savor the day! Hope you’re having a great one too......

Tide and Time.....

Homer is a major site of extreme tides; variations here of 28-30 feet which we enjoy despite our struggle to understand their dynamics. This past week we experienced three days of large negative tides, the lowest being -5.5 during which the rapidly receding sea exposed rarely seen rocks and sand bars and created tide pools for exploration. One of the other volunteers saw octopus which I envied, but we were delighted by the array of sea stars, anemone, kelp and other seaweeds and crabs, worms and small fish we did see. This first extreme negative tide has taught us the best places to go and we'll find that elusive octopus next time. I'm eager to share some of my finds/photos. The shore, tides and rich estuarine environment (where fresh water streams/rivers meet the sea) are another bonus of volunteering here but I must admit that the generally cold, dreary weather and the "late" spring are getting to us.

This past weekend we worked in various capacities for the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival - one of the top in the US. My favorite assignments were manning the scopes and "hosting" birders at some of the birding "hot spots" on the bay and preparing and manning an indoor station for kids working on their Junior Birder Badge. My station involved matching food source and beak type and introduced a conservation challenge of preventing deadly, "unhappy meals" of Styrofoam, fish line, plastics, etc. by taking care of their trash and picking up after litterers to protect birds, an increasing number of which are killed by human garbage. (Hope all of you will also initiate and support efforts to rid our planet of plastic 6-pack rings, shopping bags and Styrofoam!) Erv provided roving photographer services for the festival as well as manning hot spot viewing stations. There were also a lot of good speakers whose programs we were occasionally able to get into. Overall a very good but tiring (volunteers are also "gofers") festival.

The volunteers' post-festival treat is a 4-day trip to Kodiak Island and another NWR there during which (especially on the full day ferry trip over) we hope to see whales, seals, sea lions, sea otters, and sea birds and, once there, some bear. We will definitely see bear before leaving Alaska, however, because I won a festival drawing for a flight to Katmai National Refuge and half day with bear guides there. Everyone remarks about what a great guide group this is and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. WOW - do I feel lucky!!!

Help! I’ve created a monster!
Sandra has taken up photography and is taking it to some pretty high quality stuff. I bet between the two of us we have shot over a thousand eagle photos and, after 45 years in the biz, I have to say she has the lead in good shots.
Most of our landscapes are similar because we travel together and find beauty in the same things. But somehow when it comes to my favorite bird, hers are getting better than mine! Am I jealous? Well, maybe a little. Am I proud of her? You bet. Posted today are some from both of us. I won’t say who’s are which. You decide. I hope you enjoy them all.