Dengler Images

After a million visiting birds, quiet time at Loess Bluffs

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A juvenile bald eagle feeds on the remains of waterfowl in the Pelican Pool at the Loess Bluffs NWR (formerly known as Squaw Creek). Loess Bluffs is a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 700-acre refuge, located in northwest Missouri is known for the migrating waterfowl, particularly Snow Geese. Fall and Spring migration can bring millions of Snow Geese to the refuge. Also, bald eagles and an occasional golden eagle pass through the area during the fall and winter months. The 10-mile auto tour around the waterways and marshes of the refuge is an excellent way to spot birds of prey, waterfowl, beavers, otters, and muskrats.
A juvenile bald eagle feeds on the remains of waterfowl in the Pelican Pool at Loess Bluffs NWR.

A few weeks ago, I made a scouting trip to the Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Missouri near the Nebraska/Iowa/Missouri border. I use the word “scouting” trip as I knew I was traveling there long after the big migration of waterfowl (and the accompanying bald eagles) had passed through. Still, I wanted to make the trip because I have wanted to check the area out for over a decade so I knew what to expect when I would return during the height of the massive migration of millions, yes millions of birds.

Sunset over the Cattail Pool at Loess Bluffs NWR (formerly known as Squaw Creek). Loess Bluffs is a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 700-acre refuge, located in northwest Missouri is known for the migrating waterfowl, particularly Snow Geese. Fall and Spring migration can bring millions of Snow Geese to the refuge. Also, bald eagles and an occasional golden eagle pass through the area during the fall and winter months. The 10-mile auto tour around the waterways and marshes of the refuge is an excellent way to spot birds of prey, waterfowl, beavers, otters, and muskrats.
Sunset over the Cattail Pool at Loess Bluffs NWR.
Snow and ice on the Snow Goose Pool Complex at Loess Bluffs NWR (formerly known as Squaw Creek). Loess Bluffs is a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 700-acre refuge, located in northwest Missouri is known for the migrating waterfowl, particularly Snow Geese. Fall and Spring migration can bring millions of Snow Geese to the refuge. Also, bald eagles and an occasional golden eagle pass through the area during the fall and winter months. The 10-mile auto tour around the waterways and marshes of the refuge is an excellent way to spot birds of prey, waterfowl, beavers, otters, and muskrats.
Snow and ice on the Snow Goose Pool Complex.
Sunset over the Cattail Pool at Loess Bluffs NWR (formerly known as Squaw Creek). Loess Bluffs is a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 700-acre refuge, located in northwest Missouri is known for the migrating waterfowl, particularly Snow Geese. Fall and Spring migration can bring millions of Snow Geese to the refuge. Also, bald eagles and an occasional golden eagle pass through the area during the fall and winter months. The 10-mile auto tour around the waterways and marshes of the refuge is an excellent way to spot birds of prey, waterfowl, beavers, otters, and muskrats.
Sunset over the Cattail Pool at Loess Bluffs NWR (formerly known as Squaw Creek).

I found the refuge (formally known as Squaw Creek) largely deserted, not only of people but of waterfowl. Outside of a few waterfowl stragglers, a few bald eagles (likely resident), and a coyote or two. Of the 7,440 acres of the frozen landscape, I found only one small pool of water that wasn’t frozen over. It was quite a distance, and any attempt of trying to get closer to the waterfowl would have caused them to take flight and expend their much-needed energy. As the saying goes, if all you have are lemons, you make lemonade, which is what I did. The results are nothing to shout about, but it allowed me to get a feel for the possibilities for future trips to the refuge.

I look forward to returning.

A juvenile bald eagle swoops down on trumpeter swans and other waterfowl in the Snow Goose Pond Complex at Loess Bluffs NWR (formerly known as Squaw Creek). Loess Bluffs is a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 700-acre refuge, located in northwest Missouri is known for the migrating waterfowl, particularly Snow Geese. Fall and Spring migration can bring millions of Snow Geese to the refuge. Also, bald eagles and an occasional golden eagle pass through the area during the fall and winter months. The 10-mile auto tour around the waterways and marshes of the refuge is an excellent way to spot birds of prey, waterfowl, beavers, otters, and muskrats.
A juvenile bald eagle swoops down on trumpeter swans and other waterfowl in the Snow Goose Pond Complex.
An injured coyote makes his way across the frozen and snow covered pond of the Snow Goose Complex at Loess Bluffs NWR (formerly known as Squaw Creek). Loess Bluffs is a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 700-acre refuge, located in northwest Missouri is known for the migrating waterfowl, particularly Snow Geese. Fall and Spring migration can bring millions of Snow Geese to the refuge. Also, bald eagles and an occasional golden eagle pass through the area during the fall and winter months. The 10-mile auto tour around the waterways and marshes of the refuge is an excellent way to spot birds of prey, waterfowl, beavers, otters, and muskrats.
An injured coyote makes his way across the frozen and snow covered pond of the Snow Goose Complex at Loess Bluffs NWR (formerly known as Squaw Creek). Loess Bluffs is a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 700-acre refuge, located in northwest Missouri is known for the migrating waterfowl, particularly Snow Geese. Fall and Spring migration can bring millions of Snow Geese to the refuge. Also, bald eagles and an occasional golden eagle pass through the area during the fall and winter months. The 10-mile auto tour around the waterways and marshes of the refuge is an excellent way to spot birds of prey, waterfowl, beavers, otters, and muskrats.
An injured coyote makes his way across the frozen and snow covered pond of the Snow Goose Complex.
A bald eagle awaits sunrise as the moon sets at Loess Bluffs NWR (formerly known as Squaw Creek). Loess Bluffs is a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 700-acre refuge, located in northwest Missouri is known for the migrating waterfowl, particularly Snow Geese. Fall and Spring migration can bring millions of Snow Geese to the refuge. Also, bald eagles and an occasional golden eagle pass through the area during the fall and winter months. The 10-mile auto tour around the waterways and marshes of the refuge is an excellent way to spot birds of prey, waterfowl, beavers, otters, and muskrats.
A bald eagle awaits sunrise as the moon sets.

Fall and Spring migration can bring millions of snow geese to the refuge. Also, bald eagles and an occasional golden eagle pass through the area during the fall and winter months. The 10-mile auto tour around the waterways and marshes is a great way to spot birds of prey, waterfowl, beavers, otters, and muskrats.

VIEWER’S TIP: Eagles are less likely to fly away if you view from inside your car. Your car is a great “mobile” blind.
A pair of bald eagles perched in a tree overlooking the Cattail Pool at Loess Bluffs NWR (formerly known as Squaw Creek). Loess Bluffs is a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 700-acre refuge, located in northwest Missouri is known for the migrating waterfowl, particularly Snow Geese. Fall and Spring migration can bring millions of Snow Geese to the refuge. Also, bald eagles and an occasional golden eagle pass through the area during the fall and winter months. The 10-mile auto tour around the waterways and marshes of the refuge is an excellent way to spot birds of prey, waterfowl, beavers, otters, and muskrats.
A pair of bald eagles perched in a tree overlooking the Cattail Pool at Loess Bluffs NWR as the moon sets on a chilly January morning.
VIEW PHOTO GALLERY of all my Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge photos

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New “bird” spotted flying with the eagles in Haines

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Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Mountain Flying Service, takes a break from servicing his de Havilland Beaver to pose for a photo in his hanger in Haines, Alaska. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)Last week while in Alaska I took a break in my bald eagle photography to drop in on Paul Swanstrom, owner of Mountain Flying Service. Paul is a local pilot who provides air taxi support for mountain climbers, sightseeing flights for tourists or in my case, charter aerial photography support. I found Paul in his hanger tuning up his new plane; a handsome, fully restored and rebuilt, de Havilland Beaver.

This classic Alaska bush plane is a beauty. While his other plane, a sporty Bush Hawk XP, is a great plane for aerial photography, I’m looking forward to shooting from the de Havilland Beaver. The Beaver is much bigger than the Bush Hawk XP and offers easier shooting options for a professional photographer like myself. The Beaver seats seven to eight passengers depending on configuration. It’s powered by a large nine-cylinder Pratt & Whitney 985 supercharged radial engine. I’m always amazed (and glad to see since I fly with Paul) how meticulous Paul is with his planes and engines.

During my visit, Paul showed me some great photos of the Beaver in flight and when Paul was dropping mountain climbers off at a base camp on Mt. Fairweather (15,325 feet, 4,671 meters). Hopefully he will be posting the photos soon on the Mountain Flying Service website.

ABOVE: Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Mountain Flying Service, takes a break from servicing the massive nine-cylinder Pratt & Whitney 985 supercharged radial engine of his de Havilland Beaver to pose for a photo in his hanger in Haines, Alaska.

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Breaking the ice at Mendenhall Glacier

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The Mendenhall Glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. This photo of the glacier was taken on the Trail of Time. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau. (John L. Dengler)

When I start a trip I always feel a bit unsettled, but once I’ve taken a photo or two that somewhat pleases me, I become relaxed and the creative juices start to flow. This “breaking the ice” can never come soon enough.

So on my current trip to film bald eagles on the Chilkat River near Haines, Alaska, the first thing I did upon landing in Juneau was to head to the nearby Mendenhall Glacier to stretch my weary airplane legs and “break the ice” by shooting some still images.

Being one of the most visited tourist attractions in Alaska, the Mendenhall Glacier is a frantic place during the summer cruise ship season. That’s not the case during the fall when you practically have the area to yourself. I headed to the visitor center overlooking Mendenhall Lake and the glacier beyond.

An enthusiastic U.S. Forest Service employee greeted me and asked if I would want her to start up the center’s new film about the nearby icefields and Tongass National Forest. I did and within a few minutes I was joined in the visitor center theater by miniature dinosaurs, dragons, bats, and other little “monsters” who were visiting for a special Halloween weekend of interpretive activities on bats. The costumed kids were just as mesmerized as I was with the sights in the film.

Seeing the film with its excellent photography just made more anxious to get my creative mojo going. Out the door I went and started on the very easy and short “Trail of Time”,

In the past I have never given this trail a thought because visitor center that is next to the trailhead and withall the cruise ship visitors flowing in andout it is a very congested area. . What a mistake, the trail’s interpretive wayside signs talk about the glacier retreat which is evident through the change of rocks, soil, and vegetation as you hike farther from the glacier. You can also see the remains of man’s imprint on the area; such as the rusting pipe that once delivered water to the now long gone Steep Creek Powerhouse.

This steel pipe built between 1912 and 1914 once carried water over one mile from Nugget Creek to the Nugget Creek Powerhouse. The pipe is located on the Trail of Time near the Mendenhall Glacier just outside Juneau, Alaska. (John L. Dengler)

I set off on the trail shooting primarily with my iPhone as most of my 110 pounds of still camera/video equipment was still packed in my air travel shipping cases. That was ok though, as it allowed me shoot fast and effortlessly with the goal of simply seeing creatively.

In past years, when I have arrived in southeast Alaska in late October/early November, it has been snowing with no sign of fall having ever occurred. But this year I was treated to a hint of what fall is like here with a few fall-colored leaves remaining on the trees and shrubs. I have been thinking about returning to southeast Alaska earlier next fall and this taste of fall has solidifying that idea.

Fall foliage along the Trail of Time near the Mendenhall Glacier. (John L. Dengler)

After the hike it was back to my motel to get ready for my early morning checkin at Auke Bay ferry terminal. When I say early, I mean a very early 3:45 a.m. check-in for the Alaska Marine Highway System ship, the M/V Malaspina; my transportation for the 4.5 hour trip up the Lynn Canal to my final destination of Haines.

The short peaceful hike was all that I needed after my two days of traveling to Juneau. I’m now ready for what I hope will be successful weeks filming bald eagles on the Chilkat River.

Moss covers the forest floor along the Trail of Time Trail near the Mendenhall Lake and Mendhenall Visitor Center just outside Juneau, Alaska. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

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Mosquitoes – The unofficial state bird of Alaska

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Mosquito bites on the back of the hand of John L. Dengler. Photo taken on a backpacking trip in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska (John L. Dengler / Dengler Images)

I’m often asked what the mosquitoes are like in Alaska. Well, if you ask someone from Alaska, they are likely to respond somewhat jokingly with “you mean the state bird?”

Honestly, I’ve never found mosquitoes a problem, but then again I’m pretty tolerant of the little vampires, even in mosquito-rich enclaves like the Wonder Lake area of Denali National Park.

My secret is that I simply tell myself that I’m going to encounter them and yes, they may be intense. In other words, I play a mind game on myself. For many reasons I rarely will use mosquito repellant. Among them — I hate the smell, I worry that grizzly bears might be curious about the smell, DEET (which is what you want in your spray) has been linked to causing serious neurological and other health problems, and the repellant melts the fabric and plastic of many forms of outdoor clothing and equipment. In the absolute worse cases I will drag out a head net  For that to happen, the mosquitoes have to be to the point where I’m breathing in mosquitoes with every breath. What you pray for in mosquito-rich areas is for wind. Anything above four miles-per-hour usually grounds the suckers.

Sometimes your hands are both busy and you can’t do anything about it. An example, is the above photo of my hand after a day of hiking in Denali National Park and Preserve. An anti-itch gel or cream like Benadryl (diphenhydramine) will offer some relief.

So how bad have they been? Well, once near Wonder Lake in Denali National Park and Preserve, I slapped the top of my hand to kill the mosquitoes on it. How many did I kill, I counted close to twenty dead on the top of my hand. Yes, TWENTY!

Thank goodness for the buggers though. Wonder Lake is one of the most beautiful places on the planet when the weather is clear and you can view Mt. McKinley, aka Denali. The ravenous mosquito population there, while annoying to park visitors, pollinate the flowers and berries, and are an important link in the food chain.  They also keeps the number of campers down.  Only the hardy are willing to brave their meals with the buzzing and biting, so most vistors to Wonder Lake keep their visit short. I’ve never had a problem getting a spot there — a wondrous place that should easily have a waiting list of hundreds of campers.

ABOVE: Mosquito bites on the back of the hand of John L. Dengler. Photo taken on a backpacking trip near Wonder Lake in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

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