Back to the Real Alaska

[NorthernFocus]

Prior to being interrupted by our changing addresses, I posted several threads displaying the unusually dry, sunny summer we were having. Yes WERE having. Not only did things return to normal but the rains fell in quantities to make up for lost time. So, here are some shots from our most recent trip on Prince William Sound.

All of the following landscapes were shot with D810/24-120mm f4. The wildlife were shot with D500/200-500mm f5.6.

1) Starting with a b/w conversion seems fitting. This scene is looking back up Port Valdez as we were headed back out on the sound after spending a night in town. Two shots merged into pano. This looked OK late last night. Now it seems to be lacking contrast.



2) No rain, no green. This summer we've seen dozens of water falls that we've never previously seen flowing.



3) Even overcast it can be lovely. This is a place called Deep Water Bay that is surrounded by granite peaks.



4) Not a bad anchorage. We hiked across the hill behind the boat and found a lovely little valley with a lake.



5) And not such a great anchorage. It rained non-stop for 72 hours. One crazy thing about this area for boating is that it was nearly a clock calm in this spot and a couple of miles away the wind was blowing 20-30 mph(30-50 kph). Unfortunately the wind precluded our crossing a bay to get home so we were stuck in the rain for a couple of days longer than we wished.



6) In Deep Water Bay we ran across this accommodating otter in some absolutely perfect water.



7) This has been the summer for whales. This male was cruising slightly removed from the rest of the pod.



8) The next morning on our way to go fishing they were still around. Three females and a youngster right up against his mom's side.



9) Then while we were salmon fishing we watched this humpback swim along on his side loudly slapping his pectoral fins down on the water. He cruised for a mile or so doing this the entire time and switching sides every now and then. I have no idea what it was doing.



10)

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Thanks for sharing Dan. I look forward to seeing more of your photos.

[kalyt]

Hi Dan

Amazing series. The first, second and sixth is defiantly my favorites, but they are all amazing pictures!

[Donald]

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

And for a supporter of Whale & Dolphin Conservation, these images of the Orca and the Humpback are doubly beautiful.

What a pleasure to be able to look at each of these images.

[Wavelength]

What a great journey!!! excellent images!!!

[Ziggy]

Fantastic series Dan, enjoyed.

[bnnrcn]

Great shots Dan, thanks for sharing

[xpatUSA]

Nothing short of spectacular - thanks!

[LePetomane]

Dan,

Thank you. I enjoy your photos.

[Minerva]

Exquisite shots Dan, my favs. being 3&6.

[bje07]

Nice pictures, my preferred 3, 4 & 6

[Dave Humphries]

Nice series Dan,

~ we watched this humpback swim along on his side loudly slapping his pectoral fins down on the water. He cruised for a mile or so doing this the entire time and switching sides every now and then. I have no idea what it was doing.

It is a form of non-vocal communication commonly observed in a variety of whale and dolphin species as well as seals. The motion is slow and controlled, and the behaviour can occur repeatedly by one individual over a few minutes.
~
Pec-slapping varies between groups of different social structure, such as not occurring in lone males but being common in mother calf pairs and also when they are accompanied by an escort. The reasons for pec-slapping therefore can vary depending on age and sex of individual humpback whales. During the breeding season adult males pec-slap before they disassociate with a group of males that are vying for a female, whereas adult females pec-slap to attract potential mates and indicate that she is sexually receptive.

URL to page

My favourites are; 2, 6, 7 and 8.

Cheers, Dave

[terrib]

So glad to have you back! The colors in 3 & 4 are amazing. So fun to see an otter again and I can't imagine being caught on a boat in the rain for that long!

[FootLoose]

Stunning scenery and great photos, Dan.

[NorthernFocus]

Glad you folks enjoyed the post. I forgot to post another wildlife shot from the trip which I've added here. Grace running across the only white sand beach in Prince William Sound. It's actually more of a sand bar than a beach, only exposed at low tide. The sand is eroded from white/golden colored granite across which a fairly high volume stream/waterfall runs. The beach/sandbar lies at the outfall of the stream.

[Mike Buckley]

Such a terrific series! Very informative, entertaining and visually inspiring.

[madcrow]

Great series Dan, looks like you had a good time.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[Marie Hass]

Grace looks great! She is starting to get a bit grey?

Fantastic pictures. Nicely composed and processed.

Marie

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for the comments, folks.

Grace looks great! She is starting to get a bit grey?...

It's hard to tell, Marie. She's not quite five yet but has had grey on her chin and muzzle since she was a pup. It has increased steadily on her chin as she has aged and went away on top of her snout.