Henry M. Masters

While attending the National Park Service Academy last week, we ran into a gorgeous Bald Eagle. Just as we spotted it the snow started dumping! Definitely one of my most memorable Bald Eagle photographs. 

A bull moose in the spring crossing the glaciated Tanana River in Alaska. With a bit of luck and hard work you can find where these mega fauna like to cross these large glacial tributaries. To see this bull moose swim upstream in these frigid and fast waters was truly remarkable.

Stalking moose is generally not a good idea, especially in the spring when the cows have their calves. However, this one appeared to be by herself. As I began to close the distance she kept a watchful eye on me. I've found there are two major hurdles you have to overcome when making great wildlife images. The first is finding something special to share. Now many people see moose off of the Alaska road system, however in order to know what's special it takes time being with the animals to know what is normal and what isn't. This is the second hurdle you must overcome. Once you notice something that could lead to a wonderful image you have to pursue it while treading lightly enough to be accepted by the wildlife. I've found it takes a minimum of 15 minutes lingering around wildlife before they'll either leave in which case your image wasn't meant to be, or they will begin to accept your presence as a minimal threat and you begin to establish trust. To help with this process, I began tilting my telephoto towards the ground so it served effectively as a moose snout. Then I began grabbing grass and crinkling it as loudly as I could, in hopes she would interpret me as an herbivore. This led to the resulting image where we met eye to eye, enjoying our fresh grass. 

I've always been fascinated by canines. The whole tidbit about evolution by natural selection makes sense on paper. The process is undoubtedly real and responsible for so much of what we see in our changing environments. However, I'm completely blown away that the product of evolution led to such an amazingly beautiful and smart group of mammals, the canines. This was my first of a couple fox dens I've found this year in 2016. I stumbled upon the kits in the early morning sun. After about 15 minutes they began to accept me as a minimal threat and one by one they began to come out and play around me. It was one of the most memorable moments I've ever had with wildlife. It took everything not to reach out and pet one, but wildlife must be kept wild. After spending 15 minutes with them I respectfully backed away and let mother tend to the kits. More fox photos coming!

Ran into a whole flock of spruce grouse chicks. I think this years increasing population of hares has really helped some of the other prey species like this spruce grouse chick. 

A pair of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) feeding on aquatic vegetation near the Mendenhall Glacier. It was very humbling being in the presence of North America's heaviest flying bird. I was amazed at how trusting this pair was after having their population decimated in the past. As I watched in awe through my 300mm prime, I loved seeing how they would wring their necks as the water flew off. I managed to get a decent action shot out of it. Hope you enjoy.

Hanging out near a fox den being investigated by this years kits. Absolutely adorable. I wish I had my gopro to share their cute behaviors.