Brown Bears Fishing for Salmon - Katmai NP

Brown Bears hunting for Sockeye Salmon, Brooks Falls

I'm busy researching material for my upcoming lecture series on board the Westerdam - Vancouver to Yokoham, beginning September 30th.  One of my favourite websites is Explore.org, particularly when I'm preparing for Alaska.

Explore.org features live wildlife cameras all around the world.  One of the locations with excellent coverage is Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, Alaska.  This time of year (July/August/September) you can watch live footage of the Brown bears capturing and feeding on sockeye salmon.  There are some amazing scenes of giant bears standing at the top of the falls grabbing salmon as they come sailing through the air, scaling the falls on their way up river to the spawning grounds.  The photo above is my screen capture of a live video and it provides some idea of the number of bears that can be found feeding at this highly productive location.

Click on this link to see the Brown Bears hunting salmon.  I find it amazing and wonderful that we can be sitting in our living rooms at home while watching the bears in action - just as if we were standing on the Brooks Falls bear viewing platform!

Explore.org also features amazing videos of African wildlife and I will be monitoring those cameras as we come closer to one of our upcoming cruise adventures next April/May.  I will be presenting a series of lectures on board the Viking Sun as one of the featured guest speakers for the Viking 2018 World Cruise.  My segment will take me from Durban, South Africa to London, England.

Happy wildlife viewing!!

Screenshot from African Animal camera by Explore.org

Transpacific Vancouver to Yokohama on board Westerdam

In late September I will be joining Holland America's cruise ship Westerdam to present a series of 10 lectures as we cross the Pacific Ocean from Vancouver to Yokohama (Sept 31 - Oct 15). 

On most cruises I like to present short video clips that I produce using Google Earth to highlight each specific itinerary.  Here's one that I've produced for the Westerdam cruise:

My lectures will highlight some of the fascinating creatures and shifting ecosystems as these northern waters and the Arctic, in particular, experience rapid warming with climate change.  My topics include:

Undersea Societies of the Pacific Northwest

Meet the Masterminds of the Pacific Ocean!

Alaskan Ecosystems: Adapting to a New Planet

Who Owns the Arctic Ocean, Northwest Passage and the Fish Below?

Japanese Jellies are a Stinging Success!

Hokkaido and the Kuroshio Current

Japan: Life on an Unstable Island

Perhaps you will be joining Jan and I!? If so, we look forward to renewing past acquaintances!  And, of course, we have the joy of making new friends!