Brooks River, St. Paul Island, Barter Island
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Alaska has no shortage of great locations. In fact, trying to develop a manageable subset of superb wildlife attractions is quite challenging. Although many can be reached easily and at little cost, others are relatively inaccessable and fairly expensive to visit. In the latter case, we decided to focus on the mainstays first - Brown Bear, Puffins and Polar Bear. As in the past, we opted for sites with known concentrations at specific times of the year and juggled our budget accordingly. As you can see from our Anchorage synopsis, Chugach State Park is a tremendous location for photographing Moose in September as the combination of low alpine forage and swamp provide ideal habitat for mating. As it happens, this is also a good time to view Brown Bears as they fatten up on spawning salmon.
Pontoon Crossing, Brooks River Estuary
Brooks River
Brooks River is located in the heart of Katmai National Park. Access is by floatplane with lodge or camping accommondation provided through Katmailand. The National Park Service administer the area and visitors must attend a "bear conduct" seminar prior to entry. Photographers are drawn to the area primarily to visit Brooks Falls in the hopes of capturing that elusive shot of a Brown Bear catching a jumping salmon. We decided to pass and visit in the middle of September just prior to lodge closing when visitors decline and bear presence increases substantially in the river estuary. We certainly weren't disappointed as roughly 70 bears were crowded into an area less than three miles square. In fact, the Rangers deploy radio surveillance to ensure that visitors can traverse in relative safety. It's quite common to have bears enter the camp as the lodge and cabins are next to the lake shore and within a short walk of the shallow river estuary where they love to feed. There are viewing platforms at either the falls or across the temporary pontoon bridge pictured above. We did take advantage of eye level shots from the beach next to the lodge but always ensured a spotter was present. Our lens selection included 400mm and 500mm with a 1.4X converter. However, a 600mm with a 2.0X would have immensely improved our ability to get play shots that were just out of range for our existing equipment. Nonetheless, we had a great time with no limit of photography opportunities. Although the weather was temperate during our stay, it's best to plan for slightly colder temperatures and some precipitation. Our results can be seen in Gallery 18. St. Paul Island This is one of four islands known as the Pribilofs located roughly 250 miles north of the Aleutian Chain. In early August, the aging volcanic cliffs house nesting Horned Puffin, Tufted Puffin, Common Murre, Thick-Billed Murre and various species of Aucklet. The shoreline is also home to many large Northern Fur Seal rookeries. There is also no shortage of Arctic Fox. Inland, lush green vegetation masks hidden rocks making any form of wandering about fairly hazzardous in some areas. Although the island is usually shrouded in either cloud cover or a misty fog that creates some definite low light challenges, wind does tend to clear away any adverse conditions, sometimes fairly quickly. Be warned though, these islands see very little sunshine and air travel is quite unpredictable. As rain and low cloud cover are a distinct possibility, you may find yourself unable to photograph during some part of your trip. Although you can easily get stranded either coming or going, it's definitely worth the risk as bird concentration and species variety is prolific.
St. Paul Village
It's best to book through St. Paul Island Tours as you will need a guide and transportation. Although the King Eider Hotel appears rundown, it's clean, comfortable and has a good restaurant. Your guide will definitely know where the best opportunities are to find the target species you wish to focus on. For nesting birds, we had our best days at the Zapadni Point Cliffs and Breakwater. This can be a bit of a climb and the photography somewhat precipitous. The path is well marked, however, and the birds are constantly on the move creating great opportunities especially if you can manage to isolate a neutral backdrop. The cliffs next to the Reef Rookery were also very productive. Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch are fairly common, especially next to the hotel. Seals are slightly more problematic to isolate as access to the rookeries other than from the road or viewing platforms is restricted. Again, our guides were cooperative in manouvering the van to assist with our photography needs. For best results, a 500mm or 600mm long lens is essential with a selection of converters and a Better Beamer flash extender. Wet weather gear is essential, including a protective camera covering. We recommend high rubber boots as shorebirds are plentiful, especially Rock Sandpiper. Our results are included in Gallery 29. Images from a recent trip that included northern British Columbia and the Yukon can be found in Gallery 30.
Barter Island Kaktovik is an Inupiat village located on Barter Island just off the northern tip of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. From roughly early September to late October Polar Bears begin to congregate along the edge of the Beaufort Sea awaiting freezeup as they progress to their winter hunting grounds. Kaktovik is a prime staging area as the remains of the annual village whale kill provide an easy food source. It is a great location for close, eye level shots, with the proviso that snow and wind can create very cold and low light conditions. You need to come prepared with foot and outer wear that can withstand below zero temperatures. Moreover, you should engage a guide or at the very least be accompanied by another photographer as it is extremely important to keep watch for wandering bears at all times. I can't overstate how dangerous these animals are. If you are alone, it is easy to inadvertently lose sight of other activity as you concentrate on the subject at hand.
Bow Whale Bones Near Kaktovik
If you plan to visit this location, an enjoyable excursion is to drive to Deadhorse from Fairbanks, staying overnight at either Coldfoot or Wiseman. Along the way you can expect to see and hopefully photograph Muskox, Caribou, Moose, Fox and an assortment of other arctic animals and bird life preparing for winter. It's also an opportunity to see the aurora. From Deadhorse, Frontier Flying Service have daily flights (except Sunday) to Kaktovik. The Waldo Arms can provide accommodation, guides and transportation. Obviously, it's best to book all accommodation and travel prior to departing.
We did not visit this location together. I arrived in late October, guided myself and enjoyed great eye level photography albiet at times in low light facing severely gusting snow. During these periods, it was difficult to keep the lens clear and the heavier snow often impeded the autofocus feature. You can see how I fared in Gallery 33.
The majority of the photographs were taken with a 100-400mm lens. If you have either a 70-200mm or a 500mm with a 1.4 extender, I would recommend you take both. I found mornings to be the best but plan to spend the day as the bears can show up anytime. As pointed out, it's best not to go alone. A great place to start would be to check out Kaktovik Arctic Adventures. Robert Thompson is a local guide that not only accommodates bear viewing but also offers a host of services that encompass other venues and times in the Refuge. Alternatively, Alaska Photo Tours offers a more expansive package targeting the southern Brooks Range, northern lights and, of course, Polar Bears.