Portrait of a Red Fox

Red Fox, Pelly Crossing (Yukon)

Greetings once again from the Yukon!  Spring has been late in coming, but thankfully the temperatures warmed up to above the 20 degree mark and the snow has finally stopped falling.  Hard to believe that we experienced blizzard-like conditions during the May long weekend.  The leaves are out, the sun is in its glory, the birds are singing their tiny hearts out and the grizzlies are out and about with their new born cubs.  The Yukon has finally come back to life after a very long, and cold, winter.

Last night a red fox decided to pay us a visit while friends and I were enjoying the first BBQ of the season.   Cute little fella!

Hope you are all enjoying the sights and sounds of spring.

Cheers,

Claus

Dreaming of Spring....already

Lesser Yellowlegs, near Pelly Crossing Yukon (Spring 2011)

Once again, my apologies for the lengthy delay in updating this blog.  Lots on my mind these days.

Most of the Yukon is finally ankle-deep in fresh snow.  Daily temperatures remain well below zero degrees with the mercury hovering near the minus 20 degree mark during the night.  The days are noticeably shorter and I'm finding it a challenge to catch even a fleeting glimpse of the sun.

As we adjust to another winter season my thoughts drift back to this past April and May when the entire Yukon landscape was basking in the glow of the midnight sun.  Regardless of where one looked, the entire Territory was alive in colour, song and endless photo opps.

I'm finally sorting through the thousands of images of shorebirds, swans, grizzly bears and scenery from that fabulous spring.  Pictured above is one of my favourites - a lesser yellow legs ruffling its feathers in a small lake near Pelly Crossing.  Oh, how I long for those endless days of spring when I can spend countless hours outdoors chasing birds and searching for that perfect shot!

I know, winter does offer the photographer some wonderful photo opportunities as well.  One just has to bundle up and make the effort to get outdoors and search for the image that captures the beauty of the land during this season of pure white snow, delicate textures and the soft pastel colours of a northern sky dominated by the silhouettes of rugged mountains, thick stands of black spruce and soaring ravens.

I promise - grizzly bear images from my trip to Haines Alaska will be posted in the next day or two.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Cheers,

Claus

THE GREENING OF THE YUKON

It's official - spring has finally arrived here in the Yukon.

We awoke this morning to double digit temperatures, glorious sunshine, brilliant blue skies and GREEN LEAVES everywhere.

At some point during the night the poplar and aspen trees literally exploded with a profusion of various shades of greens.  No wonder the warblers, robins, swallows and sparrows were singing so early this morning.  I would be too if only I could sing.

As a good ol' photography friend of mine would say "It's so good to be alive!!"

Spring Blooms

The arrival of spring brings with it a host of new photographic opportunities.  Last week, while strolling along the steep banks of the Pelly River,  I noticed several patches of purple sprouting up amongst the dead plant debris.  With camera in hand I descended the slopes to discover I had stumbled upon a cluster of flowering prairie crocuses. 

These showy plants belong to the Buttercup family (anemone) and are one of the first signs of Spring in the Yukon.  As soon as the snow melts these furry perennials sprout and bloom long before the actual leaves begin to emerge.  The flower is a favourite food source for ground squirrels and deer.

To capture these flowers I used a Nikor 105mm  f/2.8 macro lens attached to the Nikon D700.  The camera and lens were mounted on a tripod.  I'll be posting more on macro photography in the coming month.

Ok, it's back to the swans this afternoon.

Cheers,

Claus

The Swans of Tagish

Observing and photographing wildlife along the shores of the Tagish River (often referred to as the Tagish Narrows) could not have been any better than it was during last weekend's Easter holiday.  Excellent weather conditions, blue skies and a thousand swans rewarded those who took the time to travel the 100km distance from Whitehorse.

During the holiday weekend biologists had observed well over 1000 trumpeter swans, 400 tundra swans and scores of migratory ducks swimming and feeding along the shores of the Narrows.  Thousands more could be spotted at Swan Haven on Marsh Lake and along the open stretches of Kluane Lake.  From what I understand the bridge over the Teslin River at Johnsons Crossing was also a popular spot to photograph swans.

Joining the swans were wigeons, pintails, goldeneyes, buffleheads, mergansers, green-wing teals and mallards.  Numerous bald eagles and northern harrier hawks patrolled the skies over the waters in search of unsuspecting prey. A pair of river otters also playfully swam alongside the icy shores in search of food and a resting place.

A handful of international photographers had also taken up temporary residence along the Narrows during the weekend.  Photographers of every skill-level stood for hours along the shores of the Narrows or on the bridge hoping to capture their prized shot as the swans flew overhead or swam by.

Overcast skies, a steady breeze and chilly temperatures dominated much of Good Friday.  Weather conditions improved remarkably on Saturday morning when brilliant blue skies and plenty of sun provided ideal conditions to photograph the swans.  The clouds and haze had returned by Sunday afternoon.

My most successful shots from the previous three weekends were those from Saturday morning's photo-shoot.  The crisp blue skies were the perfect backdrop for the snowy-white feathers of the swans as they flew overhead - I could not have wished for a better day.  Sadly, I only had a few hours with the swans that day as I had to return to Pelly Crossing for a few hours.  Wish I had more time as the skies were not as blue on Sunday.

My camera of choice this past weekend was the Nikon D300 (for its digital crop factor).  The Nikor 300mm f/2.8 lens (with a 1.7x teleconverter) was my principal lens for the swan shots.  Aperture priority was used, the continuous high shutter command was set ON as was the VR (vibration reduction).  With the bright skies an ISO of 250 (underexposed by 1 stop) was all that was needed to capture sharp images.  Most of the swan flyover images were handheld.

Well over 600 images were shot during the course of the weekend, of which a dozen or so were 'keepers'.

What a stellar weekend!  Life has finally returned to the Yukon!!

Join me in the coming days as I share my top 10 ten tips to successfully photographing swans.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world,

Cheers
Claus