Milo Burcham Photography
2022 was a milestone year!
I retired.
I don't feel 'old' but I must be getting there. Regardless, this next life chapter opens many new doors.
Some of these changes are reflected here, including an assignment in Alaska's Arctic and rather than
my typical 'weekend warrior' approach to photography, getting to spend more quality
time in spectacular settings with wildlife.
The year started off in typical fashion:
a holiday visit with family in California, followed by a road trip.
On New Year's morning we took a walk with good friends at Cypress Grove of the Audubon Canyon Ranch
near Point Reyes National Seashore.
Not a bad start.
Raccoon footprints in frost, Cypress Grove of Audubon Canyon Ranch, Marshall, California (M_RACC_0003)
Tule Elk at sunset, Point Reyes National Seashore, California (M_ELKB_0064)
California Condor in flight, Pinnacles National Park, California (B_CACO_0006)
Sandhill Cranes at sunrise, Merced National Wildlife Refuge, California (B_SHCR_0095)
Back home, I spent time with some of my favorite subjects: shorebirds and bears.
"Wolf Moon" rising over Chugach Mountains, Copper River Delta, Alaska (L_CHUG_0195)
Kittlitz's Murrelet in basic (winter) plumage, Prince William Sound, Alaska (B_KIMU_0147)
Red Knot taking flight, Copper River Delta, Alaska (B_REKN_A8A3600)
Marbled Godwit pair on Copper River Delta, Alaska (B_MAGO_A8A4393)
Shorebird flock roosting at Hartney Bay, Copper River Delta, Alaska (B_SBFL_5597-5599)
Brown Bear munching sedges, Prince William Sound, Alaska (M_BRBE_A8A8006)
Brown Bear crossing Orca Inlet of Prince William Sound, Alaska (M_BRBE_A8A8550)
Brown Bear swimming, Prince William Sound, Alaska (M_BRBE_A8A8572)
Brown Bear, Prince William Sound, Alaska (M_BRBE_A8A0425)
For obvious reasons, this image was a close runner-up to my favorite of the year.
Brown Bear cub resting on mother's back, Prince William Sound, Alaska (M_BRBE_A8A2340)
Brown Bear female and cub, Prince William Sound, Alaska (M_BRBE_A8A2422)
Coyote watching Brown Bear cub from forest edge, Prince William Sound, Alaska (M_BRBE_A8A2714)
Brown Bear female with cubs, Prince William Sound, Alaska (M_BRBE_A8A3124)
And then my life changed: I retired from my career as a wildlife biologist
and doors started to open.
For starters, I was hired to run a boat for a conservation filming project in Alaska's Arctic.
For over a month we filmed wildlife on the Beaufort Sea coast
of the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska. This wilderness
hosted a great variety of wildlife and occasionally, we could see
Caribou, Muskox, and Polar Bears at the same time.
Caribou bull, National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska, Alaska (M_CARI_A8A4639)
Arctic Fox, National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska, Alaska (M_ARFO_A8A5517)
Caribou running on sand bar to avoid insects, National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska, Alaska (M_CARI_A8A6253)
Yellow-billed Loons, National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska, Alaska (B_YBLO_A8A6834)
Polar Bear, National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska, Alaska (M_POBE_A8A7609)
I try to pick my favorite image each year and struggled more than usual this year. Polar Bear walking past feeding Phalaropes, National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska, Alaska (M_POBE_A8A8354) This next image was another favorite. King Eider female with isopod (Saduria entomon) prey, National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska, Alaska (B_KIEI_A8A9606) Caribou bulls sparring while shedding velvet, National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska, Alaska (M_CARI_A8A9958) Tundra Swan, National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska, Alaska (B_TUSW_A8A9305) Caribou bull with electric cord wrapped in antlers in front of oil rig, Deadhorse, Alaska (M_CARI_A8A9585) Muskox bull and cow, Sagavanirktok River, Alaska (M_MUOX_A8A0513) Muskox bull and cow, Sagavanirktok River, Alaska (M_MUOX_A8A0539) I made a couple of road trips in the fall and was able to spend considerably more Cow Moose browsing willow, Denali National Park, Alaska (M_MOOS_A8A2010) Dall's Sheep ram, Denali National Park, Alaska (M_DASH_A8A3187) Dall's Sheep rams, Denali National Park, Alaska (M_DASH_A8A4122) Dall's Sheep rams, Denali National Park, Alaska (M_DASH_A8A4597) Dall's Sheep rams posturing, Denali National Park, Alaska (M_DASH_A8A5290) Dall's Sheep ram, Denali National Park, Alaska (M_DASH_A8A5887) Bull Moose in fall colors, Denali National Park, Alaska (M_MOOS_A8A6531) Trumpeter Swans in first snowfall of season, Copper River Delta, Alaska (B_TRSW_A8A7256) Dall's Sheep and Belt of Venus, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (M_DASH_A8A0178) Dall's Sheep family portrait (l-r: lamb, ram, ewe), Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (M_DASH_A8A0686) Dall's Sheep ram at sunset, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (M_DASH_A8A1989) Dall's Sheep investigating ewe during rut, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (M_DASH_A8A6908) Dall's Sheep lamb in snowfall, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (M_DASH_A8A6137) Dall's Sheep ewe thwarting ram's advance, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (H_PNSN_A8A4637) Dall's Sheep ram and ewe, bedded, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (M_DASH_A8A2482) Dall's Sheep ewe guarded by ram, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (M_DASH_A8A2840) Dall's Sheep rams chasing ewe, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (M_DASH_A8A3274) Coyote, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (M_COYO_A8A2606) Bald Eagles, Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, Alaska (B_BAEA_A8A9471) Bald Eagle in snow storm, Copper River Delta, Alaska (B_BAEA_A8A6055) White-breasted Nuthatch, San Gabriel Mountains, California (B_WBNU_A8A7656)
So here's to more adventure in this new life chapter! Wishing everyone excellent health and adventure in 2023.
This scene, however, was hard to beat. We were filming a feeding flock of both Red and
Red-necked Phalaropes at the end of a long sand bar, when, after several hours at this location,
I looked up and saw this Polar Bear walking towards us.
What I love about the image is the light, the relaxed look of the bear, and the shorebird flock he is walking through.
We had seen several of these large and striking invertebrates
in shallow waters along the Arctic coast. At one anchorage we often had a pair
of King Eider females near the boat and frequently saw them dive
and surface with these large prey items. We had to look them up once we returned to civilization.
time with wildlife in beautiful settings than I had as a 'weekend warrior'
for most of my working life . Much of this time was spent among Dall's Sheep
both in fall colors in September and during the rut in November.
As a result they are the animal best represented in my "Top 50" this year!
Spoiler alert: look for wildlife from the opposite pole in next year's favorites,
as I embark on a new adventure in a couple of weeks.
These images are presented in roughly the chronological order that they were made throughout the
year. As with all my photography, these are the scenes as they looked through my viewfinder; no content,
not a single blade of grass or twig, was digitally added or subtracted.
