While Alaska has many species of animals and waterfowl throughout the state, the opportunities to view and photograph them up close are few. In order to increase your chances of observing them you must be in a particular area where they are likely to occur. To maximize your chances, you must go out and actively search. Several of our methods include:

USE OF BLINDS. We will again have a blind set up on a wetland marsh. Ducks and Geese frequently gather here and many also nest in the marsh and lake.

This is also a wetland that is home to a pair of Trumpeter Swans. These are the heaviest members of the waterfowl family with some reaching 40 lbs and with wingspans of up to 8 feet.

BEAR-VIEWING AREA. Although there are Brown Bear and Black Bear throughout the area, they usually come out only in the late evenings and night.

This is an area where it is possible to sit up in the late evening and early night to watch the Brown Bear. This area is in a canyon close to the Lodge and overlooks the mouth of a salmon spawning stream. Due to its remoteness, Brown Bear come out and feed here almost every night during the summer. This is a very effective method to use in photographing Brown Bear in the wild.

Although you don't usually have the opportunity to get close to the wildlife, you do have have the advantage of covering miles and miles of country. From the air you may easily spot large Bull Moose crossing open swamps.

You may see Dall Sheep when flying the mountains and canyons near the Lodge or herds of Caribou in the Alaska Range passes.

If flying in a helicopter, the opportunity exists to land in front of animals and wait for them to come to you. This allows time for you to set up a small blind before the grazing animals come into view.

A helicopter also allows you to land on top of mountains near where Dall Sheep are grazing. You can either set up a small blind or stalk close enough to take high quality photographs.

CANOEING SMALL STREAMS. One of the most rewarding ways to observe wildlife is by silently paddling down the many small streams and sloughs.

Many times you will surprise Moose as they feed in the water and Bears as they feed on Salmon. Beavers and River Otters will sometimes totally ignore a quiet canoe while hiding from a noisy powerboat. Early morning and late evening canoeing proves to be most effective.

Here is a partial list of animals and birds that you have the opportunity to see and photograph during your stay at Lake Marie Lodge:
Brown Bear (Grizzly) Moose Dall Sheep (Fly-out Required) Black Bear Trumpeter Swans Loons Arctic Terns Ducks and Geese	Bald Eagles Beavers River Otters Caribou (Fly-out Required) Mink Sandhill Cranes Marten (Rarely Seen) Plovers
While you may not see everything, if you dedicate part of your trip to wildlife viewing, you may indeed see many of the animals in this area.