Alaska Outdoors

This photo shows sandhill cranes in a Southern Wisconsin field. "It’s always a big treat to see them," writes Mary F. Willson. (Courtesy Photo / J.S. Willson)

On the Trails: Visiting old home ground

By Mary F. Willson For the Juneau Empire In mid-October, I made a quick trip back to my old stomping grounds in southern Wisconsin. In… Continue reading

This photo shows sandhill cranes in a Southern Wisconsin field. "It’s always a big treat to see them," writes Mary F. Willson. (Courtesy Photo / J.S. Willson)
A bar-tailed godwit born in Alaska that undertakes one of the greatest non-stop migrations in the animal kingdom, often flying from Alaska straight to New Zealand in the fall. (Courtesy Photo / Zachary Pohlen)

Alaska Science Forum: Blown back to Alaska, bird perseveres

Second time’s the charm.

A bar-tailed godwit born in Alaska that undertakes one of the greatest non-stop migrations in the animal kingdom, often flying from Alaska straight to New Zealand in the fall. (Courtesy Photo / Zachary Pohlen)
An American robin perches on a branch, with toes loosely curled. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Why don’t birds fall off their perches?

A growing body of evidence suggests that birds have a second organ of equilibrium.

An American robin perches on a branch, with toes loosely curled. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
A male bar-tailed godwit near Prudhoe Bay during the summer breeding season. (Courtesy Photo / Zachary Pohlen)

Alaska Science Forum: Shorebirds depend on wee slivers of Alaska

By Ned Rozell Pencil-beaked shorebirds with the ability to stay airborne for a week — flying all the way from Alaska to New Zealand —… Continue reading

A male bar-tailed godwit near Prudhoe Bay during the summer breeding season. (Courtesy Photo / Zachary Pohlen)
A flying squirrel digs for a truffle in this undated photo. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
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On the Trails: Dispersal of fungal spores

How fungus spreads among us.

A flying squirrel digs for a truffle in this undated photo. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
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Wild Shots: Photos of Mother Nature in Alaska

Reader-submitted photos of Southeast Alaska.

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Fairbanks City Transit System No. 142 of “Into the Wild” fame inside the engineering building on the UAF campus, where UA Museum of the North conservators will work on its preservation. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Bus 142 to embark on final journey

No longer in transit.

Fairbanks City Transit System No. 142 of “Into the Wild” fame inside the engineering building on the UAF campus, where UA Museum of the North conservators will work on its preservation. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
Cheryl Fellman enters the chilly waters of Auke Bay. Freeman is on the verge of becoming one of only 43 Americans — and 422 people worldwide — to swim an official Ice Mile. (Courtesy photo/Cheryl Fellman)

Juneau woman to attempt rare ice swimming feat

Brrrrrr!

Cheryl Fellman enters the chilly waters of Auke Bay. Freeman is on the verge of becoming one of only 43 Americans — and 422 people worldwide — to swim an official Ice Mile. (Courtesy photo/Cheryl Fellman)
Snow and rain are often annoying, but without the right amounts, rivers become too low for good floats and salmon spawning. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: The two types of climate change

It’s about reusable water bottles, but also energy efficient homes.

Snow and rain are often annoying, but without the right amounts, rivers become too low for good floats and salmon spawning. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)
This photo shows a brown-headed cowbird. Adult brown-headed cowbirds in North America practice brood parasitism in which they remove eggs from a host nest and replace them with eggs of their own. (Courtesy Photo / DonaldRMiller Photography, Wikimedia)

On the Trails: Infanticide and egg-destruction

Some regular infanticide and egg-destruction occurs between species.

This photo shows a brown-headed cowbird. Adult brown-headed cowbirds in North America practice brood parasitism in which they remove eggs from a host nest and replace them with eggs of their own. (Courtesy Photo / DonaldRMiller Photography, Wikimedia)
A praying mantis eats the remnants of its mate. In most cases, females that are cannibalistic gain reproductive advantages by laying larger, bigger eggs that survive better than those of non-cannibalistic females. Therefore their deceased mates also gain reproductive advantages.(Oliver Koemmerling / Wikimedia)

On the Trails: Having family for dinner

Cannibalism in nature can be a family affair.

A praying mantis eats the remnants of its mate. In most cases, females that are cannibalistic gain reproductive advantages by laying larger, bigger eggs that survive better than those of non-cannibalistic females. Therefore their deceased mates also gain reproductive advantages.(Oliver Koemmerling / Wikimedia)
Sunset at Beaver Lake. (Courtesy Photo / Michael Humling)

The Salmon State: Bear man of Admiralty Island Allen Hasselborg — and climate change

By Mary Catharine Martin The Salmon State Every day for decades, bear hunter, guide, and early 20th century Southeast Alaska homesteader Allen Hasselborg logged the… Continue reading

Sunset at Beaver Lake. (Courtesy Photo / Michael Humling)
Tone and Charles Deehr in Fairbanks, October 2021. Both photos courtesy Charles Deehr. 3. (Courtesy Photo / Charles Deehr)

Alaska Science Forum: Red aurora rare enough to be special

In decades of sky-watching in the north, he has seen a few red auroras, but not many.

Tone and Charles Deehr in Fairbanks, October 2021. Both photos courtesy Charles Deehr. 3. (Courtesy Photo / Charles Deehr)
The author photographs one of the numerous bull moose he and his wife saw on an elk hunt in Wyoming. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: Desired vs. realized success

No elk taken, but it’s nothing to grouse about.

The author photographs one of the numerous bull moose he and his wife saw on an elk hunt in Wyoming. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)
Salmonberry leaves of unusual color on one cane; nearby canes bore green leaves.(Courtesy Photo / Mary F. Willson)

On the Trails: Fall colors in our rainforest

Here are a few examples of enjoyable displays of fall colors…

Salmonberry leaves of unusual color on one cane; nearby canes bore green leaves.(Courtesy Photo / Mary F. Willson)
A male sockeye salmon spawns in Bristol Bay. (Courtesy Photo / Jonny Armstrong)

Pride of Bristol Bay: Life of a sockeye

It only took one sockeye to remind of how lucky I am to live in a world with wild salmon

A male sockeye salmon spawns in Bristol Bay. (Courtesy Photo / Jonny Armstrong)
Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire The author glasses harsh terrain on a beautiful October day on an unsuccessful hunt in 2015.

I Went to the Woods: The danger of overexposure

Outdoors content isn’t a monolith.

Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire The author glasses harsh terrain on a beautiful October day on an unsuccessful hunt in 2015.
This photo shows the colors of deciduous trees and bushes on the upper Delta River in Interior Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: The season of senescence is upon us

Trees and other plants are simply shedding what no longer suits them.

This photo shows the colors of deciduous trees and bushes on the upper Delta River in Interior Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
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The Salmon State: An early fall trip to Hasselborg Lake

We were already happier, ready to skip our phones across the water like stones.

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The typical cocoon of a Caloptila moth, a leaf miner and leaf roller, with a plate-like cover over the pupa.

On the Trails: Small things living on leaves

I found a funny looking thing on the underside of an alder leaf.

The typical cocoon of a Caloptila moth, a leaf miner and leaf roller, with a plate-like cover over the pupa.