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posted: June 3rd, 2020 |
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This page begins with May 1st and goes through the end of the day on May 11th. The first outing on this page was to Grapefruit Rocks, though we were too early in the season to see what we were searching for. Then, on May 5th, we caught some shots of both White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows, plus a Fox Sparrow at home. Beginning in Row 5 is another trip to Grapefruit Rocks; on the way we spotted a pair of Trumpeter Swans and a couple of Moose. We found the flower which we were searching for on this trip - the Pasque Flower. On May 9th we visited Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge and found several species of migratory waterfowl. The final adventure on this page was on May 11th and it was an adventure to Denali National Park. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin May 1st - 7th |
On May 1st we drove out to Grapefruit Rocks to check on the progress of the spring flowers which grow there. We found a few Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla patens) buds, as shown in the first shot in this row. The second and third shots were taken from where we stopped for lunch - the second shot was taken looking up at Wickersham Dome and the third shot was taken looking north along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.
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 May1st_003_Grapefruit Rocks_PulsatillaVulgarisRC |
 May1_3_Near WickershamDomeTAPSRC |
 May1_6_Near WickershamDomeTAPSRC |
Here are two shots of a White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) in our yard. This species generally stops by on their way to their summer breeding ground and then they leave, but this year they have stayed and are nesting somewhere nearby.
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 May5_24_White CrownedSparrowRC |
 May5th_036_Birds InTheYardRC |
Here are some shots of a Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) in our yard. This was a new species for our life-list this year.
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 May5th_041_049_Birds InTheYardRC |
 May5th_053_Birds InTheYardRC |
These two shots show a Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca) in our yard. This bird didn't stay long before continuing on to wherever they breed and spend the summer.
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 May6th_010_Birds InTheYardRC |
 May6th_017_Birds InTheYardRC |
On May 7th we returned to Grapefruit Rocks to check on wildflower progress. On the way there we spotted a pair of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) and stopped to shoot some photos. After a short while a moose appeared and decided to walk across this pond, in the third shot you can see both the moose and the swans.
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 May7th_002_ NearOlnesPond_SwansRC |
 May7th_038_ NearOlnesPond_MooseRC |
 May7th_059_ NearOlnesPond_MooseRC |
Here is a final shot of the moose strolling across the pond where the swans were. The second and third shots show some amazing beauty which we found near Grapefruit Rocks - Pasque Flowers (Pulsatilla patens) galore!
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 May7th_068_ NearOlnesPond_MooseRC |
 May7_32_33_AutoPano_Grape fruitRocks_PasqueFlowerRC |
 May7_44_Grapefruit Rocks_PasqueFlowerRC |
Here are three more shots which show beautiful Pasque Flowers (Pulsatilla patens).
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 May7_48_Grapefruit Rocks_PasqueFlowerRC |
 May7_50_Grapefruit Rocks_PasqueFlowerRC |
 May7th_079_Grapefruit Rocks_PulsatillaPatensRC |
And here are three more shots which show Pasque Flowers (Pulsatilla patens). Aren't they beautiful?
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 May7th_090_Grapefruit Rocks_PulsatillaPatensRC |
 May7th_104_Grapefruit Rocks_PulsatillaPatensRC |
 May7th_105_Grapefruit Rocks_PulsatillaPatensRC |
Here is the final shot of Pasque Flowers (Pulsatilla patens) taken at Grapefruit Rocks on this day. The second and third shots were taken at Olnes Pond, on our way back to town. The third shot shows two pair of Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser) on the pond.
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 May7th_130_Grapefruit Rocks_PulsatillaPatensRC |
 May7_65_OlnesPond _MergansersRC |
 May7_66_OlnesPond _MergansersRC |
| End May 1st - 7th, Begin May 9th - 10th |
On May 9th we visited Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge once again. In these three shots you can see Sandhill Cranes, Canada Geese, and Snow Geese.
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 May9th_003_ CreamersFieldRC |
 May9th_007_ CreamersFieldRC |
 May9_021_Creamers Field_SandhillCranesRC |
Still at Creamer's Field, and in these three shots you can see Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese.
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 May9th_017_ CreamersFieldRC |
 May9_031_Creamers Field_SandhillCranesRC |
 May9_043_Creamers Field_SnowGeeseRC |
Here you can see Canada Geese, Snow Geese, Sandhill Cranes and more.
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 May9th_038_ CreamersFieldRC |
 May9_046_Creamers Field_SandhillCranesRC |
 May9th_044_ CreamersFieldRC |
In these three shots we have Sandhill Cranes, Canada Geese, Snow Geese, and in the third shot, the smaller white goose is a Ross's Goose. This was the first time a Ross's Goose had ever been documented here.
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 May9th_048_ CreamersFieldRC |
 May9_058_Creamers Field_SandhillCranesRC |
 May9th_068_ CreamersFieldRC |
In the first shot in this row you can again see that Ross's Goose, two Snow Geese, and a Canada Goose. In the second shot are three Sandhill Cranes, and in the third shot is a Sandhill Crane and a Snow Goose.
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 May9th_069_ CreamersFieldRC |
 May9_059_Creamers Field_SandhillCranesRC |
 May9_063_CreamersField_ SandhillCranes_SnowGeeseRC |
Here are more of the usual suspects.
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 May9_064_CreamersField_ SandhillCranes_SnowGeeseRC |
 May9_072_CreamersField_ SandhillCranes_SnowGeeseRC |
 May9_074_CreamersField_S andhillCranes_SnowGeeseRC |
In these final two shots at Creamer's Field are more of the usual suspects. The Ross's Goose can again be seen in the second shot (behind the Sandhill Crane). The third shot shows that bud-burst and greenup (the green explosion) has begun on May 9th.
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 May9th_098_ CreamersFieldRC |
 May9_098_Creamers Field_SnowGeeseRC |
 May9_123_ GreenupAtHomeRC |
The first shot in this row again shows bud-burst in progress. The second and third shots show a species of willow which has very interesting flower buds. We do not know which species of willow this is. The literature says that there are about 40 species in Alaska.
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 May9_124_ GreenupRC |
 May9_132_ GettingersFieldAreaRC |
 May9_133_ GettingersFieldAreaRC |
Now it's May 10th and the green explosion continues here at home.
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 May10_5_AtHome_ GreenExplosionRC |
| End May 9th - 10th, Begin May 11th |
On May 11th we drove down to Denali National Park to see what we could find in terms of both flowers and wildlife. The first shot shows the green explosion in progress, just a few miles south of Fairbanks. The second and third shots show a moose in Denali National Park.
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 May11th_001_ ToDenaliRC |
 May11th_011_ Denali_MooseRC |
 May11th_019_ Denali_MooseRC |
Here is a shot which shows two moose and then two shots of me while eating an Onigiri (Rice Ball). With my down jacket and the lack of greenery on the shrubs you can deduce that it's cooler here than it was at home.
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 May11th_037_ Denali_MooseRC |
 May11th_044_ Denali_OnigiriRC |
 May11th_046_ Denali_OnigiriRC |
Here is a scenery shot and then two shots which show caribou.
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 May11_03_Denali NP_SceneryRC |
 May11_16_Denali NP_CaribouRC |
 May11th_047_ Denali_CaribouRC |
One doesn't see Willow Ptarmigan in bushes too often, but here is one which was munching on these willow flowers. The second the third shots actually show a Willow Ptarmigan on a snow bank.
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 May11_17_Denali NP_PtarmiganRC |
 May11th_057_ Denali_PtarmiganRC |
 May11th_058_ Denali_PtarmiganRC |
The first shot here is an unknown bird which stopped and posed and sang for us. The second and third shots show an Arctic Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus parryii)
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 May11_23_ DenaliNP_BirdRC |
 May11th_080_Denali_ ArcticGroundSquirrelRC |
 May11th_081_Denali_ ArcticGroundSquirrelRC |
The first shot in this row is a scenery shot. The second and third shots obviously show a Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos).
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 May11th_091_ DenaliRC |
 May11th_093_ Denali_BearRC |
 May11th_094_ Denali_BearRC |
Here are three more shots which show a Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos). In the center shot, please note that there are actually two bears, Kazuya did not even know the one on the lower right was there until we looked at our photos in the evening.
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 May11th_100_ Denali_BearRC |
 May11th_102_ Denali_BearRC |
 May11_25Adj_Denali NP_GrizzlyBearRC |
Here are the final shots from this day - two more shots of a Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) in Denali National Park, near the Savage River Rest Area.
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 May11_29Adj_Denali NP_GrizzlyBearRC |
 May11th_141_ Denali_BearRC |
| End May 11th, End Page 1 |
| Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page. Now, please go on to Page 2 for the continuation of this month's adventures. |
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