Red Fox

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Travel 2 Comments

Red fox, Alaska.
Red fox, Alaska.

On my second week of my Alaska Bear and Puffin Tour we didn’t see the red fox who had become such a fixture on my first week. That is, until he showed up briefly my second to last evening – just in time!

So Many Cubs!

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Photos, Travel 1 Comment

Brown bear sow with triplets.
Brown bear sow with triplets.

Home from a second amazing week with bears! Three sets of spring cubs this year! Plus, so much more. Along with few human visitors, so far the summer of 2020 has exceeded my high expectations. This is the famous sow crimp with triplets born this past winter.

Bear Update

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Lake Clark, Photos, Travel 2 Comments

A brown bear sow with two spring cubs digging for a clam.
A brown bear sow with two spring cubs digging for a clam.

The folks who were willing to wade through the maze of testing and other covid requirements were sure awarded with an absolutely amazing trip! Three sows appeared with spring cubs, including our favorite Crimp who has triplets this year! We saw lots of nursing, cubs playing, clam digging, even a wolf and fox, it was incredible. Plus, were basically the only ones in the fields the whole time. Looks like 2020 will be a year to remember in Alaska.

Olympus E-M1X and 300 f/4

Update

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Lake Clark, Travel Leave a Comment

Brown / Grizzly Bear nursing, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
Brown / Grizzly Bear nursing, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

This photo is from June of 2014, seems like a lifetime ago!

I have received some really nice emails and calls checking on us to make sure all is well since I haven’t posted anything in awhile. In short, yes, fortunately all is well, but it has been a challenging few months and a fire threatening our Tucson Desert Photo Retreat seemed like the final blow. Thankfully, the Tortolita fire has been contained, and the threat mostly eliminated thanks very much to the many firefighters who battled that blaze in challenging conditions. Unfortunately, a second fire continues to burn and threaten other parts of Tucson, and my heart goes out to those folks.

Really beginning in March with our Arizona business and continuing until now, we have been busy with cancellations, re-bookings and working through many other challenges. It was hard to look out from the home office last week at a humpback whale and beautiful weather knowing I should have been leading my Kenai Fjords trip right then.

However, much has changed in the last couple of weeks. With Alaska’s requirement for a Covid test before flying, and offering a second test at the airport upon arrival, coupled with numerous other precautions including private rooms for everyone, and meals delivered to rooms, we are now ready to offer our first bear trip of the season with a small group. In fact, we will be the only group at the lodge, and likely the only people in the entire area! I hope I’m wrong, but I believe testing coupled with other precautions is how trips in Alaska will be lead this summer and next, so we might as well figure out how to do them safely.

I will say, I’m excited to get back to the bears, to a place where life revolves around nature, wildlife and tides.