SNOW DAY

 

I love looking for wildlife in the snow. One winter in New Jersey, we had an irruption of snowy owls, so I spent every free moment scouring the barrier islands in search of them. One magical morning in Stone Harbor, I got this pic of a snowy on a snow-draped beach. I'm happy to share some of my favorite wildlife snow pics!

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My 2015 trip to Alaska was memorably snowy. It snowed so much that Denali National Park closed for two days. (I was camping in it!) But when it finally reopened, I was able to get this shot of snowflakes collecting in the curved horns of a Dall's ram at Polychrome Pass. This is my favorite snow pic!

Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge was extra snowy when I spied this great blue heron in his beautiful breeding plumage. Love the long feathery cape. 

American woodcocks are some of my favorite birds to photograph in the winter. I love their silly dance as they jitterbug back and forth to sense earthworms underfoot. I learned that the best way to find them is after a snowfall when they gather at the sun-warmed road edges that thaw first at Cape May Point State Park. 

Shooting brown bears in the snow was a highlight of my 2015 visit to Denali. Look at that Disney butt!

A raven flies overhead in a snowstorm near the Savage River overlook. I like the iconic outline of this legendary Alaskan bird.

The grizzlies spend the short fall eating the last of the berries and digging up tubers. I mostly shoot bears from the safety of the park bus. But you're bound to see grizzlies if you spend any time hiking in the park. While walking Sable Pass, from one vantage point I counted five bears. And when I found two more sleeping close to the road, I stayed put a respectful distance away and waited for the next bus to pick me up.

Bears are all-weather animals. They are out in rain or snow.

Horned larks pay a visit to Cincinnati's Voice of America Park. I love the composition in the snow.

Snow bears are the greatest ambassadors for snow. I got to see the first snowfall of the long Arctic winter during my visit to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where this polar bear found a snowdrift to play in. But like swimming in an above-ground pool, there just isn't much fun a bear can have alone in two inches of snow.

A cub curls up next to her sleeping mother to stay warm on a snowy day outside Kaktovik, Alaska. I was so excited to shoot polar bears in the snow.

A pine grosbeak offers some brilliant red color on a snowy day. The snowiest place I have ever visited was northern Minnesota. The boreal forests here are simply amazing.

A snowshoe hare finds exposed winter browse to nibble under the protection of evergreens in the deep drifts. I have photographed these bunnies many times in Denali, but this was the first opportunity to see them in their white camo. Love it!

I will photograph every red squirrel I see, particularly one that shares a freezing day with me. This one tried to keep its paws warm in the -32-degree chill. Love the snow in its whiskers, too.

A gray wolf covered in snow was a highlight of our snowy safari on the Gunflint Trail in Minnesota's Superior National Forest. I saw wolves there every time I visited. (Twice, ha.) 

Adelie penguins and a whiteout snowstorm greeted us when we visited the Antarctic Peninsula. This was such a fantastic day. I really loved shooting these little guys in these polar conditions.

The snow didn't bother these penguins one bit. In fact, on a sunny day they sought out the snowpack to keep cool. They have very insulating feathers.

The penguins used a snowfield to get from the breeding colony down to the water's edge. Some of them walked carefully down the snow field while others used their own bobsled. It was fun to guess which ones were walkers and which were sliders, ha.

A snow squall added some welcome dramatic character to this pic of penguins making their way to the shore to go fishing.