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Well done with the Snowy Owl -  a stunning bird

Thank you for following along and for your encouraging comments @TonyQ @Kitsafari and @Atravelynn.   On the morning of June 20, Rob and I decided to start on Freshwater Lake Road.  This was because we still had not seen a Snowy Owl and Freshwater Lake Road is where my friend Roger and I saw Snowy Owl multiple times last year.  While we saw three species of Jaegers, multiple shorebird species, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs and distant Spectacled Eiders, we did not see any Snowy Owls.    We inadvertently flushed a pair of Greater White-fronted Geese from their nest as we walked the tundra - I took a quick iPhone photo before me moved on to allow the parents to return to the nest.  It was interesting how they had used some Caribou fur to line the nest, in addition to their own feathers the parents pluck from their breasts.      Greater White-fronted Goose nest.    I was becoming concerned at our lack of owls, so we decided to spend the morning focused exclusively on finding a Snowy Owl.    Next we drove a bit back towards town, and turned left on Nunavaaq Road.  We drove a short way, stopped and scanned the tundra with a spotting scope, then proceeded a little more and scanned again.   I saw what looked good for a Snowy Owl out on the tundra southeast of the road - but at a great distance.  So we pulled over and parked, got our gear ready and hiked out onto the tundra.  We were glad we had knee boots due to numerous damp areas and little pools.  On patches of higher ground, we could see "Lemming Hotels" - multiple burrow entrances clustered together. Lemming Hotel     Lemming Hotel and surrounding landscape.   You can see how there are ridges and plateaus of slightly higher elevation with little channels and ponds scattered about.        It was tiring walking on the uneven terrain - lumpy at times, soggy at others.  As we got closer we could see that it definitely was a Snowy Owl!  It was perched on a long ridge that ran back and forth perpendicular to us.   The owl shifted left with a short flight and we scanned further down the ridge and it looked like there were two Snowy Owls!   We kept hiking and the owls shifted a couple more times.   After a while it seemed we were not getting any closer - we eventually figured out the owls had shifted back to a parallel ridge father away from us.  Then we lost track of one owl.   These birds were so mobile and were spending such a short time perched anywhere that we reluctantly gave up on them and worked our way back to the southwest.   Before long we spotted another owl.  It was on the other side of a small frozen lake, so we went around the north end of the lake to approach it from a good light angle.   As we neared the north end of the lake and were preparing to round the bend and line up with the owl, it took flight.  Not from anything to do with us - but when hunting for prey, we came to learn that hunting Snowy Owls seem to wait a certain amount of time - 15, 20 or 30+ minutes - and if there is no prey they often move to another vantage point.    The owl had flown to another small hill overlooking an even smaller frozen lake that was covered in a thin layer of snow.  As we carefully worked our way back, the Owl took flight and flew a very short distance to the highest hill around.   Snowy Owl flying across the landscape   Slightly closer crop     Here is a landscape view of the owl perched on the hill     The owl stayed a good long time at this perch.  She was not doing anything exciting - just swiveling her head looking for prey and potential danger, but we were excited to watch just the same.  She was a beautiful creature - we knew it was a female due to a lack of any dark sports like a male would show.  We carefully worked as close as I felt comfortable.   Snowy Owl photo     Snowy Owl video     After we had our fill of watching, shooting photos, and taking video we left the owl to her vigil.  We agreed she was a magnificent creature - and very large by owl standards.   On our walk back to the vehicle, we startled a Lapland Longspur from her nest.  I took a quick iPhone photo and we hustled on to allow the mother to return as quickly as possible.   Lapland Lonspur nest, in a little woven cup of grass.  It seemed to be lined with goose down feathers.     We had at least four, and likely five Snowy Owls the morning of June 20.  If you search high ground in the right places around Utqiagvik with a spotting scope and put in the time, you will be rewarded with Snowy Owl sightings.  But you should definitely have a permit to roam the tundra more than 50 feet from the roads.   During our travels around the tundra, we came upon a couple of Reindeer carcasses on the tundra.   One looked like it had been killed and butchered by a hunter - the other seemed to have perhaps died of natural causes.     Reindeer carcass   After a break for lunch, we headed out to try for shorebirds and eiders.   We had several cooperative Red Phalaropes and Red-necked Phalaropes in breeding plumage.  It was difficult to find them in grass-free surroundings but eventually we got some good shots.     Red Phalarope     Red-necked Phalarope     We kept having puffed-up Pectoral Sandpipers fly past us making their whooping territorial call.   But we kept failing to notice them until they were right on top of us - which complicated getting a flight shot.   But this one puffed up and strutted right past us. Pectoral Sandpiper     Eventually we found a small pond with a pair of King Eiders and a pair of Spectacled Eiders courting.  The heat shimmer was challenging and we could not get as close as we liked due to the eiders becoming nervous.  All my photos turned out fairly soft.  But I shot some video - the first half shows the King Eiders and second half shows the Spectacled Eiders.           After some more birding and checking out the Chuckchi Sea from a vantage point south of town, we headed back for supper.   We chose Thai Corner again - it had been so good the night before we stuck with it.  Here is a photo of their menu - very good for the Alaska frontier at the top of the world.     The next day would be our last full day in Utqiagvik and we decided to particularly focus on Spectacled Eider stalking and photo opportunities.

As I have just finished the major part of my own Botswana self-driving trip, your sightings and your photos are just so much more amazing! And one month does dry up the countryside 🙁.  

Thanks @madaboutcheetah- Crazy to think I have not been to Kwando since November 2011.   I still think a fly camp further north should be built, would help break up your long drives!

This trip (and thread) was named after a favourite bedtime reading book (by Michel Rosen) for both our son's!    It had been a long time ambition to see (and of course photograph) 'grizzly' bears in the wild and we have recently returned from a trip to the Great Bear Rainforest in north-eastern Canada.     We flew to Vancouver, rented a car and took the ferry to Victoria on Vancouver Island, drove to Campbell RIver and then caught a float-plane north to a Knights Inlet, a floating lodge in The Great Bear Rainforest.   This female was especially confiding, and in lovely late evening light.          

@pscrimshawGlad you got to see the rhinos even if they weren't terribly close.  I have been to the Crater twice (2009 and 2021) and neither time did I see them even far off, so my luck is not so good either.  I had much better luck at Lake Nakuru and Nairobi NP in Kenya and various locations around South Africa.     Love your videos and pictures.  Makes me want to visit Ndutu for sure next time.  

@AtravelynnThank you so much for the kind words! I suppose I thought that since the rhinos in the crater are so much more used to vehicles that they'd be more confident approaching the roads. But nope! Still very shy!

@Alex The Lion- In 2013, the lagoon pack was taken over by 4 Orange coated males, after they killed the alpha male .... Subsequently, not only did the pack split - but, over the course of the following years the pack got more and more light coat/sandy colour .....    However, i do hear that the darker dogs are in and out of the area atm as there is a large pack up north in Muvumbi where there is just one road going up to the Namibian border with hardly any game vehicles going that way. 

Necrosyrtes monachus     Taken on 26 June, 2024 at 6:40 am in Manyeleti Game Reserve, Ndzhaka Camp, using an EOS 1D X camera with a Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II super-telephoto lens   ISO 2500, f/2.8, 1/500 sec., handheld Manual shooting mode in a safari vehicle in early morning overcast light   **********************************************************************************************************************************************************   ~ The morning game drive of the second day in Manyeleti began with an extended sighting of two Hooded Vultures.   They were cleaning the dried remains of a buffalo killed by lions one week earlier. Despite the chill morning air they were quite active.  

page 2--The first moose of many!  So cool to see musk ox.  I can see why the bear encounter is one of your best safari experiences.  It is a privilege to be in such close proximity to these majestic creatures as they go about their lives.  The bears even posed in front of Augustine.  The red foxes are a real treat as well.   Katmai delivers!   Nice balance of iconic northern mammals and birds.   Thanks for the warning on giving travel notices with credit cards.  What a mess that could have been.  I always bring more than one credit card, only needing the second card once.  Your experience was very helpful, along with the caution not to walk your dog around any musk ox!   This is a great report of your amazing Alaska Adventure!

Crater video--You did the Garden of Eden justice in your video.  The flamingos were especially gorgeous.  Your persistence with the rhinos did pay off, though it would have been nice if they were more cooperative for you.

Lupulella adustus     Taken on 25 June, 2024 at 7:45 pm in Manyeleti Game Reserve, Ndzhaka Camp, using an EOS 1D X camera with a Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II super-telephoto lens   ISO 10000, f/2.8, 1/80 sec., handheld Manual shooting mode in a safari vehicle at night with a handheld light   **********************************************************************************************************************************************************   ~ Shortly after leaving the serval sighting another species appeared on the night-darkened track, startling us.   A Side-Striped Jackal was unmistakably following a scent while crossing the track, briefly glancing at us.

After spending much of the day in Gol Kopjes, it was time for the finale of the trip in the Southern Serengeti area known as Ndutu. Ndutu is generally where the big herds of wildebeest come to give birth, and while we were probably a few weeks late to see that, it's still an incredibly productive game viewing area. With woodlands, marshes, and open plains, Ndutu is very different than the rest of the Serengeti. Plus the ability to off road makes it a photographers paradise. Every day we saw lions, and on the days when we ventured to the plains we always saw the big herds and several cheetah. It was a fantastic place to visit, and I'm glad that we saved the best for last.     The ability to off road in Ndutu allowed for perfect photographic positioning       The woodlands here was the perfect habitat for giraffes. Also for leopards but we never saw them       The smaller residents deserve love too. Like this chameleon who took forever to cross the road       I've seen secretary birds before, but never had any solid photos until now!       The Big Marsh area was perfect for finding lions in the morning       I got to practice some panning photography with the huge herds of wildebeest that were often run by       With the herds coming to give birth, there is also sometimes death. But that gives life for others like this tawny eagle       Endless herds of wildebeest as far as the eye can see       Ndutu is famous for some of the more rare African animals. Like this African wild cat which I had never seen before       The short grass plains are the perfect hunting grounds of cheetahs, which we saw several times       The resident lions here also know how to climb trees. You think you've seen a leopard when really it's a giant lion!       With plenty to eat, these cubs have lots of opportunities to play and enjoy themselves   What an adventure! 3 different countries, 5 or 6 national parks depending on who you ask, and several thousand photos later, I can honestly say that this was an ultimate East Africa trip. I'm so happy that I finally got to see gorillas, get my dream shots of elephants and Mt. Kilimanjaro, see the big cats of the Serengeti, and so much more. I know that I definitely need to come back, because there is a lot left to see in places like the Serengeti, but that's for another trip. For now though, I need a little break because that was exhausting! Until my next safari that is!

We decided to exit the Serengeti via the Gol Kopjes area. Historically this has been a research area for cheetahs, but it is open to visitors at an additional cost. And thank goodness that we did because this was what I had in mind when I was planning a trip to the Serengeti! Huge rock formations, endless short grass plains with wildlife everywhere! There were mega herds of wildebeest and zebra, and we were finding big cats with zero work. Lions on rocks, cheetahs just hanging out, quintessential Serengeti.     The day started with these two male lions which made their way to lay in the sun on some kopjes       Gol Kopjes is what people think of when they imagine the Serengeti       We also stumbled across tens of thousands of wildebeest and zebra       This area has one of the highest density of cheetahs in all of Africa       Every kopje seemed to have lions on them         With fluffy clouds it made for some dramatic photos

After our day in the Crater, it was time to visit the most famous of all parks: the Serengeti.   We made our way to the central Serengeti, where we would be exploring the famous Seronera area. Everyone has envisioned the Serengeti at one point: elephants and zebra and giraffe everywhere! With lions and cheetahs ready to pounce around every corner! But when we got there, it was like nobody was home. There might be a giraffe or two, maybe an odd elephant here and there, but otherwise the whole place was like a ghost town. We had to drive almost 2 hours away to find a cheetah that someone called on the radio, and on our last day we found a few lions, but otherwise it was probably the quietest safari I'd ever been on.       We would often come across crowded hippo pools, with some very angry residents       With wildlife hard to come by, I was able to play around with some landscape photography       The main highlight proved to be this cheetah that had hunted a gazelle. It was 2 hours away but worth the trip       Wildlife was very scare, and outside of a few elephants most game drives ended with few photos       This male lion on our last full day in the park made for a great portrait   Disappointing isn't quite the word to use, because being in the Serengeti is still such a beautiful and magical experience. Photographically though, I think maybe it didn't quite live up to expectations. It just means that I'll have to come back at some point, and hopefully have better luck then!