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ncgleason.bsky.social
NCGleason
@ncgleason.bsky.social
660 followers 280 following 61 posts
•fish biologist specializing in salmon ecology and restoration
•nature photographer creating ecological images to inspire preservation of wild places
•located in the Pacific Northwest, USA
•proud federal employee
https://linktr.ee/ncgleason
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ncgleason.bsky.social
Fat bear 856 at Katmai National Park. He didn't win Fat Bear Week, but doesn't care. Abundant salmon runs create healthy ecosystems and very fat & happy bears!
#mammals #WorldAnimalDay
An enormous school of sockeye salmon is moving slowly upstream in a shallow river. They are a deep red color of their spawning phase. A large brown bear is sitting in the middle of it all with his head and shoulders visible above the water surface, and he appears to be smiling with his mouth open. A small area of clear blue water surrounds the bear where the salmon are avoiding him. Identified as male bear 856 at Katmai National Park.
October 4, 2025 at 4:45 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
I noticed that Amazon now has an AI thing that says “Ask Rufus”. Well I just want you to know this is Rufus. I don’t really recommend asking him anything unless you want to hear about how hungry he is or if there’s a crow on the light pole or if his roommate left a stinker in the box.
#cat
Front view of a surprised-looking cat with short, sandy hair and green eyes and front paws tucked in.
June 25, 2025 at 11:35 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
I think I found a gnome plant. Can anyone confirm whether this is Hemitomes congestum? If not then what is it?
Found in Olympic National Park. Setting is deep in a shady forest, elevation around 2,000 ft. Photo taken mid-July 2024.
#plant #PacificNorthwest #botany #NativePlants
Overhead view of a small, pink succulent-looking plant sitting among twigs, fir needles, and bits of moss on a forest floor. Side view of a small, pink succulent-looking plant sitting among twigs, fir needles, and bits of moss on a forest floor.
December 29, 2024 at 9:37 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
Happy Solstice from friendly sea otter!
An adult sea otter is sitting on ice, curled up and winking at the viewer with one paw raised in a friendly posture. Its face is light brown with a big black nose, and the rest of its fur is dark brown. The background is a icy platform with small piles of snow.
December 21, 2024 at 7:47 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
This is my wonderful yoga mat with my own photo on it. I hope you get outside today, but if you happen to be shopping, consider my website. All my nature photos can be printed on gift items, or treat yourself! 25% off wall art until midnight EST today. Thx for supporting my side gig. Link in bio.
photo of a yoga mat with a mossy green waterfall image on the mat. It is lying on a golden-toned hardwood floor. The background has a mirror, cabinet, and basket with yoga blocks.
November 29, 2024 at 6:27 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
I have no idea how I got so many followers all of a sudden when I haven’t posted for months. Here, have a fish!

Also, does anyone know what I’m supposed to do with the thing that says “invalid handle”? Got my handle over a year ago and don’t know what’s different now.
Underwater photo of a male sockeye salmon with green and black head, red body, and gold eye. Foreground is large gravel. Background is blue-green water and a reflection of the fish on the water’s surface above the fish.
November 15, 2024 at 12:47 AM
ncgleason.bsky.social
I offer my photo of this Galapagos Short-eared owl who is super irritated to be observed while eating breakfast.
It’s early for me, too, buddy.
Close-up portrait of a dark-brown and carmel-colored short-eared owl looking at the viewer with squinting eyes as if very irritated. The background is blurred out lava rock the same colors as the bird.
April 11, 2024 at 2:19 AM
ncgleason.bsky.social
It’s Leap Day. Post frog.
🐸
photo of eyes and face of frog appearing just above the water surface of a pond covered in lily pads and algae
February 29, 2024 at 8:07 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
This week, I was at the Bureau of Reclamation physical laboratory working w/ another fish biologist and some hydraulic engineers. We were testing the 1:10 scale physical model of a downstream #fish passage facility to check its safety for salmon. Fun time but we need more #WomenInSTEM.
🐟👩🏻‍🔬
Scene in a giant warehouse laboratory with a tall wood structure holding water in the back, clear acrylic channels coming down from the top of the wood structure and continuing in a long channel to the left. The right side has tables and chairs for a temporary work area for scientists. The foreground has a table for food, and the floor is concrete.
January 27, 2024 at 7:06 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
Hey scientists, I need help figuring out the difference between the Galapagos Sea Lion and the Galapagos Fur Seal. I've read a whole bunch, but am still not confident in identifying the animals in my photos. Which one is this?
Thanks for help!
#marinelife #mammals
Unidentified pinniped species sleeping curled up on a basalt rock perch over water on a shoreline in the Galápagos Islands.
January 14, 2024 at 11:05 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
My fave short-eared owl shot I got last year. Hoping to make it back out to the Samish delta again this year. 🦉🪶
#birds
(more owl photos on my website if you're interested)

Does anyone have advice on best Lr export settings for Bluesky? I'm just using same as instagram so far.
Short-eared owl flying toward the right with wings extended upward. The top of the left wing and the bottom of the right wing are visible. Its feet are tucked under the tail. The background is blurred out shades of pale orange and white of wetland grasses with frost on the ground.
December 2, 2023 at 6:18 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
Yay! Congrats on the macro lens purchase! I love doing macro photography and have some smol critters on my website. Looking forward to seeing what you capture.
Here’s a bumblebee 🐝
A large, fuzzy bumblebee is sitting on a lavender aster flower. The background is blurred green leaves.
November 16, 2023 at 5:25 AM
ncgleason.bsky.social
Photo from last year of a pair of chum salmon in a stream near my house. Looking forward to seeing this year’s run! It’s amazing to me that these wild animals will still use urban streams despite the habitat degradation and poor water quality. Examples of strength and resilience. 🐟
A pair of chum salmon, with the male on the left and the female on the right, are holding shallow water over large gravel. They are a greenish gold color with red and black vertical stripes.
November 2, 2023 at 2:18 AM
ncgleason.bsky.social
Ooh! #addHerper please 😃
A green anole in profile with its head raised and looking alert, perched on a branch of a succulent plant.
October 28, 2023 at 10:19 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
Autumn scene in Olympic National Park at Flapjack Lakes. The huckleberry shrubs turn all shades of orange to deep red providing a warm complement to the green trees and blue-green lake. It’s a tough hike with fantastic destination!

(🥾please stay on trails to avoid crushing delicate plant roots)
A blue-green lake lies between tall evergreen trees. The foreground has red and orange huckleberry shrubs.
October 19, 2023 at 12:33 AM
ncgleason.bsky.social
October is when the sockeye salmon reach their spawning grounds in the Pacific Northwest after migrating home from the ocean. Here’s a scene from a few years ago at the Adams River in Canada. (Just pulling something seasonal to share from my archives.)
A school of red and green sockeye salmon migrate upstream together in shallow water. About a dozen fish are visible in this close-up photo of a large school of fish.
October 8, 2023 at 3:35 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
Hi, I’m Nancy! I’m a fish biologist specializing in salmonid ecology and ecosystem restoration in the Pacific Northwest. I do some research, but am more of an applied scientist working on federal civil works projects. I provide technical advice and enviro compliance documents. MES from Evergreen!
A woman (me) wearing waders and a sunhat sitting on a rock in a stream. I’m holding a tiny trout in a green net over a green bucket. A clipboard with pencil sits on a blue bucket in front of me. The background is a rocky stream of the PNW.
September 30, 2023 at 5:28 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
Ooh! #addMam please. Here’s a pic of some deer in Olympic National Park for you.
Three deer, a doe and her two spotted fawns, have stopped to drink from s small stream along a hillside covered in green vegetation. The deer are a warm rusty brown with a black tail.
September 30, 2023 at 4:40 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
#addBirder please and thank you ☺️

Barn owl near Puerto Ayora in the Galápagos Islands
A sleepy barn owl stands on one leg on a large rock, and has one stray feather sticking out. It is in a dark lava tube cave.
September 16, 2023 at 5:46 PM
ncgleason.bsky.social
Any other ultralight/lightweight backpackers here? This is my frameless pack that weighs 19oz. I’ve been backpacking for over 30 years, and I started with all borrowed gear, all made for men. I don’t even know what my ridiculous pack weight was other than barely liftable. Now it’s 14lbs base weight.
A small green backpack sits on a scale showing 14lbs 10oz, which includes water for a 2-day backpacking trip. A Katadyn BeFree water filter is partially visible from the side pocket.
September 13, 2023 at 12:06 AM
ncgleason.bsky.social
Here’s my tent site for my most recent solo backpacking trip in Olympic National Park. After the first morning, I had the whole place to myself for total solitude, just me and a chipmunk.

September is busy, so I’m hoping for just enough dry weather in early October for another trip.
A small, pale-green tent sits in a forested campsite next to a river. The tent is between two trees and surrounded by lush green vegetation.
September 11, 2023 at 3:58 AM
ncgleason.bsky.social
Everyone needs to know about my cats, Rufus and Cooper.
I have upgraded their office furniture since this photo was taken.
Cooper (left) will reach out and whap you if you stop brushing too soon, or for no reason. Rufus (right) acts like he is starving all the time and eats any unattended bread.
A long-haired dark cat on the left and a short-haired tan cat on the right are sleeping in a bed together with arms across each other in a hug.
September 8, 2023 at 2:30 AM
ncgleason.bsky.social
Sally Lightfoot Crab (Grapsus grapsus) on lava rock in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
I came home with 10,000 photos to process, so I’m just going to start posting with this iPhone snapshot.
#Galapagos
#NaturePhotograpy
#crab
A large crab with red, orange, and blue coloring sits on gray lava rock. All 8 legs are spread wide, and claws are folded under its face.
September 7, 2023 at 2:05 AM