Countdown 365 - T22

Total Miles ~ 66.5 Miles Wildlife Viewed: 33 Moose and American Bald Eagles

Following my morning coffee, I pulled out at the break of day to make another local road trip. Partly cloudy with the low temperature of four degrees. Had a beautiful day, warming to 29 degrees by mid afternoon.

Once again, I made my normal trip from my home to the upper Anchor River Bridge on the south end of the North Fork Road. From my home to the bridge, the 12.4 mile trip took me one hour and twenty-seven minutes to complete. During this time, I saw a total of 26 Moose, all cows and calves although a couple could not be identified due to the distance and lighting.

Got some good shots, however, I broke the standard rule by forgetting the fundamentals of "cold weather" photography. The fogging of the lens from the atmosphere of a warm car to the outside temperature. Once discovered, a anti-fogging cloth between shots takes care of the problem. On my return trip, I would see an additional 7 Moose, bringing my daily count to a seasonal record of 33 Moose.

Creatures of habit, the moose have a tendency to bed down during the bright part of the day so I broke off the search for a Bull Moose and decided to go shoot some Eagles. Got in some good shooting in a couple of locations, however, the Homer Spit remains my favorite although there are less eagles.

Have had this site for almost of month without introducing my assistants. I do not do all these "photo treks" by myself as I do have "spotters" that assist me. It is better to have five eyes looking than just two, especially when you are having to dodge cars. My primary spotter, especially for Eagles is "visually handicapped", having only one eye but he can spot an eagle a half mile away and 300 feet in altitude.

"Professional Spotters" "Eagle Eye" ~ Ruger and "My Buddy" ~ Dutch

Dutch Harbor Dutchman "Dutch" Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (Side Note) Lady Tollers ~ "Dutch Is Available"

Although, I took 183 shots of Eagles today, this particular bird and I bonded to a point that I named him "Sam". He really worked with me, allowing me to photograph him as close as ten feet and posed for a variety of shots. He even gave me the 360 degree look, rotating his head completely around and looking behind him. They are an awesome bird, but they sure walk funny in the snow. After working with him for a half hour or more, as I left he was still sitting on one of the two logs that he was roosting on.

"A Silent Prayer For America" "Turning Into The Wind For The Launch" "Eyes On The Sky" "Call Of Freedom"