New Year Lights

Dancing lights over the Yukon River

Last night the mercury read a chilly -40 degrees Celsius - the first real cold snap of the season.  These cold nights usually mean that we will enjoy clear skies for a few days.  Shortly before midnight, and with little warning, the aurora suddenly appeared and began their dance across our northern sky.  Lovely way to warm up the evening and to begin a new year.

This image was photographed with a Nikon D800 camera set on a tripod.  The lens was a Nikor 14-28mm set at f/2.8.  Since the moon was shining brightly I decided to shoot at ISO 800 ISO and kept the camera open for a 6 sec exposure.

The show is expected to continue tonight - stay tuned!

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Cheers,

Claus

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

Its official - spring has sprung!!!

Trumpeter Swans 

It's official - spring has finally returned the Yukon! 

Last weekend 42 trumpeter swans arrived at Marsh Lake (south of Whitehorse).  Their spring migration has begun.  Think it's time to dust off the camera, clean sensors, empty memory cards, check gear and head down to Marsh Lake....

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Cheers,

Claus

Comet Pan-STARRS

Comet Pan-STARRS as seen near Pelly Crossing 

Yukon

Comet Pan-STARRS continues to dazzle those who take the time to observe the early evening sky.  Tonight, aproximately an hour after the sun sets, scan the western horizon with a pair of binoculars.  If you're lucky you'll spot a tiny fuzzy object sporting a fanning tail.  Pan-STARRS is expected to showcase its beauty for the next few weeks before it becomes too distant to observe with the naked eye.  We won't see this particular comet for another million years or so!

Last night's image was taken with a Nikon D800, ISO set at 800 at an 8sec exposure.  A 300mm f/2.8 lens set at f/3.5 was attached.

More information, sky maps and images of Pan-STARRS can be found on spaceweather.com and on waitingforison.wordpress.com/comet-panstarrs/

Tonight's sky promises to be clear again!!

Good luck with your viewing of Pan-STARRS.

Cheers,
Claus

My first glimpse of Comet Pan-STARRS

Comet Pan-STARRS

near Pelly Crossing, Yukon 

A quick hello - at long last I caught my first glimpse of Comet Pan-STARRS an hour or so ago - very faint, but much more pronounced with binoculars. 

I spotted the comet at 1030pm while scanning the western sky with binoc's (look a few degrees above the horizon directly above where the sun set).  Tonight the sun set at 8:15pm (hard to believe) with darkness approaching the western sky an hour or so later.

I'm thrilled to have seen this comet as it had eluded me in Ottawa and during my first few days back North.  My mistake was that I was looking far too early - apparently 45mins to 1hr after sunset is ideal.  More and more viewers across the northern hemisphere are beginning to see the comet with the naked eye.  In the coming days the comet will appear higher in the 

evening sky which will make it an easier target for the untrained eye.  

Tonight's shot is very basic - I'm sure there will be plenty more nights in the coming weeks to fine tune my comet photography skills - so neat!!

Hope you have an opportunity to see it.

Good night,

Claus

Photo Info:  Nikon D800 camera with Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 lens attached.  Mounted on tripod, 8 sec exp, 1000ISO, f /3.5

Spring is oh so close.....

Gravel Lake, North Klondike Hwy (Yukon)

North Klondike Hwy (Yukon)

What a difference two months has made!
We, here in the Yukon, have already gained 5hrs and 1min of daylight since New Years Day.  The sun is also at 19 degrees at its zenith which is a tremendous change from when it was only 4 degrees on Jan 1st.  Everyday we gain 6 or 7 mins of daylight.  Fabulous!!!
Today, the sun rose at 08:15 and will set at 18:20.  Daytime highs are just shy of zero degrees Celsius.  Spring is oh so close.....
Hope all is well in your corner of the world.
Cheers,
Claus


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Checkpoint Pelly Crossing

Yuka Honda (Yukon Quest 300) and her dogs arrive 

at the finish line in Pelly Crossing 

Allen Moore - first musher to arrive in Pelly Crossing

Feb 4th at 1:24am

Pups resting for the next leg of the race

Quest Vets check on the wellbeing of all pups

Traffic jam in Pelly - two teams 

(Christina Traverse a few seconds behind Randy MacKenzie in red)

 arriving at Checkpoint Pelly Crossing

Susan Rogan spends a few seconds with each of her

dogs moments before departing Pelly

Normand Casavant convincing his pup to eat

Normand Casavant hands out snacks

Markus Ingebretsen arrives at Checkpoint Pelly 

Putting on booties

Quest volunteers staying warm by campfire

waiting for next team to arrive

Darrin Lee arrives in Pelly

Volunteers check his gear

Dropped from race

Dyan Bergen and her team prepare to depart Pelly

Tamra Reynolds (YQ 300) arrives at finish in Pelly

Exhausted pup in bag

Time for a snooze

Welcome to Checkpoint Pelly Crossing - the fourth official stop in this year's running of the Yukon Quest.  Allen Moore was the first to arrive at 01:24am on Feb 4th.  

Mushers, upon arrival, are greeted by a team of Quest volunteers who check to see if each sled is equipped with a sleeping bag, food for musher and pups, snowshoes, an axe, the vet book, and other basic gear.  Time deductions are handed out to any musher failing to have the required gear.  Vets also take the opportunity to check on the wellbeing of all the pups.  Those injured or too exhausted to continue are dropped from the team - the handlers will then look after the well being of those pups.

Mushers are offered a hot meal as are the pups - mushers take hot water to thaw chunks of meat, fish and other goodies added to kibble.  Once the pups have eaten, they will rest for a few hours on a bed of straw.  Many mushers provide blankets and 'hand warmers' for their team.  Some of the mushers also elected to catch up on their rest while their team snoozes in Pelly.

At one point we had nine teams in the 'dog yard' - close to 140 sled dogs in our small village.  

Pelly is also the finishing point for those racing in the Yukon Quest 300 - a 300mile journey from Whitehorse to Stepping Stone and Pelly.  This years winner was Michelle Phillips who arrived 8 secs ahead of Aliy Zirkle.  The YQ300 is a qualifying race for those wishing to run in the 1000 mile Yukon Quest race.

Stayed tuned for images from the Dawson Checkpoint.

More images from Checkpoint Pelly are available on my flickr account

Good night,

Cheers

Claus

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Return of the Aurora

Aurora dancing over the Pelly River, Yukon

Good morning from the Yukon!

At long last the northern lights have returned to our skies.  It has been months since we were last treated to such a show.  Lovely to see them back.

Keeping my fingers crossed for a repeat performance tonight.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Cheers,

Claus

Photo info:  Photographed with a Nikon D800 and Nikor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens - shot at f/3.5, 15-18sec, 800ISO, cable release.

Winter along the Klondike

Klondike Hwy at Fox Lake, Yukon

Good morning from a very chilly Yukon (minus 50 degrees C)

Driving to Whitehorse from Pelly Crossing these days can be a very lovely and lonely four-hour journey.  With temperatures well below minus 40 degrees C., one sees more wildlife along the Klondike Hwy than vehicles.  During a recent grocery run into town we spotted a herd of elk, a mink surfing through the snow, several grouse soaking up the rays of the sun and a lynx wandering across the highway.  Not surprisingly, we only came across six vehicles throughout the 260km drive.

When we left Pelly, early that morning, the mercury had read minus 40 degrees.  By the time we had arrived in Whitehorse the temperature had soared to minus 18!!  Ahh, welcome to the tropics of the Canadian North!!

Hope this finds you warm wherever you are in the world.

Cheers,
Claus


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Driving into Autumn

Klondike Hwy, Yukon

Good morning from the Yukon!

What a splendid day yesterday turned out to be.  Shortly after 3pm the clouds finally broke free to reveal the sun and a Yukon landscape draped in its early autumn glory.  I decided at the point it was time to hop into the car and take short drive on the Klondike Hwy.  Glad I did.

The combination of the fall colours, the late afternoon sun, the dramatic clouds set against a brilliant blue sky and an open road all came into play when taking today's images – the setting was perfect for the images I was looking for.   The conditions were also right for using a circular polarizing filter, which reduced the glare of the sun on the wet leaves and brought out the textures in the clouds, the road and trees.

September has started out picture perfect – first the sandhill cranes and now the fall colours.  Wonder what today will bring.

Hope you enjoy the last full day of summer.

Cheers,

Claus

PHOTO INFO:  Images photographed with a Nikon D800 and Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens.  Tripod mounted, cable release attached - ISO 160, f/16 and 18, Manual setting.  Circular polarizer filter attached

Autumn's Grace and Elegance

Sandhill cranes fly directly overhead

Pelly Crossing, Yukon

Welcome back to the Yukon!
I arrived safe and sound and just in time to see the start of the fall migration season - the Sandhill cranes have returned.  Oh so beautiful!
Hope you are well in your corner of the world.
Cheers,
Claus

Photo info:  Images captured with a Nikon D800 and Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 lens attached.  ISO250, f/7.1 Aperture priority, Continuos focus set to HIGH, Vibration Reduction ON, handheld

Yukon – from the air

Heading south from Whitehorse

Emerald Lake, Carcross

Carcross Desert

Bennett Lake - part of Chilkoot Trail

Tagish Lake - no, it's not the Caribbean

(Emerald green in colour thanks to fine rock particles suspended

in the lake - these particles scatter light rays)

Tagish Lake

Southeast of Whitehorse

Southeast of Whitehorse

Whitehorse - SS Klondike in lower right

(Yukon River bottom)

Our Cessna

(Tagish Lake)

Last week I had an opportunity to participate in what's known in our circles as a Media Fam Tour (Media Familiarization Tours for travel writers and photographers).  Yukon Tourism had invited me, along with two international journalists, to check out the Tagish Lake Wilderness Lodge, a remote wilderness resort located some thirty minutes, by plane, southeast of Whitehorse.  We flew onboard a Cessna floatplane and enjoyed the breathtaking scenery of snowcapped mountains,  turquoise lakes and miles upon miles of rivers weaving through an endless expanse of wilderness.  Fabulous! 

Gebhard and Sarah, the owners of the Lodge, greeted us upon our arrival.  We were treated to coffee and homemade cake while we discussed their facilities and tour packages.  Their beautiful lodge and cabins, nestled between the mountains and the rocky shores of Tagish Lake, offer visitors an opportunity to enjoy Yukon's wilderness and outdoor adventures.  I'll post more on the Lodge in an upcoming post.  

Unfortunately, our stay at the Lodge was a brief one as the pilot was on a tight schedule.  Regardless, we enjoyed our stay and look forward to returning to the lodge in the near future.  

I could not of asked for a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Cheers,

Claus

In anticipation of Tuesday's Transit of Venus

The sun as viewed through the D300 and 300mm lens with

homemade solar filter attached

Astronomers and photographers around the world have been fine tuning their photography skills in anticipation of Tuesday's historical Transit of Venus.  Depending on where in the world you live, Venus will 'move' across the sun between June 5th and June 6th.  With proper solar glasses (a pair was included in the most recent issue of SkyNews magazine) you will be able to see the black disk of Venus make its way across the sun.  How neat! 

Yukoner's will see the transit begin at 15:30 and end shortly after 21:30 on Tuesday, June 5th.  This celestial show will not occur again until Dec 11,  2117 (the last Transit of Venus was in 2004, and prior to that, in 1882).

Last night I tried my hands, for the first time I might add, at solar photography.  I had cut out one of the solar filters found on the solar goggles and taped it to the removable filter on the Nikkor 300 f/2.8 telephoto lens.  With lens attached to the Nikon D300 camera, and firmly set on a tripod (with cable release), I aimed towards the sun.  Within seconds it was obvious my homemade solar lens was a success.  See camera settings below.

Now, if we can only pray for clear skies for Tuesday - somehow,  I don't think many of us will be around to see this show again in 2117!

Don't forget about Monday's partial eclipse of the moon!!

I'll post more images of my set up shortly with images from the Transit posted on Tuesday.

Good night from the sunny Yukon!

Cheers,

Claus

More info on Tuesday's transit can be found on Transit of Venus website (click on link)

Camera settings:  Manual focus for both camera and lens;  Vibration Reduction ON,  ISO 250 at f/5.6,  1/125th of a second.  Cable release

The Shorebirds have Returned!

Lesser Yellowlegs

The first of the shorebirds have returned to the Yukon.

This afternoon I spotted four Lesser Yellowlegs milling about on the shores of a partially thawed pond near Pelly Crossing, Yukon.

I'll return there this weekend for more photography.

Nice to see these critters back for another season!

Swans continue journey northwards

Tundra swans in flight

The majority of swans have left Marsh Lake and are now on their way northwards to their breeding grounds in Alaska and elsewhere throughout the Yukon.  What a thrill it has been to photograph them while they were here on their brief layover.  I'll post a few of my favourite images shortly.

Now that the swans are gone its time for the Sandhill Cranes to take centre stage.

Speaking of migrants, I heard my first Robin of the year singing his tiny heart out the other night.  Welcome back!

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Cheers,

Claus

   

April Flowers

Prairie Crocus 

It's incredible how quickly spring has sprung in the Yukon.  Two weeks ago we were still covered in snow - today, the snow has melted leaving behind the brown and dried remains of last years plant growth.  Sprouting through this 'mess', the first of the praise crocuses have emerged and started to bloom.  

Every day brings with it a new cast of characters. Three weeks ago it was the return of the swans.  Their arrival was followed soon after by the emergence of the arctic ground squirrels and today, the crocuses are in bloom.  As for tomorrow, perhaps I'll spot my first grizzly of the year :)

Photo specs:  Nikon D700 with a Nikkor 105 f/2.8G ED micro lens set at f/11, 200 ISO, manual settings, overexposed by +0.7, manual focus, mirror lock up engaged, cable release, mounted on tripod

Good morning Yukon!

Trumpeter Swan

Good morning from the Yukon!

I enjoyed a phenomenal weekend with the trumpeter swans at Tagish Lake.  All the key elements I've been looking for - lighting, clean background, blue skies, a variety of behavioural displays, action shots and cooperative subjects - fell into place.  I'm pleased with my images - well over 700.  I'll sort through them in the coming days and will post them shortly.

Hope you enjoyed your Earth Day weekend.

Cheers,

Claus