As I have mentioned before, I like to match my calendar pages to the season. June is sort of there and sort of not.
I always associate ocean trips with summer and, actually, that is usually when we take them. This June, all the photos are, in some way, associated with frigid oceans.
So, let’s break down the main page ...
The most prominent photo is of one of what I consider to be the wonders of the natural world: Humpback Whales bubble-net feeding.
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| The absolute best! Photo: Scott Stevens |
This is a cooperative feeding strategy where a group (I have seen as many as a dozen) of Whales work together to corral small fish. They start by diving down and blowing bubbles as they circle a school of small fish, often herring.
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| A photo of a group dive we didn't use; Photo: Scott Stevens |
The bubbles confuse the fish, causing them to pull tightly together into a ball. Then, the Whales open their mouths, expand their throat patches and gulp in huge amounts of water and fish as they break the surface.
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| Open wide! We didn't use this |
Once they have taken in the fish, they swallow the food in their tiny throat openings, expel the water and dive down to do it again.
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| And down we go; an unused shot; Photo: Scott Stevens |
They can repeat the dives over and over again.
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| A shot of some bubble net divers we didn't use; Photo: Scott Stevens |
You never know exactly where they will surface.
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| When it is close to your boat, it is magnificent (this was an unused option) |
These Humpbacks were in Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska, a favorite place for us that has appeared in multiple calendars.
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| I considered this shot of the Holgate Glacier in the Park, but didn't use it |
We shot them from a marvelous boat tour with Major Marine, one of two providers of boat tours of the National Park. The other is Kenai Fjords Tours. We have done that trip more times than I can remember and it never disappoints.
While we have seen bubble net feeding in Kenai Fjords before, it is still a relatively rare occurrence there.
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| In this runner-up, the Whale clipped a Glaucous-winged Gull; Photo: Scott Stevens |
It is a learned behavior and Whales in Alaska didn’t start learning it until about 20 years ago.
Of course, we took lots of photos and picking the best was difficult.
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An almost identical shot to the winner that we didn't use; Photo: Scott Stevens
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Many of the rest of the photos on the main page and on the calendar page covered below came from that same boat trip. It was a great day for animal watching.
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| Steller Sea Lions, another unused Kenai shot |
I was going to direct you to my blog about it, but it doesn’t appear that I ever wrote one. That’s a first, since it was a great trip. But, in my defense, every location was one I had blogged about before and we were very busy in 2025! And, I did post all the photos on Facebook.
Anyway …
The middle left shot is a Tufted Puffin, floating near our boat.
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| I cannot resist a Puffin |
I had a few other options I did not use ...
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| A Horned Puffin in Kenai Fjords and an Atlantic Puffin in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland |
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| An Atlantic Puffling in Vestmannaeyjar |
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| An Atlantic Puffin with fish in Vestmannaeyjar; Photos: Scott Stevens |
Some additional Puffin photos got moved to the consideration pile for the August page, so you'll see more later.
The middle center right is a Humpback raising its fluke as it dives.
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| I had to crop out a lot of the pretty surroundings |
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| This other option didn't have the nice curtain of water flowing off the tail |
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| And, this rejected one had even more |
The middle right main page photo is a group of Harbor Seals lounging on some rocks.
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| Trying to stay away from Orcas; Photo: Scott Stevens |
We had a few more Harbor Seal shots that didn't make it ...
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| Swimming in in Jökulsárlón, Iceland |
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| Relaxing on an iceberg in Jökulsárlón |
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| An alternative pose to the one we used; Photo: Scott Stevens |
Below that are three more Kenai Fjord shots. The far left and far right are Orcas putting on quite a show. We saw a very large pod on this excursion and photographed many of them.
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| The beginning of a breach |
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| The end of a breach; Photo: Scott Stevens |
I had a fair number of good breach shots.
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| It killed me to not be able to use them all |
The bottom middle left is a Dall Porpoise (not an Orca!), swimming alongside our boat. These black-and-white Porpoises are so fast that they are virtually impossible to photograph. The one I used was my best shot ever.
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| The one we used is on the left; the right has two other unused options |
The main page isn’t all Alaska. It also features two photos from my February 2025 trip to California, which I did blog about.
First, in the middle left center slot, is a Sea Otter peacefully floating in the harbor at Morro Bay State Park.
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| I had forgotten there were even Sea Otters that far south |
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| I rejected the same Otter sleeping |
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| Another shot we didn't use, from Resurrection Bay, Alaska; Photo: Scott Stevens |
The second is the bottom middle right photo of a juvenile Northern Elephant Seal at Piedras Blancas, California.
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| Such a pretty face |
These places repeat on the calendar page, where I'll share more that we didn't use.
Calendar Page
This page continues our journeys to Alaska and California, but start with an outlier: a photo of Boston Light, taken on another Whale watching trip when we stopped in Boston on our way home from Greenland and Iceland.
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| There is just something about a lighthouse ... |
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| I rejected this photo of the Reykjanes Lighthouse on the tip of the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland |
I also used a nice shot of Boston taken on the same ship in the opening section of the calendar.
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| What a pretty city! |
Next, we have more Orcas ...
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| A mother and a baby! |
And, there were many more Orca shots (all from Kenai Fjords) we couldn’t use.
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| Skimming the surface; Photos: Scott Stevens |
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| Surfacing |
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| Swimming in tandem; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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| Backlit blow; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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| Swimming by; Photo: Scott Stevens |
Next is a photo of spectacular surf on the jetty at Morro Rock in California.
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| I was mesmerized and took lots of photos, even though it was foggy |
It was, once again, hard to pick a favorite. Here are other options we didn't use ...
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| A dramatic explosion of surf |
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| Wow! |
The first bottom shot was taken in the at Chiswell Islands, part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, which you pass through on the way to Kenai Fjords National Park.
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| This is a favorite area for me |
It and nearby Resurrection Bay are so beautiful. How can you choose a “best” shot?
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| These were in the running ... |
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| ... as was this one |
In addition to considering those other Chiswell/Resurrection photos, we looked at and, ultimately, didn't choose some other scenery photos ..,
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| Kenai Fjords National Park; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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| Seward, Alaska |
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| More boats in Seward |
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| Piedras Blancas, California |
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| A closer view at Piedras Blancas |
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| And a complete outlier: Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior, Michigan |
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| Another shot from Whitefish Bay |
The middle bottom shot is more Northern Elephant Seals – this having a little territory dispute -- also from California.
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| We used the one on the left and rejected the one on the right |
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| I like the number of Seals shown here, but the photo wasn't as dramatic as the face shots |
I used another in the opening section ...
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| Look at that baby's eyes |
... but, ironically, I didn't use any showing the male Elephant Seal's giant schnozz …
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| I don't even know why |
The third calendar page shot is another Humpback Whale fluke, this one taken on the Stellwagen bank in Massachusetts.
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| The one we used was particularly pretty |
Every Humpback has distinct markings on its tail (AKA fluke) which acts as its signature and identifier. We went Whale watching in both Alaska and Massachusetts, so we had lots of fluke photos to choose from. These didn't make it ...
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| Tandem flukes in Alaska; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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| A shot from the front from Massachusetts; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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| Four fluke shots, also from Massachusetts; Photos: Scott Stevens |
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| A distant Whale in Kenai Fjords, slapping its tail |
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| A close-up Humpback in Massaschusetts |
We had more Whale shots that were also rejected ...
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| This Alaska shot shows how close Whales get; Photo: Scott Stevens |
We had a number we considered from the Stellwagen Bank in Massachusetts ... |
| A fin slap |
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| More fin slaps |
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| A Humpback resting in the translucent waters |
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| The distinctive hump; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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| Not much Whale; lots of splash, from: Photo: Scott Stevens |
Finally, we always have bird photos that we consider. On this page, we rejected most (except that Puffin on the main page). Let's look at the contenders ...
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| A Glaucous-winged Gull buzzing a Humpback in Kenai; Photo: Scott Stevens |
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| A Black-legged Kittiwake in Kenai Fjords |
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| Black-headed Gulls fishing in the channel at Jökulsárlón |
That’s it for June. Next month, we’ll stay wet …
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| Spotted Eagle Ray, Roatán, Honduras |
