Troll Hunting in the Lava Tube

My friend Dan just got back from his latest harrowing adventure in Hawaii. He was following up on a legend of trolls living in a particular lava tube on the big island. He and his wife Julie, (above) made all the proper preparations based on the things that the characters in Dan's favorite Finnish movie,'Troll Hunter' did to prepare for a close encounter with a troll.

With a great deal of trepidation they made their way underground. .They slowly worked their way all the way to the back of the lava tube and passed through an enchanted portal into a  mysterious world.

 There they came face to face with the first troll. It was terrifying.

Few people could look into the gaze of a troll and live to tell about it.

Don't stare too long into this face. You may turn to stone or something.

Actually these are Dan's grandchildren taken with a fisheye lens, and he told me that Troll Hunter is the worst movie ever made. I found the movie in Blockbuster and being my usual twisted self, I could not resist the temptation to rent it. Dan got it all wrong. Troll Hunter is a delightful movie, watch it if you can find it.

After surviving the lava tube, they visited Peepee Falls.

I wonder if there are any trolls living in the grotto behind these falls?

This looks like the ultimate swimming hole to me.

Next they had to visit the world's largest Banyan tree.

A Hawaiian bird that visits Alaska occasionally, Pacific Golden Plover.

Not quite in focus, (Dan needs to invest in a better telephoto lens). This is a Peaceful Dove.

Another introduced dove from Southeast Asia, Spotted Dove. Dan and his wife are leaving for Thailand in a few weeks where they will see plenty more Peaceful and Spotted Doves.

Seward and the Elk

In Seward there is a woman named Eva who lives on the outskirts of town. She is known locally for her bird feeders. She always has the most bird action around. This is a female Pine Grosbeak.

The light was too dim to get sharp focus on this male Pine Grosbeak but I like the shot anyway.

Same goes for this Downy Woodpecker. There were two Purple Finches in her yard but they were too flighty to pose for photos. Purple Finches do not normally occur in Alaska. They were a nice addition, along with the Killdeer to my Alaska bird list.

A pair of Common Mergansers. They are called Goosanders in the Old World.

A Common Murre in poor light.

It is always good to see Long-tailed Ducks.

Overlooking the harbor. I love this place.

Heading to Lowell Point.

The last houses in town.

One last view of the bay. There is a Steller's Eider out there somewhere but we could not find it.

This is the painting that I have been working on lately. Aspen Standing, 16x20" I kind of like this one.

I have painted so many  Elk over the years but they tend to sell. So it goes.

Seward, Rain and Birds

Yesterday was the annual  Anchorage Audubon Society field trip to Seward. There was a travel advisory for the Kenai Peninsula because of unsafe, (icy) driving conditions. About 25 fool hearty souls showed up anyway. There were lots of frost heaves in the highway that made for a bumpy drive.

The weather was unusually warm and it rained lightly all day. The roads were not at all slippery.

At first glance, Resurrection Bay looked to be devoid of bird life. In the distance there were many tiny dots bobbing on the water's surface. These were the birds.

Off to the far right there was a group of Common Mergansers. We saw many of them that day.

The even tinier dots were Horned Grebes.

We always see Harlequin Ducks in Seward but today we could not get close.

Surf Scoters are also common winter residents. We saw a few Black Scoters as well.

One piece of good fortune for me was when this Marbled Murrelet popped up just a few feet from shore. It was up for two seconds - long enough for one quick shot, then it was gone. Too bad the light from the overcast sky was so dim that I could not get a sharper focus. This is the only photo of Marbled Murrelet that I have been able to get. They normally stay far offshore. In the summer their colors are completely different.

The light also was too dim to get sharp focus on this Killdeer. This is only the second Killdeer that I have seen in Alaska. They do not normally occur this far north. It was the only shorebird that we saw yesterday.

On fresh water that is usually frozen in winter, we saw this cooperative Hooded Merganser.

These birds are not at all common in Alaska and this male is the only Hooded Merganser that I have been able to photograph. I have seen this individual in Seward before.

It was in the company of a female Common Goldeneye. These two individuals have been hanging out together for several years. I guess he cannot find a mate of his own species. There is more to come from Seward.

Crane Dancing and Creek Riding

About three weeks ago I was working on a Sandhill Crane painting but I got burned out on it and did the loon painting instead. Since them I went back to the crane painting and just finished it a few minutes ago.

It is titled, 'Crane Dance' although only one crane is actually dancing.

There is not a lot of detail on this painting.

It is more about creating mood and atmosphere which makes room for the viewer's imagination to fill in the details.

The complete painting. It is 16x20".

Scott just sent me some photos of his, Jean's, and her friend's latest bike ride along Campbell Creek. Scott said that it was a bit treacherous but he managed to avoid falling. Jean and her friend were not so fortunate. No one got hurt.

This is fun for masochistic, (I mean adventurous) people.

The surface is both very slippery and uneven; not to mention full of pitfalls.

If your tire goes into that, you are going to plant your face into the unforgiving ice.

Some interesting ice sculptures.

A Few Winter Birds

It has been cold and windy, and I have been busy this past week with various pursuits.. I will just post a few photos of common winter birds that are around, like this Hairy Woodpecker.

The Hairy Woodpecker's smaller cousin, Downy Woodpecker.

A Raven on a dismal day.

Different Raven, different day.

A female Pine Grosbeak.

Starlings in Town Square.

A Magpie also in Town Square.

A different Magpie closer to home.

Bald Eagles in Eagle River.

More of the same.