Whales in the Alexander Archipelago, Alaska, USA

Wonderful encounters with whales

The spectacular scenery of Alaska, whales and grizzly bears. Three themes that make a trip to Alaska worthwhile. And, for Alaska fantastic weather with plenty of sunshine and only one day of rain. Mosquitoes - just a few and light-conditions, which delight the heart of a photographer.

The first part of the trip is a week-long cruise in the Alexander Archipelago, the waters around Juneau in southeast Alaska. The boat is small and cramped for eight guests, but still cozy. The encounters with humpback whales and orcas in the vastness of the sea are spectacular. Sometimes the whales come as close to the boat that one gets wet from the mist of their "blow".

 

In the waters in the archipelago are rich herring schools. The humpback whales use a special technique, "bubble net feeding", to catch them. By cleverly blowing air bubbles at depths of 100 m, they create a bubble net that traps their prey near the surface. Then with the grace of synchronised swimmers, the 35-tonne giants shoot with mouth wide open to the surface to devour their prey.

I can experience a special encounter with an "iceberg". Inconspicuously he drifts in the vast of the archipelago. Through the waves of the approaching boat the iceberg gets suddenly unstable and rotates. The light of the sparse rays of sunlight reveals an ice sculpture of incredible beauty. The millennia-old ice sculpture shows an "inner-life", I have never seen before.

Especially spectacular are the humpback whales, when they jump. But also difficult to photograph! You never know where they jump - either it happens too far away, or in the back or too close! A second or two and you only see the white spray.

The sea is usually calm in the archipelago and in the bays, where we anchor each overnight, it is often as smooth as glass. The setting sun enchants the landscape in a rhapsody of blue and orange.

  

More images:

Alaska Whale watching

Read also the Blog:

Face to Face Grizzlies, Alaska, USA

Face to Face Grizzlies, Alaska, USA

Coastal bears at Cook Inlet

The spectacular scenery of Alaska, whales and grizzly bears. Three themes that make a trip to Alaska worthwhile. And, for Alaska fantastic weather with plenty of sunshine and only one day of rain. Mosquitoes - just a few and light-conditions, which delight the heart of a photographer.

The second part of the journey leads me to the Lake Clark National Park. On the coast of Cook Inlet, live a number of coastal grizzlies, mostly mothers with their cubs and youngsters. From Anchorage, it is a one hour flight with an over forty year's old Super Otter. The flight is phenomenally quiet and with a virtually cloudless sky, the view is terrific.

The Coastal Grizzlies feed this time of year mostly in the sedge meadows or use the low tide to dig in shallow sand for clams. The bears find the clams, which are up to eight inches below the surface, with their fine nose.

  

 

The sunrises and sunsets give a fantastic, mystical light. The days are long, as we often start a six in the morning and get back to the lodge after 10 PM. During mid-day however, the light is harsh, so we use this time for a siesta.

 

Since almost no males are in the area, the mothers move relatively careless with their young. Nevertheless, they are always on guard, because also another female could threaten their offspring. They nurse the young in the immediate vicinity of us, which shows that they are very accustomed to people.

The silver salmon run has just started. Patiently the old female waits for the first salmon. After a few failed attempts she succeeds and eats the first salmon from head to fin.

 

The encounters with the bears are diverse. Be it at the beach, on the meadow, the stream or at dawn on a bear trail. Sometimes from as close of less than 10 meters - but always with the necessary caution and with respect!

More images:

Alaska 2014 Lake Clarc

Read also the blog:

 Whales in the Alexander Archipel, Alaska

Polar bear mother with cub in Wapusk NP

The fascination of polar bears has brought me back to the Wat'chee lodge near Wapusk National Park, about 60 kilometers south of Churchill at the Hudson Bay in Canada. There, where icy winds create temperatures down to minus 50° Celsius polar bear mothers dig themselve winter dens to give birth to their cubs. In March, when the little polar bears are 3 months old, they come out of the caves to make the long journey to the sea, as they are desperate to feed after the long fast.
Like in 2012 it was difficult to photograph them. During nine days I could only see one mother with a single cub. She was extremely shy and showed up only for a total of maybe 15 minutes! But the light was spectacular and dramatic. The cub however was very cooperative and came out of the den quite often. Despite a tedious trip (three days with a blizzard to get there... and two days with a blizzard to get back  ...) it was worth it. A unique and emotional experience.

Surprised, that people are waiting, the mother comes out of the den after 6 months and shakes the snow from her fur. The evening backlight makes for a spectacular effect.

Soon follows the cub and sees daylight for the first time in his life. An emotional moment that touched me deeply. Not very often people can witness and photograph this very moment.

 

Before making the way to the sea, the mother digs, to our surprise, at a distance of about a kilometer a new snow den. There they remain for almost a week before she sets out on an early morning. She rarely shows up while we are there. The cub however plays outside quite often - much to our delight. With my new Nikon 800mm lens I am able to capture images with almost incredible sharpness.

 

 

The vastness of the Wapusk National Park, only interrupted by small groups of trees along the many frozen lakes, the cold, the rough nature fascinate me again and again. The sunsets are spectacular and the icy winds sometimes brutal. "Our wilderness will touch you" is the slogan of the friendly people at the Wat'chee lodge.

 

More images can be seen here:

Polarbears

People & Nature in Southwest China

It still exists - the old China - but you have to get away from the centers, the big cities. Out into the country. The Southwest of China not only offers unique landscapes. It is also home of various minorities. China is incredibly diverse. On my trip last October I have seen a small part of it. Aside from the beaten track. With local guides, who know the country and people who enabled me to get in touch with the people.

Guilin und Yangshuo
Guilin is famous for its unique karst mountains. Numerous hills rise conical or narrow as columns of the flat surface and form a unique panorama. Daxu, a small village on the Lijiang River is located about 20km southeast of Guilin and has largely remained authentic. In Yangshuo I'm doing a bamboo raft trip on the Yulong River, a quiet tributary of the Li River,  through the fantastic karst landscape.

 

Rice terraces of Longsheng 

The next stop is Longsheng Longji-terrace with rice-fields that form a magnificent attraction, glowing in different shades of green. I spend the night the middle of the rice terraces in the Lian-Lodge, a fantastically beautiful hotel. Longsheng is also home to the Dong, a small minority. The women of the Dong cut their hair only once in life when they get married. Open the hair reach to the bottom. Pinned up, they are the pride of this minority.

 

 

Wind and Rain Bridges of Sanjiang

The village Ba'ao is home to the Dong minority. They are known for the unique architecture of its wind and rain bridges, where always 5 pavilions are connected by corridors. As almost everywhere in China gambling isof great importance. In each village you can see men gambling.

 

 

 

Red Earth in Xing Tian

After a flight to Kunming I drive about 160 km north-east to the town Donchuan. From there I continue to "Hong tu di", which means "red earth". An area which is by tourist standards largely undeveloped and very simple. The time seems to have stopped long time ago. The beautifully arranged fields are cultivated with wooden plow and oxen or horses. The Guide has just a hand-drawn map and has to ask for the way. Also the accommodation and the food is very simple! 

 

Lijiang

After an exciting time it goes back to Kunming and from there by plane to Lijiang. The UNESCO World Heritage city is an attraction to hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists. After the initial shock, the local guide "abducted" me, into the "backyards" of the city, where life is still unspoilt. The minority "Naxi" are seen in their traditional dresses and elderly women meet at the market place for morning exercises.

 

 

Liming

About three-hour drive from Lijiang lies Liming. In the near Laojunshan National Park lies the "Thousand turtles mountain", an unparalleled rock formation that is similar to the armor of thousands of turtles. Over a thousand steps lead to the terrific formation.

 

 

Tiger Leaping Gorge

Next target is the headwaters of the Yangtze River, the Jinsha River. The river cut over millions of years a deep channel into the mountains. The river rushes at its narrowest point with a loud roar through the Tiger Leaping Gorge. The "Tea Horse Trade House", my accommodation for the night, is accessible only trough a dramatically steep gravel road.

 

Lugu Lake

At 2685 m above sea level is the Lugu Lake, one of the largest mountain lakes in Asia. The lake is "beside me" the destination of hundreds of thousands of tourists from China. As a "long nose" I am the main attraction, because no tourists from other countries are there. Slightly off the beaten track, the minorities of Mosuou and Yi are found. Exciting encounters in a beautiful landscape.

 

 

 

Kunming

The tour is concluded with a visit to the Stone Forest, south of the big city of Kunming. Hollywood was probably a model of this tourist attraction. And even in a large, modern hotel it is almost impossible to communicate in English. After the excursion into the "old China" this visit takes me back to reality.

An exciting journey that passes much too quickly. The contrasts between modern cities and the pristine China are exciting but probably not much longer to be seen. The country develops dramatically fast!

More pictures of this trip can be seen in the gallery on my website.