Views of Alaska Near Nome

It is a lifeless place on first glance. Remember, however, that all the animals I've shown you in earlier posts are found in this place.

So, What Does the Western Alaska Look Like?

Even without the animals to spice things up, the region around Nome is an interesting place. Not that there are spectacular things to see or really impressive mountains, but rather that it is place not quite like any other.

As I have noted before, if solitude is what you are after, this is the place to come.

Life in a Beautiful but Hard Place

A reminder that life near Nome is often hard and ends in the usual way. This reminder of the musk ox sitting on the snow is a stark sign of the what life is like.

Snipes and Plovers

Not far from the road, we found some birds wandering, looking for food. the first one here is a western snipe.

Water Birds and Other Critters

Here's another view of the long-tailed duck we saw yesterday. Yes, I realize that this bird does not have a long tail. I believe this is a juvenal or female, hence the shorter tail.

Birds Among the Willows and More

Sometimes the birds choose to perch on a part of the bush that is nicer than simply the bare limb. On this occasion, this savanna sparrow treated us with a pose on one of the open willow blooms.

Along the Nome-Teller Road

Now that I have you all calm and settled on churches in southern England, I thought I'd shakes things up with another round of birds from Alaska.

Above (and below) are a few images of the western (aka Wilson's) snipe.

Ending the Session and Calling it a Day

Even photographers reach a point where they can no longer sit and take photos of the same bird again and again.

American Pipit - III

This pose puts me in the mind of Napoleon with one foot raised and hands hidden in the coat.

American Pipit - II

Perhaps you are not as enamoured of this unassuming little bird as I am, but stay with me. He does some nice posing.

American Pipit

This is the sort of bird that, if you saw it in your backyard you'd be underwhelmed. But here, sitting on this rock so close to us, he is quite impressive.

Headed out Kougarok Road

On the windy, treeless plains and hillsides surrounding Nome we find lots of life. Not just the birds and mammals I've photographed, but also the summer explosion of flowers.

Along Council Road

I thought you'd like to see a few scenes along Council Road, just outside Nome. Nome sits on the coast of Alaska that faces south west. The road to the village of Council runs along the coast for a while headed south east. Along this coastal section, there are lots of small cabins that seem to be built to house folks for fishing.

Phalarope and Sparrow

Another commonly found bird on this trip is the red necked phalarope. these are neat and prim little birds that can be found in bodies of water of most any size from the large roadside puddle on up.

Along a River

In the river next to the sandpiper we saw in the posts yesterday, we found a couple red breasted mergansers. They make a handsome pair.

More of the Semipalmated Sandpiper

We soon discovered why the sandpiper was figgety: she had a nest in the stones beside the road and was quite anxious about our presence. However, she eventually gave up on trying to lead us away and went back to her nest.

A Couple Birds from the Nome Trip

I thought I'd bring you some more birds from my Nome trip. With all the travel this year I have plenty of variety to bring to the blog. Since travel down times leads to lots of repetitive sorts of photos of flowers and such. Enjoy the senseless switching from place to place while you can.

Above is another image of a willow ptarmigan. These birds like to perch on clumps of willow not far from the road, so it was fairly easy see them.

Along the Nome-Teller Road

In the bushes along the sides of the road, we often spied rock ptarmigans monitoring the surroundings for predators approaching their nests.

Musk Ox and Eider Ducks

While I'm sure that were I to walk up to this animal and feel his fur, I would not describe his fur this way, but from my distance, the new fur coming on as the the old fur sluffs off, looks quite clean and comfy. In a well-kept state, musk ox are not bad looking.

Back on the Road Outside Nome, AK

It is not a great surprise that we would find arctic terns here in Nome. They are, after all, named for this place, more or less. These birds hunt by flying above the water and hovering when they see activity below the surface. This fellow in the midsts of such a hovering maneuver.