-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Blog Archives
Categories
Meta
©2010-2023 Chuck Maas
Category Archives: Nature
Conscientious Moose
While one should avoid ascribing human motivations and actions to animals, this young bull moose certainly looks to be checking for traffic before crossing the busy road around Lake Hood in Anchorage near the gravel runway on an early morning … Continue reading
Winter Visitors
My favorite avian winter visitors are making the rounds of mountain ash trees still bearing fruit and gorging themselves on the bright red berries. Bohemian waxwings lend an element of cheer to the short, cold, and often gray days this … Continue reading
Fruit of the Land
One of the pleasures of living in a part of the world where you’re never far from wild places is the opportunity to harvest some of nature’s abundance. There are many varieties of berries in Alaska, but my favorite is … Continue reading
Change of Seasons
Seasons in the far north are on a different schedule from the temperate parts of the globe. Days are getting shorter at a rapid rate now and yellow leaves are already carpeting the ground. Anchorage had its first snowfall a … Continue reading
Food Gathering
Summer’s a busy time for collared pikas in Alaska as they gather a variety of vegetation and let it dry in the sun in protected piles and then put it away for a supply of food during the winter. Their … Continue reading
Unusual Style
There are lots of ways to catch fish, even for bears, but this grizzly at Funnel Creek in the Katmai National Preserve is using a style I hadn’t seen before. Snorkeling isn’t that unusual, but to start from a near-90 … Continue reading
Green Again!
It happens every year. When winter finally decides to give up for a few months and the days actually get a bit warmer, you start to see leaf buds forming on the skeletal branches of birches and cottonwoods. At first … Continue reading
Snooze
After more snow earlier this month made this the longest winter on record, spring has finally arrived in Southcentral Alaska. Temperatures are closer to “normal” now and birch and cottonwood leaves are beginning to unfold. Most birds aren’t waiting and … Continue reading
Hungry Traveler
They’re still here—in even larger flocks now—moving from food source to food source. And there seem to be plenty of berries left around town so they’re not having to work too hard to find sustenance.
Waxwings
The colorful and loquacious Bohemian waxwings are here as usual in the Anchorage area winging about in large flocks foraging for food. If you happen to be close by as they descend on an opportune mountain ash tree with clusters … Continue reading