So, we were told that mosquitoes are the Alaska state bird but, I have heard that of Canada, Minnesota, and other Northern states as well. Actually, we found them slower and dumber. Seward is the first area in AK that we ran into any quantity. The advantage of the northern version is that they land and sit without biting for a count of 5, giving a fair chance to swat them, and with a bite that is much less bothersome if they do get lucky. Our Florida mosquitos seem to hit, bleed ‘ya, and run, leaving bites that itch for a day. When we left the van door cracked for fresh air they weren’t even smart enough to take advantage easy prey.
On the way to Kenai Fjords National Park, we stopped at a stream on Bear Lake Road in Seward, a spot targeted to catch site of an American Dipper. Walking the stream, we watched an incredible number of salmon jostling each other as they fought their way upstream to spawn. Finding no Dippers we headed across the bridge curious about all the activity at a fisheries co-op. Talking with one of the staff, we discovered that the co-op was responsible for stopping all but 6,000 male and 6,000 female salmon from going up-river, and harvesting the balance. Limiting the number making it upstream is thought to maximize reproduction by keeping them from interfering with each other; counterintuitive. When I mentioned that we were actually drawn here by the sighting of an American Dipper, we were shown their nest under the co-op roof overhang. We were able to see one fly across the bridge but unfortunately, we were not able to watch it perform any typical Dipper antics.
Our next adventure turned out to be one of our favorites- the Northwestern Fiord tour in the Kenai Fjords National Park. If you go to Alaska, this is a must! The boat took us as far into this stunningly beautiful park as anyone is allowed to go, right up to the Northwestern glacier, where we could watch and hear the booming of calving-sheets of ice falling into the water. Along the way we were able to see Dall porpoise, sea otters, killer whales, and sea lions. We watched humpback whales ‘bubble net’ feed by blowing bubbles as they traveled around in a circle, herding the fish/plankton for easier feeding. And we saw birds! We added six new species, the Sooty Shearwater, Kittlitz’s and Ancient Murrelets, Horned and Tufted Puffins, and the Red-faced Cormorant. We counted ourselves lucky to see the Ref-faced Cormorant and Kittlitz’s Murrelets; the puffins were a given, but still such a treat! I also found it interesting to watch the three different “species” of passengers. Those inside eating and playing cards “The My ______ (fill in the blank with wife, mom, dad) Made Me Comes”, “The Birders” (who got bored after a few whale tail slaps), and “The Whalers” (who said: oh, it’s just another bird). The narrator/captain did a marvelous job educating and balancing viewing opportunities for his on board species, and although it was a job he had been doing for 20+ years, he still came across as sincere and reverent of the awe inspiring place he gets to work.
It was now time to chase the call of “Beer”. The Olive Sided Fly Catcher had been coming up on our “needs list” for weeks. We had been listening for their “Quick- Three Beers” call without success. Changing the pneumonic to “Quick FREE Beer” seemed better luck, even for a teetotaler like Chuck! Only then did we hear the call, and found our bird just where the field guides suggested- at the top of the tallest snag. Hearing it call over and over while Chuck attempted to get its picture made me thirsty enough to quit and head for the local brewery. But alas, we still had one target bird for the day, the Three-Toed Woodpecker. This same area had been burned in the last year or two making it perfect habitat for a species who prefers burnt coniferous forests. After hiking another hour without hearing woodpecker calls or activity, we assumed that we had started too late in the day, and headed to the van. Only after giving up did we hear a suspicious call, followed it, and located an adult. Luck was on our side as we continued down the trail and heard the annoying and constant begging call of a juvenile. Easily locating the nest we enjoyed watching the adult feed its greedy little chick.
Now believe it or not, I didn’t actually have a beer to celebrate, and it was not the cause of my broken ankle. I didn’t fall while protecting Chuck from a bear, or while running from a charging moose protecting her calf. Getting out of the van the next morning I simply came off its high step wrong, twisted and fell on top of my right ankle. So simple, so careless, and just before heading into Denali National Park! After an emergency room visit, splint, and follow-up appointment with an orthopedic specialist set for a week later, we decided to continue on to Denali National Park to see how well we could manage.
Fortunately, the road to Denali was not closed due to the fires working through that area, though we could see the burn still smoldering at the road edge as we drove by. Fire fighters, Hot Shot teams, and helicopters were everywhere, and sadly the smoke was too. Mt. Denali (McKinley) was completely shrouded. We kept our Wildlife Nature Tour reservation, and although we saw no new birds, we were fortunate to have wonderful views of large mammals. 
One of the 52 Wolves in the park chose to pose for the bus load of us. There are only 52 Wolves in the 6 million acres of protected National Park, with no hunting allowed, and yet folks feel that Wolves are of such concern that they should be killed in unprotected areas? Really?
We saw Caribou, Moose, Dall Sheep, and yes… a Grizzly Bear. Truth be told, the Grizzly was sleeping, looking just like a breathing yellow rock.
Our time in Denali was restful (for me) since I could do very little and the next day Chuck parked me at a picnic table while he hiked. His photographer’s patience was rewarded after 20 minutes of watching a Dall sheep’s bottom, when it finally chose to stand up and pose for him. Classic shot. We spent a good deal of time discussing whether we should continue with Chuck taking on all of the camp duties. Should we turn home, skipping Canada including our long overdue visit to his sister in Montreal, and our visit with the Tom and Christie Ingle in Newfoundland? Our goal of walking 6 miles per day was certainly down the drain! Until the actual cast was put on, and I got more practice with the crutches, we expected that we would need to head home. 
However, after seeing no new birds in Denali, the site of our first bird, post ankle break, was restorative and timely. Chuck spotted a bird silhouetted against a dreary sky, and after he repositioned the van, I too was able to identify a Bohemian Waxwing. A stately grey underbelly with red, white, and yellow on its wings gives him a snappier look than his relative the cedar wax wing. This was a desperately needed “fix” of a bird after the leg break dry spell, and it helped confirm that by continuing we could still add birds to our list, though more slowly.