I’m on an early morning tour bus with Vince Crichton, retired wildlife biologist and renowned moose expert. In between telling moose stories and pointing out other wildlife, like a red-tailed hawk, Crichton pauses to say, “Fresh tracks.” Soon afterward two moose, as fleet as they are massive, dart through the trees, away from our vehicle. […]
Tag: Alaska
Alaska – 13th June (Day 17)
It was our final mornings birding in Barrow and indeed in Alaska as this was the final day of the trip. We decided to head out to the point to get some final views of Polar Bear. As we drove along the coast road the male Snowy Owl from yesterday was perched close to the […]
Brown Bears Use ‘Human Shield’ to Protect Their Cubs
You might think that winter is the most dangerous time of the year for a young animal. But for Scandinavian brown bear cubs, these next few weeks may determine whether the animal lives or dies. That’s because early May to mid-July is breeding season for Sweden’s brown bears. The males, in a desperate attempt to […]
Arctic foxes ‘grow’ their own gardens
The underground homes, often a century old, are topped with gardens exploding with lush dune grass, diamond leaf willows, and yellow wildflowers – a flash of color in an otherwise gray landscape. “They’re bright green and everything around them is just brown,” says Brian Person, a wildlife biologist for the North Slope Borough in Barrow, Alaska. “It pops.” He’s talking about arctic fox dens. Person has […]
Pizzly or grolar bear: hybrid species is result of climate change
Climate change is known for swelling the oceans and fueling extreme weather, but it may be also causing the curious emergence of a new type of bear in the Arctic. A bear shot in the frigid expanse of northern Canada is believed to be a grizzly-polar bear hybrid, a consequence of the increasing interactions between […]
Top scientists back federal plan to protect Alaska predators
A group of scientists has backed a federal plan to restrict the trapping and gunning down of bears and wolves in Alaska’s wildlife refuges, in the face of bitter opposition from the state government. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has proposed an overhaul of hunting regulations for Alaska’s 16 national wildlife refuges, which […]
Video: Polar Bears Feast On Dead Whale in Wild Alaska
These polar bears need the sea to freeze completely, so they have a solid platform from which to hunt seals and right now they’re hungry. Taken from Wild Alaska.
Why the Arctic’s Big Mosquito Problem Is Getting a Lot Worse
When the wind drops and the endless summer sun bakes the ponds that dot the frozen tundra, some of the Arctic’s most ferocious predators emerge and form menacing blizzards that darken the horizon – and everyone’s mood. “It is the talk of the town when the Arctic mosquitoes are out,” says Lauren Culler, a postdoctoral […]