If there is one bird that captures more attention than any other, it would certainly be our National Bird and National Symbol of the United States, the bald eagle. Of course, the name is a bit of a modern misnomer as these birds are not actually bald, but instead have their neck and head covered by white plumage (bald used to mean white-headed) in stark contrast to the dark brown and black plumage of the remainder of their body, except their tail feathers which are once again white. These striking characteristics allow them to be noticed and identified at large distances. And boy do get noticed. More than once The Wild Images Team has encountered lines of traffic at a complete standstill because a bald eagle is found in a tree or on the ground within eyesight of a road, much to the enjoyment of everyone. Their range covers all of the United States including Alaska but not Hawaii, most of Canada, and the northern portion of Mexico. Right now, on a daily basis we are encountering a breeding pair of bald eagles with eaglets that are beginning to fledge in the Pheasant Branch Conservancy of Middleton, Wisconsin, where we are currently located. However, for most of the country it is still a rare sight to encounter these majestic birds. But this is not the case for certain locations. While they may be found throughout the United States, they are technically a sea eagle, so the likelihood of seeing one is far greater along the coastline, especially that of the northern Pacific Ocean along Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. While on our kayaking trips in these locations, bald eagles become a fairly common sight, where it is possible to see up to 30 or more a day! They are commonly found perched in the limbs of a tree, silently scanning the ocean waters for an opportunity to catch its favorite food, fish. On multiple occasions we have witnessed it make a quick dive, dip its talons under the surface of the water, and come back up carrying away a fish. With a massive wingspan topping 6 or 7 feet, their flight is something to witness, and has often entertained crowds at stadiums where a handler will allow a captive bald eagle to fly around. But it is the rare sight in their natural habitat that is really special. In this photo, a bald eagle scans the northern Pacific Ocean waters from a rocky island near the mouth of a fjord in Alaska. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images while in Alaska including the terminal moraines of a glacier winding down from the Chugach Mountains, the many splendid colors of the Sheep Mountain chromatic peaks in the Talkeetna Range, as a seal watches over the thick floating ice in Kenai Fjords National Park, as very fast moving seals cut tracks through the ice, as an entertaining seal strikes a pose on Northwestern Lagoon ice, the many miles of Northwestern Glacier reflecting over the turquoise waters, the awe inspiring rumble when a glacier calves of the cliffs in Kenai Fjords National Park, the moment when clouds crown a peak in Kenai Fjords National Park, the long summer days when fireweed enjoys the land of the midnight sun, and as a very playful Dall’s porpoise breaches the ocean surface in Aialik Bay, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Alaska document the moment we realized that no bananas on a boat is a very serious rule, as our kayak carrying water taxi Michael A launches from Miller’s Landing, the chaotic scene during a feeding frenzy floating island of seagulls, the majestic bald eagle scanning the coastline from a tree, the expansive view of a colorfully banded rock island reflection, the chaotic jumble of very noticeable blue ice of Northwest Glacier, the reflective view over briefly calm waters of the far northern Pacific Ocean under the Harding Icefield, when The Wild Images Team was photographed at the mouth of a glacier draining tunnel, the intimidating view from the snout of a very large and very steep glacier, and when our Coordinator Christina Orban keeps tradition by kissing the snout of this glacier. The Wild Images Team has also captured many photos during our journey up to Alaska through western and northern Canada including colorful canoes standing at the edge of Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, a moment of isolation as a canoe crosses Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, the scene when a grizzly mother is grazing with two cubs, a practically newborn grizzly cub is shorter than the grass, near the Rancheria River where a massive blonde grizzly steps out of the brush, where the remote Liard River wanders through woods and mountains, an action shot when two bison calves are learning to spar, and another action shot as a large bull moose runs through the woods, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from our journey through Canada document the dark background storm clouds while the grain silos shine in the sunlight of Saskatchewan, the sheer terrain of Cascade Mountain towering over the Bow River valley, the velvet covered antlers of an elk as it passes by in Jasper National Park, the welcome sign declaring you are now entering the world famous Alaska Highway, the very iconic mile 0 signpost found at the start of the Alaska Highway, the desolate road of the Alaska Highway drops down into clouds of the Yukon Territory, the very remote road of the Alaska Highway rounds a mountain within clouds of the Yukon Territory, as the Alaska Highway heads straight towards a giant peak along Kluane Lake, the tall snow-capped peaks along the Alaska Highway west of Whitehorse, the shore lining patterned designs of mudflats from the missing A’ay Chu, as The Wild Images Team Photographer Jeremy Robinson hides in the Signpost Forest, and as The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina hides in the Signpost Forest.
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