Milo Burcham Photography
A big trip just behind us in 2016, we mostly stuck close to home in 2017.
Shorebirds and Brown Bears make up most of my favorite images this year; getting drawn again
for permits to visit the McNeil River Preserve certainly did not hurt!
These photographs chronical my year in pictures, repeating some of my favorite annual wildlife 'events'
and ending with a trip to the deserts of southern California and Arizona.
Enjoy!
Trumpeter Swans on Copper River Delta (B_TRSW_S2E4645)
After 3 years with little snow, winter returned to the shores of Prince William Sound.
Skier chased by dog, Prince William Sound (R_SKBC_S2E5328)
Hiker in ice cave, Sheridan Glacier (L_SHGL_MG_2154)
So much powder. So little time!
Ridges of Kenai Mountains, Turnagain Pass (L_KENA_S2E6021)
While the spawning herring biomass in Prince William Sound continues to disappoint,
it still serves to concentrate many marine predators.
Steller Sea Lion squabble, Prince William Sound (M_STSL_S2E7934)
Humpback Whale fluking, Prince William Sound (M_HBWH_S2E9296)
Black Oystercatcher, Prince William Sound (B_BLOY_S2E8227)
The annual shorebird migration through the Copper River Delta is always spectacular. Red Knot, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plover, Copper River Delta (B_REKN_S2E0559) Red Knot wing stretch, Copper River Delta (B_REKN_S2E7489) Red Knot scratching, Copper River Delta (B_REKN_S2E7589) Red Knot, Copper River Delta (B_REKN_S2E7617) Red Knot reflection, Copper River Delta (B_REKN_S2E8976) The other migrants did not disappoint either. Dunlin roosting in front of Black-bellied Plover, Copper River Delta (B_DUNL_S2E0847) Black-bellied Plover, Copper River Delta (B_BBPL_S2E9546) Dunlin reflection, Copper River Delta (B_DUNL_S2E8411) Sea Otters hauled out on sandbar, Copper River Delta (M_SEOT_S2E7822) Surfbird, Prince William Sound (B_SUBI_S2E1475) Prince William Sound's 'Head Start' Program. Sitka Black-tailed Deer with fawn, Prince William Sound (M_BTDE_S2E3451) It was a good year for bears. Brown Bear on salmon stream (M_BRBE_S2E3530) Brown Bear chasing salmon (M_BRBE_S2E4117) Brown Bear chasing salmon, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_BRBE_S2E6050) Brown Bear, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_BRBE_S2E6851) Brown Bear yawn, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_BRBE_S2E7035) Brown Bear family portrait, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_BRBE_MG_4103) Brown Bear, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_BRBE_S2E8851) Spitting match. Brown Bear sparring match, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_BRBE_S2E9459) Brown Bear wave?, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_BRBE_S2E1320) Brown Bear with spawned out Chum Salmon, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_BRBE_S2E2181) Got milk? Brown Bear cub with milk on lips, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_BRBE_S2E2818) Brown Bear, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_BRBE_S2E2931) Red Fox, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_REFO_MG_4895) Brown Bear swimming, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_BRBE_S2E8129) Brown Bear cubs, McNeil River State Game Sanctuary (M_BRBE_S2E8308) A quick trip to Denali coincided with peak fall colors. Fall colors, Denali National Park (L_DENP_S2E9026) Caribou shedding velvet, Denali National Park (M_CARI_S2E9073) Dall's Sheep ram, Denali National Park (M_DASH_S2E0118) Willow Ptarmigan and fall colors, Denali National Park (B_WIPT_S2E0369) For the third year running, I was able to photograph this monster, locally known as 'Hook'. Bull Moose (M_MOOS_S2E1342) Bull Moose (M_MOOS_S2E1838) Bull Moose (M_MOOS_S2E1864) Bull Moose courting cow (M_MOOS_S2E3239) Bull Moose antlers (M_MOOS_S2E3480) Sitka Black-tailed Deer, Prince William Sound (M_BTDE_S2E5282) We finished off the year with a trip to California to visit family for Christmas, Brown Pelican (Pacific Race), La Jolla (B_BRPE_S2E8062) Brown Pelican (Pacific Race), La Jolla (B_BRPE_S2E8489) Black-throated Sparrow, Anza Borrego Desert State Park (B_BTSP_S2E8913) A hot tip pointed us in the direction of this magnificent Desert Bighorn ram. Desert Bighorn ram courting ewe, Anza Borrego Desert State Park (M_DEBH_S2E9238) Desert Bighorn ram courting ewe, Anza Borrego Desert State Park (M_DEBH_S2E9947) Desert Bighorn ewe and ram, Anza Borrego Desert State Park (M_DEBH_S2E0567) I made one of my final images of this pair as the sun was setting on New Year's Eve. Desert Bighorn ram and ewe, Anza Borrego Desert State Park (M_DEBH_S2E0886)
And, since I found this ram again 2 days later, you have something to look forward to in 2018's top 50! Wishing everyone excellent adventure in 2018.
This year was special, however, and not just because David Sibley was the keynote speaker at our
shorebird festival! In past years, Red Knots have proven difficult to photograph.
For some reason, this year they let their guard down, and acted like they didn't care!
Finally.
While I had some good opportunities locally, being drawn for the McNeil River lottery
for 4 days in 'bearadise' made for fantastic bear viewing. We were there at
a similar time of year as 2 years prior, but rather than seeing 4 or 5 bears a day, we were seeing more than 30!
This is the terrified look of a larger, male bear, as female 'Simba' makes certain he stays away from her 3 cubs!
He did!
My favorite image of 2017!
After a nursing bout, this cub climbed on top of mom, as she rolled over to take a nap.
then launching on a road trip through the deserts of California and Arizona, which
took us into the New Year.
A great opportunity for 2 soggy Alaskans to dry out!
We were fortunate enough to find him on 2 of our 3 days in the area.
What a ram!
Not a bad way to end a year. It resulted in a VERY close runner up to my favorite picture of the year!
These images were presented in roughly the chronological order that they were made throughout the
year. As with all my photography, these are the scenes as they looked through my viewfinder; no content,
not a single blade of grass or twig, was digitally added or subtracted.