Spring Moves Along
New Photo Updates from Fairbanks
Spring is fully underway, and it already feels like the beginning of Summer in Fairbanks. We’ve already had a few uncomfortably hot days in the last week. Our natural landscape is in a state of active transformation. With each visit to local sites like Creamer's Field and the Goldstream Valley, the shifts in flora and fauna become more noticeable, providing a continually evolving tapestry of life. It's an excellent time to be outdoors, camera in hand, bearing witness to these changes.
This Sunday, I found myself at Creamer's Field, an area renowned for its local wildlife, particularly birds. For anyone visiting Fairbanks, I strongly recommend a visit, especially during the late spring and early fall migration seasons when the variety and volume of birds are at their peak. To help you navigate this treasure trove of nature, I have prepared a guide and trail map, which you can find on my website: Creamer's Field Guide and Trail Map.
I had to spend some time sitting in the fields, not far from the tree swallow nesting boxes. I managed to capture some fun interactions between these beautiful birds, including one fiercely guarding its nesting box. These birds are notably territorial and aren't shy about demonstrating their discontent when they perceive an intrusion. The image of this little bird, wings raised high, is a potent reminder of nature's intrinsic protective instinct (cover photo).
The seasonal wetlands pond at Creamer's Field offered a striking tableau, signaling the unyielding progression of spring. Now that the snow has melted and the pond is full, the conditions were perfect for some abstract photography. The reflections of the dense birch trees from the opposite shore, stirred by the wind-created ripples, resulted in mesmerizing, dynamic patterns.
Over at Peat Ponds in the Goldstream Valley, I had the pleasure of photographing a Greater Yellowlegs. Wading along the tussock-lined waters, this bird showcased its hunting prowess, effortlessly snagging small fish and insects with its long, slender beak. While the Lesser Yellowlegs are frequent visitors here, this was the first sighting of its longer-beaked cousin.
Keeping track of the progress of willow catkins has been another highlight of this season. After recently sharing an update on the blooming male willow catkins, I can now report that the female catkins are coming into their own. As the leaves unfurl, the female catkins mature beautifully. I captured some detailed macro shots of these and some alder catkins. These early bloomers provide a vital lifeline for bees emerging from hibernation, offering an essential food source when alternatives are scarce.
If you would like to explore some more of these flora macros (or see them in a much larger, zoomable format and peer into these tiny worlds), check out my Flora Macro Gallery.
Among these micro-scenes, some special individual moments also found their way in front of my lens. One such instance was a White-Crowned Sparrow taking a momentary pause on a broken stump. Known for their melodious songs that often fill the air, these birds contribute significantly to the vibrant soundscape of a spring day.
In sharing these photos and experiences, I hope to inspire you to explore and appreciate the outdoors and the abundant wildlife it hosts. For more on early bloomers and their crucial role in our ecosystem, check out my latest blog post: Spring's Early Bloomers: A Close-Up Look at Willow Catkins in Alaska's Taiga.
As always, thank you for your continued interest and support. Here's to more spring watching!
In Other News
Updates on the Physics of Photography:
You may remember that I had planned to release my first set of articles, forming a central chapter of my forthcoming book, by the end of April. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The articles are nearly complete, but they require a few more weeks of refinement.
The bigger challenge, however, was that the topics I'm covering on exposure can't be adequately presented without some essential background information. Recognizing this, I felt it wouldn't do justice to the material to publish it without first providing that context.
Over the past few weeks, that's exactly what I've been working on. I'm revising my publication plan to include these necessary background topics and will be releasing them soon. I expect the first topic, Focal Length, to be available for you by next week. I appreciate your patience and look forward to sharing these foundational aspects of photography with you.
Thanks for reading!