The Awakening

Last night around 8 pm: Bob says that he hears some noises coming from the laundry area. Our thought is that perhaps an ermine has found its way into the house through a pipe. We are carefully looking around and then suddenly Inde starts barking (Inde never barks) and Bob turns to look out the side door window into the face of a big brown bear! It was scratching at the door and then stuck its head into the dog door. We make a mad dash for the guns and some bullets. At this point the bear came around to the porch and started pawing and slobbering on the windows. Inde was able to get a look at the nature of the commotion and boy was she scared! Bob went upstairs to shoot the gun out the back door but it had little effect. The bear came back to the side door and stood up and began to push and shake the door (which we had just locked for the first time). After a few more shots the bear actually headed to the back door towards Bob. At this point we noticed there was another smaller bear in front of the house too. This one was scared away by the gunshots. Bob and I switched places and he shot from the side door while I monitored the bears actions from the upstairs door. The bear was scratching the window and trying to chew on the window sill. It was amazing to see the bear inches away from my face! Then it headed away from the house to the chicken coop and began to try and tear down the fencing to the outdoor run. I yelled to Bob, who came running upstairs and shot the gun towards the bear. No matter, he proceeded to collapse the side of the chicken run. Bob now had to take real aim at the bear and struck it in the backside with bird shot. It jumped up and took off running.

We went outside and down to the beach to do a full reconnaissance. No other damage. According to their tracks the bears headed away on the beach in opposite directions. We came back to the house and let Inde out. She had to do a full inspection as well and did not want to come back inside. She wouldn't eat dinner and all day today she has been on edge and is currently on guard out on the porch. I don't think I have ever seen her so protective, I wasn't sure she had it in her!

Birds & Fox pt. 7

Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea)

Coming back to the house from a hike along the ridge, Bob spotted these little red polls by the north dam. Good eyes. We came up to them slowly anxious to get a good look. We were able to get right up next to them as they were completely consumed by the small area of dead grass that wasn't covered in snow!




Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)




Emperor Goose (Chen canagica)


Emperor Geese with Black Oystercatchers on Sankin Island

Our first attempt at landing on Sankin Island was unsuccessful. The only beach is made up of large cobbles and has a very steep incline. We stayed on the beach about one minute as the waves were crashing into the back of the boat. We threw Inde back in the skiff and decided it was probably smarter to just cruise around the island. Then we spotted these birds on the rocks along the opposite shore. To see a full photo of Sankin Island check out the posting titled Rounding Sentinel 2.




A juvenile male King Eider (Somateria spectabilis)

Ice in The Pass

During the last cold snap, which lasted three weeks, ice began to move through the Pass. We think that it is drifting down from the Bering Sea. Or maybe it's forming closer, in the shallow 1-2 feet waters at the northern end of Isanotski Strait. Either way, for a week or so we had progressively larger masses of ice floating past the house. One morning we caught the otter testing out the free ride.

A sentinel, a table, and a fox

If you look very closely you will see the homestead - to the right of Stonewall, at the bottom of the ravine. This picture makes us very proud of our part amble-part climb to Sentinel's summit!





During freezing temperatures we keep all the outdoor faucets running so that their lines don't freeze. There's one in the greenhouse, one on the fish-cleaning table, and one for the guest cabin that's hidden in the root cellar. The spigot at the table leaks and an icy claw builds up quickly. Living here is great for many reasons, like having it dawn on you that you'd better axe the ice off the table or lose it. We hacked it away after this picture! The table is fine.

The raucous neighbors

This is the spot for our fox friend. On any given day, that brings sunshine, we can find the fox lying here.




Looking down on the river otters from the top of Stonewall.





So far this has been the one and only caribou we have had the pleasure of seeing. He was just above the house to the south. We must have been down wind of him because we certainly took him by surprise. I was able to keep Inde beside me and Bob and I were afforded a few minutes to watch the caribou prance back and forth, seemingly unsure of where to go next. By the time that Bob tried to make his way closer for a better picture, he headed out of sight. Less than a minute later we spotted him across the tundra almost a mile away! Boy, they can move fast! We have high hopes for finding some more. There are plenty of tracks to prove that they are all around us.






Often years the eagles build their nest upon this rock pillar. On this day the eagle had snagged a bite of something from the Strait and flew here to dig in. The magpie just would not give up his quest to get in on the action.

The Others

An extremely close landing to Bob as he watched another eagle below, feasting on fish scavenged from the Orcas passing by.



River Otter (Lutra canadensis)

"About half of a river otter's time is spent sleeping. Both young and adults are fond of play. They manipulate rocks or sticks, play tag and hide-and-seek, dunk each other, wrestle, and slide on mud or snow.
River otters are often found in groups. A family unit is made up of a female and her pups, with or without an adult male. The family usually travels over an area of only a few square miles. The female appears to dominate the rest and may drive other animals away from a small area around the den where her pups are living.
River otters produce a variety of noises. They growl, caterwaul, and whine. When alarmed, individuals emit an explosive “hah!” When two or more are together, they often produce a mumbling noise that seems to be a form of conversation. A good imitation of this is made by closing the lips and rapidly uttering “hm” several times in a deep voice. A bird-like chirp apparently expresses anxiety and is most often heard when members of a group become separated."




There is a family of otters, living near Stonewall, that quite often we interrupt while roaming along the beach.

A funny story: Yesterday, Inde and I were walking the beach. As we passed Stonewall Inde caught sight of three otters and gave chase. They quickly escaped to the water and swam away. As we were passing Stonewall again, an hour or so later, one otter had returned to the point. This time it did not seem so ready to give up it's territory. The otter swam around the point making its throaty noises, swimming in close and then backing away. Inde was beside herself, transfixed by this newly discovered creature. The two continued this act for around 20 minutes. Twice the otter climbed upon a large rock five feet from shore and taunted Inde, who could not find the courage to enter the water. With great effort Inde finally pulled herself away from her fascination to follow me home. The otter however had not had enough and continued to pursue us along the shoreline until we headed off the beach.




Don't know who this little guy is, but there were lots of them along a lake on Unimak Island, where we saw these bear prints.










We haven't seen any bears lately, but the pictures remind us that they are here...somewhere.

El Zorro

Vulpes vulpes


The red fox is native to a few islands within the Aleutians, mainly in the eastern part. In 1759, Russians found them on Unmak Island (not Unimak) and began introducing them to other islands, keeping red, silver, and cross phases seperate. The Russians enjoyed a successful fox fur trapping industry, to go along with their otter fur harvests. After the Americans took control of Alaska in 1867, the farming and trapping of fox declined, due mainly to a lack of interest, that is until they decimated the sea otter populations (1880's) and otters became practically impossible to find. So what to do? Start hunting fox again (and add fox farming). For several reasons, the hunting, trapping and farming of fox died out in the 1930's. Then came the interruption of WWII, the Japanese invasion, and the forced evacuation then re-settlement of the Aleut people. The industry did not pick up. Many of the relocated fox died leaving some islands naturally devoid of them. Others hung by on eating ground mammals and birds. Several bird species have subsequently gained protected status and USFWS has taken lethal steps to protect these birds from the fox. Comments anyone? The fox population on Unimak Island, across from us, was hit hard in 1992 after a rabies epidemic contracted initially by land (river) otters. We aren't sure if foxes on this side of the pass were affected, but since land otter's carried the virus, and they like to swim, it seems likely.

"The red fox has several natural enemies: man (principally as trappers), wolves, coyotes, lynx, wolverines, and perhaps bears. Eagles are the major predators of young foxes in some areas. Sometimes foxes dig their own dens. More often, though, they appropriate and enlarge the homesites of small burrowing animals, such as marmots. They also will use abandoned wolf dens. Conversely, wolves may enlarge and use a fox's den.Foxes cache excess food when the hunting is good. They return to these storage sites and have been observed digging up a cache, inspecting it, and reburying it in the same spot. Apparently, they want to be sure that their food is still there." - AK Department of Fish and Game

This fox, and we've only seen one, lives somewhere nearby. We've seen him (a dog) or her (a vixen) a few times, up in the tundra, down on the beach, streaking past the windows at dusk. This feller could have rabies. It usually caries itself with its jaw dropped at a 90 degree angle, very strange looking. It could be a sign of heavy panting.

Big River

Our Heralded arrival in Alaska

Anchorage International, the 3-8am shift. We found a cozy place to hole up.




Looking out across the airport parking lot in Cold Bay, a place that we would become familiar with.


We were stuck in Cold Bay for two days due to high winds, which is very common out here. They were two slow days spent walking the few gravel streets and the stretch of beach, eating microwaved meals and watching too much TV from too high on the wall. We stayed at The Bear Foot Inn Alaska (I love the name!). Some highlights include walking the beach along the bay, seeing our fist fox, fighting strong winds and hanging at the bar... alone without patrons or a bartender.


Metro Cold Bay, Wind a blowin.

Wind-broken Baranov St. sign. He'd somehow be satisfied.




Disgarded iron works along the beach, part of a larger cemetery of no longer needed devices.




Crossing over to the wild side







The Bear Foot Inn












Center-pivot plowing




Three days later, take-off!


Wednesday morning we took off early aboard a four-seater full of our belongings and the mail, with a pilot from Kansas City. The flight was breathtaking! Miles of green marshy tundra, spotted with pools of water. The ocean. The clouds. We saw two brown bears walking out to the water! My first. The pilot said at lower tides you can usually see 15 to 20 on the flight. I was quite happy with two. I was holding Inde’s paw through the kennel behind me, what a champ she was through all the flying. Buck Laukitis, owner of Stonewall Place, picked us up when the plane landed on a strip of gravel and dirt. After loading all our gear and our pallet from Coastal Transport, we crossed the water.



Aerial entre veu, the village of False Pass




Final bank south, approaching Fasle Pass field