With our annual photo tour itinerary planned around the arrival of spring finding its way into this Arctic region, I always have a little trepidation about our arrival and the agenda that nature follows here in the Nome area. Spring here means greening up and the receding of winter’s snows. Cooler weather prevailed over the region, but my arrival coincided with the warmest day so far this season, beginning the rapid release of winter’s grip.
My first assessment of the conditions around town showed sea ice still clinging to the nearby coast, and willows inland were beginning to show the slightest of early spring hues of life. A quick survey of some of our favorite photo locations left me with relief as all the arctic birds I expected to find were back and continuing with the annual traditions of setting up territories and advertising their availability for a mate. I knew this would be a very productive photo safari for our small group.
The weather remained a few degrees cooler and windier than most springs during our stay. Snow hung on the mountains around Nome, while river valleys began to flourish with spring’s arrival. This did not impair our wildlife photography in any way. When spring arrives, it never ceases to amaze everyone how fast life can return to the arctic tundra, whether it be the green returning to the myriad species of willow or the infusion of color spreading over the minute tundra ground cover.
Once in Nome, we had the luxury of making up our schedule and having the natural world to ourselves. Here, there are no crowds, no deadlines, just wide-open tundra, coastlines, and mountains to explore. We would spend our days photographing in two sessions: early morning, with us leaving town around 5:30 am, photo gear in hand, returning late morning for a hearty brunch. After a bit of downtime to recharge, depart for an evening session in the late afternoon, staying out until late in the evening each day.
An early morning session would have us out exploring the road system. Observing the morning weather and lighting would determine our direction of travel on one of the three major roads winding off into the surrounding landscape. Our daily goal of finding and photographing many of the animals and birdlife that call this remote tundra home would set our pace for each photo session. Each route would offer a variety of subjects to photograph. Over the years, I have learned what areas provide optimum habitat for each Arctic wildlife species on which we would be interested in training our cameras.
Afternoon sessions would begin after an early dinner at one of Nome’s restaurants. Evenings out exploring the area would find us off in a different direction than morning, using the late afternoon and evening light to enhance our ability to find and photograph birds, mammals, and sometimes the northern landscape of the area.
While the colorful and active tundra birds were a definite interest to our group of photographers, we dedicated some time each day to finding and photographing musk oxen. Soon after our first evening out, we located a group of female musk oxen with their first calves of the year in tow. It turned out that the calving season was off to a successful beginning, as each herd of females we encountered also sported at least one newborn calf of the year.
Most nature photographers will tell you it’s challenging to find a cuter baby animal than a newborn musk ox. They are born with a full fuzzy coat and are on their feet within a few minutes, ready to take on the Arctic world. Under the watchful eyes of the season’s mothers, the young would provide entertaining photography time for all of us. In groups with more than one calf, young animals often group up and enjoy the company of others in their youthful cohort group. I think it’s safe to say you haven’t seen anything as entertaining as musk ox calves with the zoomies.
Between musk ox photo sessions and photographing arctic birds like ptarmigans, loons, and sandpipers, the songs and calls of redpolls and Wilson’s snipes drifted on the air in nearly every location we stopped to photograph. Unique and colorful birds on the tundra always stand out as excellent photo subjects. One such gem that is a specialty of this area is the bluethroat, and this year, we were successful in locating several individuals to photograph. Other subjects like that of Wilson’s warblers, golden-crowned sparrows, common redpolls, and Lapland longspurs were great photo opportunities we took advantage of, just to drop a few species names.
When exploring the area around Nome, the adaptable nature photographer can expect a few surprise encounters with wildlife. For instance, each year, we can count on finding a moose or two during the week spent photographing the area. This year, we found multiple moose daily, some of which provided excellent photographic experiences.
Willow ptarmigans have always been an excellent subject for our springtime photography, and this year, we had many individuals to photograph. The real surprise was having multiple encounters with a rarer find of rock ptarmigans. One such individual allowed us a close approach as he surveyed his territory from a wintery evening perch on a snowbank.
We don’t usually expect to find marine mammals to photograph, but we did manage to locate and photograph a young ringed seal as it rested on a leftover pan of shore-fast sea ice. Periodically, the seal would raise its head and look around nervously or give us a stretch. One surprise that was difficult for most to appreciate was the absence of arctic warblers in the area. We looked and listened in all the usual places we often locate these little tundra inhabitants, but with no luck. Asking around, I found no other birder or photographer had any luck finding them during our stay in Nome.
Between photographing the reliable species of arctic birds and the presence of the woolly musk oxen that call this region home, there is always more than enough photography to be immersed in. New encounters with each visit add to the excitement of nature photography on the tundra. Even though we would get out early and stay out photographing late during the long hours of arctic sunlight, one week really isn’t enough time to take in all the wildlife activity the spring tundra offers. For now, our photo travelers will be headed home with memory cards crammed full of images made while exploring the landscape and wildlife made in this Arctic realm. As for me, I am already looking forward to next year’s return to Nome and its photographic opportunities.
