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

Forest Fire Season has begun

Smoke as seen near Carmacks

Smoke from wildfire near Carmacks

Smoke seen on the Klondike Hwy

Smoke from wildfire

Smoke billowing over the tree tops

The same cloud spotted from Pelly Crossing

Extreme Fire Danger warning

Here we go - forest fire season is now in full swing in the Yukon.  This weekend's lightening storms and unseasonably hot and dry weather have ignited a handful of wildfires throughout the Territory.

Last night as I was driving along the Klondike Hwy I spotted an ominous smoke cloud dominating the skies near Carmacks.  From reading fire reports and chatting with locals the smoke is from a fire burning near Frenchman Lake (some 72 km east of Carmacks).  The fire began Monday evening and continues to burn today.  Approximately 5000 ha have already been affected.  Officials are worried that the fire may reach the confluence of the Teslin and Yukon Rivers within days. Canoeists have been advised to avoid paddling near the area.

A polarizing filter was used to capture these images as the filter accentuated the textures and patterns in the smoke cloud.  The polarizer also highlighted the greens and blues in the image.  I also included a variety of foregrounds to add a sense of scale of the true extent of this powerful force of nature.

To date there have already been 26 forest fires in the Yukon.

I'll keep you posted with latest developments.

Cheers,

Claus

UPDATE:  Fri June 3rd - the fire has grown to12,000 ha!  

Spring melt is underway

Greetings once again from the Yukon!

At long last the spring melt is underway.  Balmy temperatures (+10 oC), blue skies and plenty of sunshine greeted my return north.  Local radio reports have announced that the first of the swans have arrived.  I also spotted my first sic-sic (ground squirrel) of the year foraging on shrubs in an old fire burn site.  These little critters have just emerged from spending close to six months hibernating under the snow.  Soon the grizzlies, sandhill cranes, eagles and geese will join the cast of characters that make the Yukon their home during the summer months.  Needless to say I cannot wait to join them with my camera in hand.

Todays' picture is of the Yukon River at Five Fingers along the Klondike Hwy.  Notice how the river has already started to melt.