Category Archives: iPhone Field Reports

Mosquitoes – The unofficial state bird of Alaska

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Mosquito bites on the back of the hand of John L. Dengler. Photo taken on a kayak trip into Adams Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska (John L. Dengler)

I’m often asked what the mosquitoes are like in Alaska. Well, if you ask someone from Alaska, they are likely to respond somewhat jokingly with “you mean the state bird?”

Honestly, I’ve never found mosquitoes a problem, but then again I’m pretty tolerant of the little vampires, even in mosquito-rich enclaves like the Wonder Lake area of Denali National Park.

My secret is that I simply tell myself that I’m going to encounter them and yes, they may be intense. In other words, I play a mind game on myself. For many reasons I rarely will use mosquito repellant. Among them — I hate the smell, I worry that grizzly bears might be curious about the smell, DEET (which is what you want in your spray) has been linked to causing serious neurological and other health problems, and the repellant melts the fabric and plastic of many forms of outdoor clothing and equipment. In the absolute worse cases I will drag out a head net  For that to happen, the mosquitoes have to be to the point where I’m breathing in mosquitoes with every breath. What you pray for in mosquito-rich areas is for wind. Anything above four miles-per-hour usually grounds the suckers.

Sometimes your hands are both busy and you can’t do anything about it. An example, is the above photo of my hand after a day of kayaking in the Adams Inlet of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. An anti-itch gel or cream like Benadryl (diphenhydramine) will offer some relief.

So how bad have they been? Well, once near Wonder Lake in Denali National Park and Preserve, I slapped the top of my hand to kill the mosquitoes on it. How many did I kill, I counted close to twenty dead on the top of my hand. Yes, TWENTY!

Thank goodness for the buggers though. Wonder Lake is one of the most beautiful places on the planet when the weather is clear and you can view Mt. McKinley, aka Denali. The ravenous mosquito population there, while annoying to park visitors, pollinate the flowers and berries, and are an important link in the food chain.  They also keeps the number of campers down.  Only the hardy are willing to brave their meals with the buzzing and biting, so most vistors to Wonder Lake keep their visit short. I’ve never had a problem getting a spot there — a wondrous place that should easily have a waiting list of hundreds of campers.

VIEW PHOTO GALLERY of all my Denali National Park and Preserve Photos photos

VIEW PHOTO GALLERY of all my Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve photos

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Cell phone cameras are amazing, but don’t forget a real camera

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Sunlight filters through the trees along a creek in Rock Bridge Memorial State Park just outside of Columbia, Mo. (John L. Dengler)

iPhone field report: Having an cellphone camera means you always have a camera with you. As the saying goes, the best camera is the camera that you have with you. But knowing that you have the iPhone camera always at your disposal can make you lazy. I sure wish I had my Nikon D4 when I shot the above photo of sunlight filtering through the trees along a creek in Rock Bridge Memorial State Park just outside of Columbia, Mo. The image looks somewhat acceptable on the screen and could make a small print, but that is about it. The bigger problem in my mind, is that the image is shot in jpeg image format, causing the image to lack the tonal range that is possible when shooting with a professional camera in the camera’s native raw image format.

Note to self. Always have the iPhone at the ready, but take the Nikon too. I suspect this will be a lesson that I’m likely to learn several more times before it sinks in. Sigh. …

Sometimes I will convert ‘interior forest’ type of photos into black and white images. I like how the black & white tones simplify the image, while lending a sense of mystery to the forest. Another example of where I have done this is the photo below (shot with my Nikon D3) of an assortment of ferns, including Hapu’u tree ferns, in a small crater in the wet forest near Nahuku (Thurston Lava Tube) at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii. The fern forest photo makes a impressive and stunning large print.

An assortment of ferns including Hapu'u tree ferns in the wet forest in a small crater near the Thurston Lava Tube (Nahuku) in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii. (John L. Dengler)

 

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Bald Eagle Number 88 – tagged for airport eviction research

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Bald eagle Number 88 (photographed here on the Chilkat River in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska) was originally tagged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Juneau, Alaska as part of a study examining the effects of nest removal at the Juneau airport. Steve Lewis, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was quoted as saying that Number 88 was a control bird matched with a pair of eagles that were nesting near the pond airstrip where float planes land and take off. The eagle originally had a GPS tracking pack but lost it this summer. (John L. Dengler)

iPhone photo field report: Over a three year period, I have talked about a leucistic, white-tipped bald eagle, that I have watched and it is always interesting to see where this eagle shows up. A few days ago, I spotted another special bald eagle while on the Chilkat River in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska. In this case, the eagle is easily identifiable by a large numbered green badge that is attached with a rivet-like coupling to its wing.

According to the Takshanuk Watershed Council website bald eagle Number 88 was originally tagged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Juneau, Alaska (roughly 95 miles away) as part of a study examining the effects of nest removal at the Juneau airport. Steve Lewis, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was quoted as saying that Number 88 was a control bird matched with a pair of eagles that were nesting near the pond airstrip where float planes land and take off. The eagle originally had a GPS tracking pack but lost it this summer.

Like the leucistic bald eagle, it will be interesting to see where Number 88 shows up in the years to come. Knowing that you are seeing the exact same bird year after year is like seeing an old friend.

For those interested, I spotted bald eagle Number 88 at 11:33 a.m. AST on Nov. 17, 2011 in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve on Chilkat River near Haines, Alaska. My GPS coordinates were Latitude N59° 23.149′, Longitude W135° 51.030′, when I took the photo with my Nikon 600 mm f/4 lens. (EDITORS NOTE — Post updated with with correct time and coordinates.)

UPDATE: In late May 2013 Lewis reported that bald eagle Number 88 was found dead on the Klehini River. While Lewis doesn’t know the cause of death it appeared that the eagle might have died of starvation.

UPDATE: In late October 2012 I spotted Bald Eagle Number 24, also part of this study, on the Chilkat River not far from where I spotted bald eagle Number 88 the year before.

This bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) resting along the banks of the Chilkat River in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is equipped with a patagial tag (#24) and a solar powered GPS tracking satellite transmitter. The transmitter’s antenna can be seen sticking out of the eagle’s feathers to the right of the green patagial tag. The eagle is being tracked by Steve Lewis of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Juneau, Alaska as part of a study examining the effects of nest removal at the Juneau airport (approximately 95 miles away). During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River near Haines, Alaska to feed on salmon in what is believed to be the largest gathering of bald eagles in the world. (John L. Dengler)

CLICK HERE for a gallery of bald eagle photos in my photo archive
CLICK HERE for a gallery of Haines, Alaska photos in my photo archive

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My office when photographing bald eagles on the Chilkat River

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Photographic equipment belonging to independent photojournalist John L. Dengler set up along the banks of the Chilkat River where John was photographing bald eagles. (John L. Dengler)

iPhone photo field report: Here’s a closeup peek of my “office” when photographing bald eagles on the Chilkat River in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in southeast Alaska.

Most of my bald eagle photography is with my Nikon 600mm f/4 lens on a Nikon D3 body which are mounted on a heavy duty tripod and Wimberly tripod head. Both the camera and lens are protected from the elements with a ThinkTank Hydrophobia rain cover. I keep the cover on the lens at all times so I don’t have to fool with putting it on should it start to rain or snow.

I have the rest of my other lenses, Pocket Wizards, tele-extender, strobes, audio recorder, and video equipment in my Kiboko camera backpack bag made by Gura Gear. Also pictured is a Thermarest sleeping pad. The pad isn’t for sleeping but rather to protect my butt and feet from the cold.

Finally, most important of all, I have my lunch, usually a sandwich with cookies or english muffins from my Haines friends Joanne & Phyllis. Yum.

The photo below is the “office” view from the spot above with Four Winds Mountain in the background.

Ice forms on the Chilkat River in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska. In the background is Four Winds Mountain. (John L. Dengler)

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Even more snow!

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A snow drift loom in this scene from the porch of the Alaska Guardhouse bed and breakfast located on the grounds of historic Fort Seward in Haines, Alaska after an early November blizzard. In the background is one of the fort's former army barracks. (John L. Dengler)

iPhone photo field report: I’ll probably stay in today. I went out to the car this morning and the 18 inches of additional NEW snow was up to my mid thigh (it’s drifting a lot with the high winds). I shoveled for a couple of hours and you would hardly know that I did. I’m guessing it is snowing at least 2 inches an hour (and it has been snowing all night). The main problem today is that the gusting winds (around 45 mph) are causing major snow drifts.

You would think school would get cancelled but that’s not the case. My young Alaska friend Gable (a middle school student) looked at me weird when I said schools back in Missouri would be cancelled for weeks with a snowfall like this one. Snow like this isn’t that big of a deal here. The photo above is from the Alaska Guardhouse where I am staying on the historic Fort Seward grounds in Haines. The building in the background is one of the old army barracks. Hopefully, the snow plow will come by soon.

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Chilkat River snowscape

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Chilkat River snowscape 2, Chilkat River, Alaska

iPhone photo field report: I simply love the snow that has been falling in the Alaska. Last year, there wasn’t any snow during my time on the Chilkat River photographing the bald eagles. I had hoped for snow, but didn’t get any. This year, I got my wish in a big way (see previous iPhone Photo Field Report “Don’t complain the next time it snows”). This photo, taken around noontime, is indicative of how low the sun is on the horizon during the winter in Alaska.

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Don’t complain the next time it snows

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A huge snow drift looms outside the kitchen window at the Alaska Guardhouse bed and breakfast in Haines, Alaska after an early November blizzard. (John L. Dengler)

iPhone photo field report: When I worked at the News-Leader in Springfield Mo. the paper ran a huge front page story about an 18 or 21″ snowfall (can’t remember exactly). The headline in huge type simply said “Buried”. Well, this view (photo above) out the kitchen window of where I am staying really brings new meaning to what constitutes “Buried.” I was scheduled to go out this morning with researchers who count the number of bald eagles on the river but that got cancelled with all the snow that has been falling. Supposedly, some of the areas where we needed to go have received over three feet of snow. Given that it has been snowing very hard for the past 24 hours, I’m not surprised. I’m glad that my friend Phyllis gave me some pointers on the use of snowshoes. I’m going to use them.

UPDATE: According to a posting on the Takshanuk Watershed Council website, the total snowfall for Haines, Alaska from Nov. 1 to Nov. 23 (which was most of the time I was there photographing bald eagles on the Chilkat River) was a whopping 88 inches of snow!

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The presence of grizzly bears is always a good omen

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grizzly bear track in snow, Chilkat River, Alaska

iPhone photo field report: Like baseball players, I’m a bit superstitious. In my case, when I see grizzly bear tracks, I know that the photography for the rest of the day will be great. Today I saw lots of fresh grizzly bear tracks in the new snow (iPhone photo above). It was a great day of shooting on the Chilkat River in Alaska. Weather was pretty nice too — sunny and cold with little wind (iPhone photo below).

Chilkat River snowscape 1, Chilkat River, Alaska

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Endless view of mountains makes you wonder

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Coastal mountains sunrise from air 1

iPhone photo field report: When you see several hours worth of endless coastal mountains when flying from Seattle to Juneau, you have to wonder how many of these mountains have felt the footsteps of a human being.

When I first published this image on the Dengler Images Facebook page, some folks commented that they wish they were along with me. Little did they know that less than 24 hours later after taking this photo, I would be sitting in the dark in my car during a howling blizzard as I waited to board the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry in Juneau for the 4.5 hour trip to Haines.

I try to blog as frequently as possible on my trips (assuming I have internet access).

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Rain, rain, go away – an iPhone report

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Despite rain, there was a non-stop flow of people at the base of the Table Rock Dam in Branson Sunday watching water being released from Table Rock Lake. On Sunday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reduced the amount of water being released from the dam to reduce flooding on Lake Taneycomo, downstream of the dam...The month of April has been a wet month in southern Missouri with some areas recording 12-15 inches of rain. In Springfield, 7.89 inches fell for the month making it the eighth wettest on record. (John L. Dengler)

I had collected quite a bit of mud and muck on my car during my recent trip to the Flint Hills prairie in Kansas. Chasing prairie fires on the dirt and gravel back roads left my car seriously encased in the stuff. With all the rain we have received here in Springfield, my car is just about clean. Just a few more trips to the post office should do the trick.

Despite Sunday’s rain showers, there was a non-stop flow of people at the base of the Table Rock Dam in Branson watching water being released from Table Rock Lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has reduced the amount of water being released from the dam in an effort to reduce flooding on Lake Taneycomo, downstream of the dam.

The month of April has been a wet month in southern Missouri with some areas recording 12-15 inches of rain. In Springfield, 7.89 inches fell for the month making it the eighth wettest on record.

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