Island Byways

The winds of November come early to the island. 

Salmon in the Circle of Life, storms bring much-needed rain to the rivers and streams where coho salmon patiently wait their turn to head upstream to spawn.

Autumn is beginning to show her colors and the landscapes, miniature and otherwise, are a photographer's dream. 

Remembering 9/11 and celebrating the good in your life. Life on an island in the North Pacific.

Labor Day weekend means some extra time for salmon fishing here on the island. Pink salmon are rushing upstream but the silvers are only trickling in - perhaps waiting offshore for the pinks to get out of their way. Life on Alaska's Kodiak Island. 

We finally get some much-needed rain and, as expected, the pink salmon that have been hovering offshore rushed upstream to spawn as soon as there was enough water to make the attempt. Life on Kodiak Island in the North Pacific. 

An unusual Kodiak Crab Festival in an unusual year! Sportfishing for salmon pickups, for humans and bears. Life on Kodiak Island in Alaska.

Salmon fishing is picking up on the Buskin River just in time for the Kids' Pink Salmon Derby. Now is the time to be bear aware when on the trails - make noise, carry an air horn or bear spray, and pay attention. Life on Kodiak Island in the North Pacific. 

Berry picking, fishing, watching young birds, seeing young bears learn to fish, and the Perseids! Life on Alaska's Kodiak Island.  

The accessibility of the great outdoors, combined with the pressures of a pandemic means many of us on Kodiak are outside as much and as often as possible. Be a good neighbor and Leave No Trace when you are out exploring - and don't forget your bear spray!  Life on Alaska's Kodiak Island. 

A late-night tsunami warning kept our hearts pumping this week. The threat of natural disasters has a way of making you realize what's important and, sometimes, of how poorly we are prepared to "grab and go" in an emergency. An exciting week on Alaska's Kodiak Island. 

Our night skies have been graced with a beautiful moon, Mars, the comet NEOWISE and magical, electric-blue noctilucent clouds! Life on an island called Kodiak. 

Wild roses decorate the hillsides, the meadows are full of wildflowers, and the comet NEOWISE is gracing the night sky these days. Life on Alaska's Kodiak Island. 

Gorgeous sunsets and sunrises, courtesy of Siberian wildfires. Life on an island in the North Pacific. 

The view from Deadman's Curve...celebrating 31 years on the island. 

Summer Solstice and a visit from a pod of orcas. Life on Kodiak Island!

Birds, bees...pollinators galore on the island this time of year. Hiking is great and the humpback whales have been hanging around. Tune in to hear about life on Kodiak Island. 

The annual greening of Kodiak Island. There's a reason Kodiak is known as the Emerald Isle in the North Pacific - there's nothing quite like the variety and sheer quantity of green you will find here in June each year. 

Migration season is in full swing! From birds to gray whales - you never know what you might find on a walk on the beach or on a trail through the forest. And what's all this about pishing? Springtime on Kodiak Island. 

It's the perfect time of year to get out and admire all the little things - tiny plants at your feet, small birds above your head, tiny buds on the trees. This island is about to burst with new life. Get out, take a big breath of fresh air, and take a look around you. Life on an island in the North Pacific.