Himba village, Nambia, October 2021
Good afternoon! It's a well-known fact that the majority of moose calves don't survive their first year of life. With the number of bear sightings in the valley this year, it was encouraging to see this healthy little one feeding with mom last night in the late evening sunshine. Hopefully it will remain among the lucky ones and reach adulthood.
Colin
Hello and Happy May Day, friends! Mother’s Day is soon approaching and it’s not too late to order Mom special prints for her special day. I still have a few signed & numbered original artist proofs of Mother’s Love (cow moose & twin calves) and Mother’s Day Aurora (taken May 8, 2016) available for $75 each, or get the pair for $125 AND I will include a 2019 Aurora Borealis calendar as well – my photo is on the month of March, which I will sign for you, although it was also taken on Mother’s Day, May 8, 2016. Order today and they will be in the mail tomorrow! Follow the link to purchase: http://www.colintyler.com/online-store/combined-limited-first-edition-ten-signed-and-numbered-12x18-prints
Cheers,
Colin
Another sure sign of spring - bull moose are sprouting new antlers. Look closely in front of the ears and you will see the start of a new rack. During summer months, bull moose focus their energy on antler development, which can grow up to an inch per day. A fully developed set of antlers can end up weighing more than 50 pounds and span 6 feet in width. Photo taken recently at the Eagle River Nature Center.
“Can I help you?”
“No thanks, I’m just browsing.”
Taken during a heavy snowfall in Anchorage yesterday. Moose are common in residential and urban areas throughout Alaska, where they are often observed feeding, resting, sometimes even birthing calves. They are also famous for consistently ignoring traffic signs, so “Give them a brake” as the saying goes and if you don’t like the way they roam, then stay off the sidewalks.
Colin
Following in Mom's footsteps...
Another image from yesterday.
I waited nearly 4 hours for this moment today. This cow moose has twin calves. After a bit of browsing this morning, they bedded down for a few hours in some tall grass and brush, mostly out of sight. I'd considered throwing in the towel; I was growing hungry and have a number of tasks to accomplish today but when you've got subjects like these with soft, overcast light, sometimes you have to wait in hopes that patience eventually pays off.
Well, it seems this pair of swans has left the valley and moved on to their summer nesting grounds. They were here for an entire month this spring, twice as long as the previous two years. I always look forward to their return and the beautiful opportunities they present; this year being no exception.
Just in time for Mothers' Day, I've added some recent photos (both swans and moose) to my online store. These images would look great on metal and they are available on canvas and high-gloss photo paper as well. Feel free to share!
Cheers,
Colin
Just because the sun goes down doesn’t mean the light is gone. A few nights back I was photographing the swans at sunset when a moose walked onto the scene. I was hoping that the swans and the moose would line up in the frame but that seemed like I was asking for the moon when, lo and behold, the moon showed up too.
I stuck around until the light was too low to continue shooting, watching them feed together - their faces just inches apart at times, possibly foraging the same aquatic vegetation. It made me think, this interspecies harmony could be a lesson for mankind.
Happy Monday, everybody. Have a great week and be peaceful to one another.
Colin
The sun set at 8:23 pm this evening in Eagle River Valley, Alaska. We've recently surpassed 12 hours of total daylight, gaining more than 7 hours since the winter solstice. I wasn't the only one out enjoying the last bit of alpenglow on the mountains, this bull moose was feeding in the creek and already sporting a new set of antlers, a sure sign of spring!
I went out skiing with my camera gear earlier today, hoping to catch a colorful morning sky. On they way to my favorite location, I came upon a cow moose browsing next to the trail. Not wanting to startle her by passing by closely or risk being charged, I skied into the trees and made a wide arc, coming back out further up the trail where I could get some photos of her. A few minutes later, another moose stepped out onto the trail and joined her. I could see that they wanted to walk the trail past me, so I stepped behind a stand of trees, allowing them to pass by safely. After they walked past, I noticed the first moose had an injured hind leg. There wasn’t an open wound but the leg was obviously deformed, probably from an injury that she acquired long ago, possibly caused by a bear. She was limping along and I can only imagine that traveling through deep snow must be very challenging for her. The experience served as a reminder that humans need to give wildlife ample space to go about their routine, for our safety and theirs. If the moose had been frightened and run off into the woods to avoid me, she would have exerted a lot of energy, a situation that could prove fatal in the dead of winter. As a wildlife photographer, the welfare of your subject should always be the top priority.
Two fun moose facts for you:
1. Moose have no upper front teeth. They have eight sharp incisors for cutting and molars & premolars for grinding their food.
2. It was previously believed that moose would strip and eat the bark of aspen trees only out of desperation in winter months when food was scarce. After further research, it turns out the under layer may hold some nutritional value, as this bull is demonstrating here.
Thankfully, the film crew was able to capture this today for their documentary assignment. Another great day on the job!
Day 2, Crow Pass Trail with Tyler Howie. Without time for a proper breakfast, we grabbed handfuls of mixed nuts and hit the trail, trying stay ahead of the looming rainclouds that were billowing over the pass and heading our direction. After hiking all day and stopping periodically to satiate on ripe blueberries, we reached the point where we were to cross Eagle River only to be greeted by these two sparring bull moose, exactly where we needed to be. After observing and photographing them, they crossed the river and chose to hang out on the opposite bank, again right where we needed to cross. With darkness looming, they wandered off after a short while and we forded the river. While warming our feet from the ice-cold glacier water and sipping a cup of hot tea, the two bulls returned and drove us out of their turf. Still in my water shoes, we threw on our packs, grabbed everything that was scattered on the ground and hightailed it down the trail.
Moose antlers are 95% grown by the first of August, which stands to reason since they will soon be shedding the velvet tissue layer that nourishes them as they grow throughout spring and summer. In other words, this guy isn't going to get much bigger this time around. He should drop these antlers in mid-to-late winter and will perhaps be sporting more impressive headgear at this time next year.
I recently had the privilege of authoring an article about moose for Alaska Magazine. If you are a subscriber, you will find it in the newest July/August issue. It is also available in magazine stands throughout Alaska - you won’t miss the stunning wolf image on the cover! You can read the article here, but I would suggest picking up the latest issue and perusing the summer wildlife photo essay and other great articles, it is an excellent resource if you are planning a trip to Alaska or if you like to read about adventure and life on the Last Frontier. You can also subscribe here.
Let me know what you think, and if you learned a thing or two about Alaska’s majestic moose…
Thank you,
Colin
I saw this youngster on my evening walk, just after 11 pm as the sun dropped behind the mountains. Moose calves aren't very common this far back in the valley, due to the number of bears in the area.
Looking for the perfect gift for dad? how about a 36x24" canvas print of this bug guy. Right now, all canvas prints on my online store are marked down 20%, use the following promo code at checkout: FathersDay2016.
Please share!
Thank you,
Colin
I met a lovely young couple on my morning walk today...
Here's some cuteness overload to begin your workday after the holiday weekend. Apparently mom spit is the general cleaning solution and fix-it-all for species other than just humans.
Moose are commonplace in residential areas throughout Alaska, especially in springtime. It is not at all unusual for cows to drop their calves in someone’s yard and spend much of their time raising the newborns in semi-urban neighborhoods, seeking respite from predators. I rarely see newborn calves near the Nature Center, where bears are more prevalent.
Most mornings I hike out to the same spot on Eagle River, splash some cold glacial water on my face, look up the valley and take a few deep breaths. I like to start my day with a bit of solitude, surrounded by mountains. I must have been especially quiet today because this bull moose walked right up the trail and past me into the river. I had to back up just to fit it into my frame. He's already got 6-7" of new antler growth. During the height of summer, moose antlers can grow up to an inch per day.
