And just like that, Spike’s spikes are gone. He will still be known as Spike but in just a few days, most of his namesake spikes have disappeared and have emerged as feathers. Next time I shoot him, I’m sure all of the pin feathers will be gone.
In a couple of weeks, I’ll be back in Kodiak, Alaska photographing Kodiak Brown Bears. I am excited to be returning to that pristine world and to watching these massive bears consume equally massive amounts of salmon. As we drifted along the Uganik River last September, this bear looked up at us while it munched on the remains of a salmon carcass on the shoreline. It seemed not to notice the fish paddling near the surface between us, dorsal fin and tail protruding from the water. The bear had a choice. It could continue to consume what remained or chase after a moving fish. It made a choice to keep munching on what it had in its claws.
My little Anna’s Hummingbird has a name! I realized that I have to call him Spike. His head is covered with spiky looking pin feathers surrounding his eyes and under his beak. When they emerge, they are itchy and in this image, Spike is vigorously scratching those itchy pin feathers. Spike, it is!
Every moment of sunrise is spectacular in Monument Valley. The flare of the sun and the godbeams radiating from it help to define another spectacular moment.