Kristen

Hear no evil, speak no evil, but always look it directly in the face.

Rattlesnakes are never as happy to see me as I am to see them.

A beautiful male ptarmigan strikes a pose, showing off the red eyebrow he uses to help attract females.

The smallest creatures can have surprisingly loud voices!

I had the best time this spring watching some juvenile pygmy owls explore the world around them.

Look closely for a little surprise! White-tailed ptarmigan are good mothers.

Not-so-little fox kit waiting for mom to bring some food back to the den.

Sometimes you just need to take a break in the kelp with a harbor seal.

Family portrait.

Family is important to transient orcas. Females stay with their mothers until they start having offspring of their own. Males, like T123A Stanley, tend to stay with their mothers their entire lives.

Silver fox kit keeping an eye out for vehicles as she crosses the road. The downside to living on a small island is the close proximity to humans, and all the dangers we pose to wildlife.

The deer on the San Juan Islands are emblematic of a larger issue. Their population is booming, leading to overgrazing of native plants. The cause? Humans eradicated their natural predators, mainly cougars and wolves, throwing the entire ecosystem out of balance.

Watching predation in action up close is thrilling, but it can also be heartbreaking. This harbor seal took temporary shelter next to our boat while the orcas circled, and all we could do was watch nature play out

Incoming! A juvenile baldy heading down to take advantage of the fish left stranded by an outgoing tide

Orca tails are as unique as the individuals they belong to. T123A Stanley.

Airborne! This young fox was practicing his pouncing while waiting for mom to bring food back to the den

Checking out the beach buffet

When the tide goes out, the feast begins!

Arguably the most beloved of whales, the humpback

I made a new friend while tidepooling earlier this summer

An evening spent with a beautiful silver fox

This poor shore crab had a traumatic eye injury. Luckily for him, crabs don't rely solely on their sight to find food or evade predators, so he should be just fine!

This curious dark-eyed junco checked me out while I was hiking in Mt Rainier National Park

There's always that one sibling

For an animal that's used to climbing trees, slippery tidal rocks are no problem, even with only one eye

Another new species I saw in Mount Rainier was the hoary marmot! While there was still snow on the ground, this guy was well fed, nibbling on tree bark next to the trail

I think they tend to be more active in spring!

Turns out orcas get very excited for dinner! This family was celebrating after successfully hunting a harbor seal, and watching them launch themselves out of the water was incredible

Up close and personal with a gorgeous young silver fox

You can see all kinds of cool things while kayaking around San Juan Island, like a harbor seal napping in a pile of kelp

Orcas sure do know how to make a splash!