Six Years

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Lake Clark, Travel 9 Comments

Brown bear feeds in a meadow at sunrise, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

Brown bear feeds in a meadow at sunrise, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

Hard to believe I have been doing this photo blog for six years now! It had been over a year since I looked at my stats, so I took a quick peak today and see the blog alone receives on average over 2,500 unique visitors a day, and some months averages over 3.000 per day.  That is pretty good!  So I wanted to take a minute to say thanks for following me over the years!  Whether you drop by and comment, receive this via email, or just lurk in anonymity, I appreciate it!

Seeing those numbers reminds me that I need to go back to the long list of topics I have intended to write about but haven’t had the time.  At this point, I don’t think we will take an extended trip this Autumn, choosing to stay in Alaska to chase the Northern Lights instead – this should give me the extra time to dive into some of these topics.

I find it interesting how the interaction has changed over the years thanks to the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Google+.  Any photos or posts I do here get shared simultaneously on those social networks.  Take my last post for example of the cute spring cub triplets.  Four years ago it might have received 20 comments here on the blog, yesterday it garnered just a couple along with a few emails.  But, on Facebook it received over 50 comments and on Google + it went viral reaching the maximum limit of 500 comments in just a few hours!

So I mention that in part to say if you participate in one of the other networks but don’t follow me there you might consider it.  The extra interaction can be valuable as I respond to follow up questions about camera settings, techniques, etc.

 

Spring Cubs!

Ron NiebruggeLake Clark, Photos, Travel 8 Comments

Triplets, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

Triplets, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

These three cubs were one of the highlights from last week!  I have a version with all three standing, but I like how the two cubs are looking at their mom in this version.  The cubs were looking at their mom out of concern as another sow had moved into the meadow.  After some tense interaction that included some jaw popping and stomping, the other sow finally moved on and all were fine.

Brown Bear Sunrise

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Lake Clark, Photos, Travel 4 Comments

A Brown Bear appears to be looking at the rising sun as it searches for clams, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

A Brown Bear appears to be looking at the rising sun as it searches for clams, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

Just got back from leading another bear photo tour to Lake Clark National Park.  We had an awesome time!  Lots of bears including three spring cubs!  And to top it off, a whole week a warm sunshine.  Pretty amazing considering how wet and cold this summer has been.

Staying Cool

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Lake Clark, Photos, Travel 2 Comments

A brown bear cools off by laying in the water this past June, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

A brown bear cools off by laying in the water this past June, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

This morning I’m heading back to Lake Clark National Park for a week to lead another bear tour – can’t wait to get back!

Bear Morning

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Lake Clark, Photos, Travel 4 Comments

Brown bear looking for clams, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

Brown bear looking for clams, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

We had one morning during my spring bear tour that I thought could be perfect since the tide corresponded perfectly with the sunrise.  I had an epic morning given the similar conditions last August, so a group of us made the painful decision to get up at 3:15 to give it a try.  We didn’t have the amazing light I was hoping for, but it was still a beautiful morning.  Although I don’t like get up in the morning, I’m always glad when I do.

Chocloate Lilies

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Lake Clark, Photos, Travel 5 Comments

Chocolate lilies, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

Chocolate lilies, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

I was amazed at the thick fields of Chocolate Lilies I found during my recent bear photo tour – I have never seen anything close to it!

Now I must admit, the rest of the group did not share my enthusiasm for this wildflower – especially in light of the other bountiful subject matter, namely wonderful brown bears!  So I received a fair amount of well deserved ribbing.  🙂  But I did manage to break away for a couple of minutes to grab a few images of these interesting wildflowers.