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A pine grosbeak munches on some old berries. (Photo by Kerry Howard)

Sports

On the Trails: Animal tracks and pine grosbeaks

February had an extra day this year, a cold and gusty one. Those gusts were enough to knock…

An infection of dwarf mistletoe has caused the deformation of tree branches, making what is called a witch’s broom. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

Sports

On the Trails: Witch’s brooms and gumboots

Local creatures have often been given the names of early explorers and naturalists that visited our northern shores…

A female varied thrush pauses to look around during her foraging bout. (Photo by Helen Unruh)

Sports

On the Trails: Early signs of spring

The ground is heavily blanketed with snow. The snow berms in my driveway (and, dangerously, at some street…

A female white-winged crossbill contemplates a partly open spruce cone. (Photo by Helen Unruh)

Sports

On the Trails: Crossbills

Most birds have bills with tips that come together when the jaws close. But not crossbills — hence…

Mendenhall Glacier and Mendenhall Lake on Jan. 28. (Photo by Deana Barajas)

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Wild Shots

To showcase our readers’ work to the widest possible audience, Wild Shots have been moved in front of…

Redpolls have come to Juneau in large numbers this year. (Photo by Mark Schwan)

Sports

On the Trails: Snow flies and other wintery things

January brought us two massive snowfalls, piling up about six feet deep, and pretty much shutting down the…

A mallard feeding on rockweed in North Tee Harbor. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

Sports

On the Trails: Mallards eating rockweed (and how plants hear)

Mallards are omnivores, eating seeds, little invertebrates, an occasional tiny fish, and whatnot. Recent midwinter observations at North…

A tiny tree bears a great weight along the Montana Creek Trail on Jan. 21. (Photo by Deana Barajas)

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Wild Shots

To showcase our readers’ work to the widest possible audience, Wild Shots have been moved in front of…

Tracks from a hermit crab that wandered over the sands at Eagle Beach. (Photo by Mary F. Willson)

Sports

On the Trails: Animal tracks (and bird feeder activities)

One of my winter pleasures is traipsing around after a nice snowfall and looking for animal tracks. In…

A deer’s eyes reflect headlights from an approaching vehicle. (Harold Neal / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Sports

On the Trails: Eyeshine and rumination

The eyes of a wary cat or dog on the roadside at night can reflect the light of…

Wigeon Ponds is one of the areas adjacent to the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge purchased by the Southeast Alaska Land Trust, which is producing an updated digital map of the entire wetlands area. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo)

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Mendenhall wetlands area to get first new full map since 1979

Change in vegetation, tidal areas, land “rebound” after glacial retreat shown — along with area’s name.

Sun on the peaks from the Boy Scout Beach Trail on New Year’s Day. (Photo by Deborah Rudis)

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Wild Shots

To showcase our readers’ work to the widest possible audience, Wild Shots have been moved in front of…

This adult male Anna’s hummingbird was captured, banded and released in Soldotna in June 2023. (Photo by T. Eskelin, USFWS)

Sports

On the Trails: Nectar-feeding birds

Nectar is a rich, sugary food source used by plants to attract pollinators, and many animals exploit that…

A wide view of the Mendenhall Glacier along the Nugget Falls Trail on Dec. 24. (Photo by Deana Barajas)

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Wild Shots

To showcase our readers’ work to the widest possible audience, Wild Shots have been moved in front of…

American coots gathered at Kingfisher Pond this winter. (Photo by Helen Unruh)

Sports

On the Trails: Wintering birds

Shortly before the winter solstice, I walked with a friend on the Boy Scout Camp Trail. There was…

A coyote pauses on its way through the Presidio of San Francisco, a two-square mile former military base that is now managed by workers for the National Park Service. (Photo by Heather Liston)

Sports

Alaska Science Forum: The coyotes of San Francisco

A person is bound to notice changes if he bicycles the same pathways for 20 years. Such is…

Afternoon skies at Mendenhall Campground on Dec. 16. (Photo by Deborah Rudis)

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Wild Shots

To showcase our readers’ work to the widest possible audience, Wild Shots have been moved in front of…

A firefighter clears loose brush from around a sequoia tree in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, Calif., in July 2022. (Garrett Dickman/National Park Service)

Sports

On the Trails: Fire-adapted trees

In areas subject to fairly frequent wildfires, especially surface fires, we find many plants that have evolved resistance…

A local display of flowering rhododendrons may include some types with toxic nectar. (Photo by Denise Carroll)

Sports

On the Trails: Honey and nectar

Several kinds of bees can make honey, although domestic honeybees are the most famous and best-studied. They make…

A bit of a sun break as seen from the John Muir Cabin, submitted on Dec. 6. (Photo by Deborah Rudis)

News

Wild Shots

To showcase our readers’ work to the widest possible audience, Wild Shots have been moved in front of…