Wild Wanderings: A day for Alaska wildlife

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This is another catch-up post, and it's embarrassing that I can't even remember where I stayed the evening after traveling up the Delta River valley, but after over 90 days on the road, I guess it's not surprising! Some of the places just blend into each other; others are quite memorable, as we will see...
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Upper part of the Delta River, near _____ Pass

Known as "Rainbow Ridge" - I'm sure it was, just couldn't see much!

More rain and clouds

The picture above was gray to start out with: gray sky, gray clouds, gray mountains (ok, a wee bit of green), silty gray river and gray stones. Just seems appropriate to put it in black & white!

It was a little disappointing to keep having the rain and clouds obscuring what I was sure were amazing views.

However, one can appreciate beauty anywhere, and the clouds alternately concealing and revealing the landscape gave an aura of mystery and interest that might not have been there had everything been able to be seen. Kind of like a hunky guy in an unbuttoned shirt might just be a little more interesting than if he were totally bare-chested.

With that analogy, I'm coming to appreciate clouds.

Cabin at the Lake

The gray, silty color of the river water indicated that the river was fed by glaciers, even if they could not be seen. The river water was really rushing, too, seeming to erode the banks of the river as well as depositing new gravel and silt. It appeared that some gravel levees had been bulldozed to channel the river away from the road, but these were frequently breeched.

Fielding Lake

Because I have a few days to spend before Fran arrives late on Aug. 2, I have some time to truly kick back and enjoy things.

It had been awhile since I'd been bird-watching, so left the highway to turn off to Fielding Lake. I didn't quite know what to expect, but there was supposed to be a campground there, so I figured there might be tables and, well, a lake, at the very least.

The gravel road had some Alaska-sized potholes, but there indeed was a lake.

American wigeons at Lake Fielding

Also, cabins! And boats! So while it may have partially been public land, most of the lake was private, complete with "No Trespassing" signs! I guess it's a good place to go fishing and get away from it all.

Cabins here are small, almost just sheds, probably with just the bare essentials.

The campground, too, was pretty rustic, even as campgrounds go; however there were pumps for water (non-potable), and there was a "public use" cabin, which someone was taking advantage of, since there was wood smoke puffing out of the smokestack!

While it wasn't much for humans, it looked like a good place to watch for birds, so I hauled the scope and tripod out of the car and set them up. Another couple walked past, wrapped up in hats, scarves and rain gear; the woman had a HUGE lens on her camera, so I figured I should see something!

Turning the scope to the outflow stream from the lake, I identified (barely) a flock of American wigeons. It took both the book and my iBird app to figure out what they were. I'm getting better, but constant practice is a good thing!

American kestrel

Most female ducks still look alike to me! It's hard to tell the difference! (Lighting does play a part in identification, though... if you're squinting into the light, the birds' feathers are in the shadow, or against reflected light on the water, and details are really hard to see.)

These dabbling ducks were doing what dabbling ducks are supposed to do, ducking down and feeding on vegetation at the bottom of the water. There were some young ducklings, too; quite a group of them. The were all very busy.

There was a bit of a commotion near one tree, and an American kestrel posed there just long enough for me to get a picture.

There were some gulls flying around, too, and I thought I might try to get a photograph.

Flying mew gull

There are so many different kinds of gulls, with different morphs and stages of plumage, that I can't identify them on the wing. The most I can do at this point is to take a picture, and then compare it with my available resources. That way, it's easier to check for small differences between them (tips of bills, wing feather patterns, etc.).

Hopefully, at some point, I'll get better at identifying them.

So I was trying to track one of these flying gulls. The camera has a feature where you are supposed to be able to lock onto a moving target, and it's supposed to remain focused on that target (good for Olympic runners and such). Not having a lot of Olympic runners around, I haven't had much practice with it, but flying birds provide good practice instead.

As I was trying to follow one of these birds, I realized that there was quite a commotion going on, just out of range. Turns out there was a bald eagle was flying along, seemingly unconcerned, and another gull, squawking, swooped down on it, and pecked it on the head!! Swinging the camera, I managed to catch the sequence, much to my delight! (you may want to enlarge this one, if possible).

Gull attacks eagle!

I was startled, but was excited about this. Here I was concentrating on a silly gull, and there was an eagle right in front of me. I could easily have missed it, my first "wild" bald eagle sighting, looking at those ducks!

I learned one very important lesson here: other animals in the vicinity will often let you know if there is something to pay attention to, by either going quiet or causing a ruckus. By listening and being aware, you essentially extend your own powers of observation. That gull was the early-warning alarm of the bird world.

Isabel Pass

I was satisfied, and marveling, and excited, and it was raining more in earnest, so I packed everything up and pressed on, eager for more adventures!

The road climbed steadily up to Isabel Pass (3,241 ft), named for one of the pioneering women of Alaska, Isabelle Barnette, who was married to E. T. Barnette, a colorful early Alaskan character , miner, and first mayor of Fairbanks. E. T. was something of an opportunist, which is probably being somewhat generous. His story reads like a novel. Isabelle accompanied her husband to the interior or Alaska by dogsled and riverboat, so she was something of an adventurer herself.

Unfortunately at the summit of the pass, the clouds descended, and little of the rumored spectacular views could be seen.

Lowering clouds at Isabelle Pass

There is a large lake just south of the pass, aptly named "Summit Lake." There are private cabins on this large lake, as well, and at least one failed resort.

Spawning salmon

The Gulkona River, soon to become one of the large rivers of Alaska, flows out of this lake. Being so near the summit, the river is small; I'd have called it a creek!

There was a salmon viewpoint on the river, and I stopped, since I had yet to see salmon in Alaska, or anywhere for that matter (I'd missed them in Whitehorse, YK).

It was exciting to actually SEE salmon here! They are beautiful, large fish; I can see what all the fuss is about.

The water was so shallow, probably only about a foot deep, that the fish didn't have much space to swim. In places, it was so shallow that their fins were sticking out of the water! Most were not moving very much, just gently undulating against the current, but every once in awhile, one would jump and make a splash!

After watching them for awhile, I pressed on. At least the rain had temporarily stopped!

Listening to the rain on the tarp;
grateful to be underneath!

Paxson Lake

Paxson Lake was soon after the fish viewpoint. While it was still sort of early in the day, I decided to take a look at the campground, and figured that maybe I'd stop there. It had been quite awhile since I'd really camped in an official campground, and I was sort of on a scouting mission for when Fran got here, anyway.

The campground here is first-rate, with spacious and well-separated sites, clean vault toilets, was very uncrowded, for just $12 per night. Given all these positive elements, I decided to stay, being in no rush, and set up the tarp. It was the first time I'd actually had it up on this trip, and I figured that I should probably see if I had all parts, and if all was as I remembered!

Good thing I set it up, as it rained off and on (more on than off) for the next couple of days. It was really, really nice to be able to be under the big cover: the picnic table and benches dried off (eventually), so there was a place to cook, sit, and read.