Bald Eagles of Alaska Photo Safari

I arrived home from Haines, Alaska, one week ago today, where I led my company's annual Bald Eagles of Alaska photo safari.

The Chilkat Valley where we photograph the eagles is known for its short days and overcast skies during the time of our visits. Because of this, I am often asked 'how much sun we get?' My typical reply is "About 45-minutes."

This year was certainly an exception. There were several days when the sun peaked from behind the clouds for several hours; and believe it or not, we experienced an entire day during which, there was not a single cloud in the sky. Temperatures ranged from the mid- to upper 20s (F) on most days, down to mid-single digits and teens a couple of days. The valley and surrounding mountains were blanketed in snow, which makes for great backdrops when photographing the eagles. In fact, it snowed all-day long one of the days during our visit, which added the the variety of conditions.

As you can see from the attached images, Bald Eagles were not our only subjects. Several ermine (AKA: short-tailed weasels, or stout) provided numerous photo opps for my group. That's not all, Trumpeter Swans, Common Mergansers, Common Goldeneye, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Common Raven, and Black-billed Magpies also provided plenty of action. I will be posting more images as time allows.

I want to take this time to thank you for visiting my blog and wish all of you a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING.