The Aleutian Islands Revealed

The rugged and wild terrain of the Aleutian Islands are so remote, it is a journey in and of itself to arrive at the shores of this Alaskan archipelago. Conservationist and nature photographer, Ian Shive explores the shores of this far off place for NATURE IN FOCUS.

Also, be sure to watch Ian’s full adventure THE LAST UNKNOWN: The Aleutian Islands, streaming on discovery+ on March 18.

March 01, 2021

By: Ian Shive

Show: Nature in Focus

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Photo By: Tandem Stills + Motion

Photo By: Ian Shive

Photo By: Tandem Stills + Motion

This was our home during the six week expedition, the R/V Tiglax (pronounced Tek-La), the only research vessel of its kind within the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Tiglax means "Eagle" and Aleut-Unungan, the first peoples to inhabit the region.

We spent an afternoon and a night with our research vessel Tiglax anchored in a quiet cove at Chuginadak Island, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. That night it rained, which didn't stop us from a midnight hike to the falls, but as the sun began to rise the following morning, the clouds parted just enough to cast a rainbow over the falls.

A B-24 bomber, which crashed on Atka Island during World War II, is only one of two B-24 bombers to remain in situ since the war. The piece off to the left of the plane is what remains of the tail. The islands are truly like a time capsule, preserving not only wildlife, but also historic remains such as this.

A B-24 bomber, which crashed on Atka Island during World War II, as found while hiking through the island in Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. It's a pretty wild experience to walk right up to history and a plane crash site that hasn't changed since it made an emergency landing on this island over 75 years ago. Everyone survived the crash.

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Aleutian Islands, Alaska: A gas mask and tubes lay in a pit, remnants from World War II.

These are crested auklets, a type of seabird which is found here in Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The species dives deep into the ocean, eating plankton, which thrive in the volcanically-fed, nutrient rich waters. The birds nest on the islands, typically in the cracks and crevasses of upturned rocks. The colonies here are some of the largest in the world, numbering into the millions.

Landing the skiff on the islands - and getting off the beaches - were always the most dangerous part of the expedition. In this remote island chain, there are no docks, so the team has to rely on visual cues as they scout the shoreline for a good place. Kelp forests, a type of dense seaweed, often grow just offshore, making a landing even more complicated, as they wrap around the engine, causing an abrupt stop. This particular departure was tricky because of a large swell and a step drop off in the water, but the team was able to get into the boat before the swell flipped it over, dumping us into the cold Bering Sea.

Field camps are how a lot of the long term scientific studies and data sets are obtained, such as on Chowiet Island in the Aleutian Chain. Rain and wet weather is common on the islands, making photography challenging, but it also means that the summer months (which are still pretty cold) can be green and lush. Without any trails, however, that green lushness also makes for a slow, challenging hike to any scenic vistas, such as this.

I'm not even really sure where on the journey this image was taken, but we would often pass island formations such as this, hiding in the fog and mist, and conveying a foreboding, almost fantastical feeling. The Aleutian Islands are rugged, and of the 2,500 islands that comprise Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, there are plenty of freshly formed and reshaped islands (thanks to the volcanoes) that are not on the map.

Northern fur seals were once endangered, hunted to the edge of extinction for their namesake fur. Through conservation efforts, including protecting their breeding grounds, the seal has made a comeback, though it is still vulnerable. It's hard to tell in a photo, but they are quite big and extremely ornery, making a gutteral growl and bellow, which isn't hard to imagine in this photo.

Northern fur seal males often fight to claim a "territory" on the beaches, and once they stake their claim, rarely venture very far. They build harems of females, who can be quite gregarious. The fur seals breed here in the Aleutian Islands, but are known to travel as far away as Los Angeles, California, 3,000 miles south.

A harem of female northern fur seals, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Aleutian Islands, Alaska: Orca whale skull on Aiktak Island.

Bogoslof Island was the final stop on our expedition and easily one of the most anticipated. There was always a lot of anxiety about whether we would actually be able to get onto the island, as it's an extremely active volcano. The area you can see in this photo is just the tip of the volcano and its caldera, seen venting in the center, is visible. The rest of the volcano is submerged in the surrounding waters. The island is an important haul-out point for 100,000-140,000 northern fur seals.