Our Homer friend Jim Herbert asked Jack and I if we were interested in going to Adak, Alaska to bird and share cost of lodging and vehicle.  We said sure! He also invited another friend Megan O’Neill to come along.  Jim graciously took care of logistics – reserved the Adak lodging and the vehicle.  We just needed to make our airplane reservations and bring food (we all coordinated on the food).  Food you say.  Well there is only one small store in Adak and unless you want to spend a lot of money for soft drinks and chips essentially, then you bring your own food.  Luckily Alaska Airlines, which flies out to Adak twice per week – Wednesdays and Saturdays – allows you three (3) free bags (or coolers, etc. so long as each is under 50 lbs).

Jack and I drove to Anchorage sans Moxie (she’s stayed with Jim’s wife Jill) to catch our flight to Adak on Saturday, May 22nd.  We used Alaska Airlines Award miles -12,500 each way.  For some reason it was the same number of miles to fly first class as coach so we chose first class – a no brainer.

We got to the airport at around 7:30 am for our 9:30 am flight.  There was a birding group that was going out on the same flight – High Lonesome Tours.  I think there were at least 8 people with that tour group.  They had lots of luggage too, including coolers.

We boarded the flight and settled into our seats.  Since we were flying first class we got seated first.  Then we proceeded to watch all the people boarding the plane.  I didn’t think there would be many, but the plane was almost full.  The plane does stop first in Cold Bay, Alaska.  I later learned from Jim, who was back in coach, that there was a large contingent of Ukrainians who were going to Cold Bay/King Cove to work on a fish processor (for Pollock).  I wonder if any of them had their Covid vaccinations???  Highly unlikely.  Luckily masks were required on the flights.

When the plane arrived in Cold Bay and most of the passengers got off, there was still a good number (35-40) of people going on to Adak.  One of those was Frank Haas.  Frank is from Pennsylvania and he and wife (now deceased) have traveled to Adak since the mid 2000s — twice a  year —  May and September.  Frank was Medevaced from Adak with kidney stones and was returning to Adak to finish his two-week stint.  He had just arrived on Saturday  then he was Medevaced on Tuesday.  Frank has a blog and website and there is a wealth of information on his “Adak” website:  http://www.franklinhaas.com/

Also on the plane was a group of about six birders from Fairbanks.  Like us, they too, were birding Adak on their own.  Independent travel to Adak is quite doable.

We took off from Cold Bay and headed to Adak.  About thirty minutes from Adak we were told there were high winds and so we were going to circle to see if a navy plane ahead of us landed or if the winds died down enough to land.  About thirty minutes later the pilot said we were headed in to Adak.  As we descended you could see the ocean below heavy with white caps. The wind was still whipping good.   However, we kept descending until one point the pilot pulled on the levers and we began a sharp accent.  Guess the winds were just too much – up to 60 knot cross winds.  Not safe for landing so a wise move by the pilot.  And back to Cold Bay we went.

At Cold Bay we deplaned and went into the air terminal.   There was another large contingent of people waiting to get on the plane to Anchorage.  We were told there wasn’t another plane available that could be sent to Cold Bay to take us to Adak, so we had to re-board the plane and return to Anchorage.  We learned that we were re-booked to return to Adak on Wednesday.  So we called and changed our return flight from Adak to Anchorage from Saturday, May 29th to Wednesday, June 2nd.  You could do Adak in 3-4 days (e.g., Saturday to Wednesday would be best), but you have more chances of seeing a rare bird if you are there for an entire week or longer.  The best time to go is in May, when migratory birds are passing through or returning and the vegetation hasn’t gotten so high that the birds can hide.

So first a little about Adak ….  I took the liberty of downloading some “Google Map” images showing the location of Adak in comparison to the rest of the Alaska.  It is 1,400 air miles from Anchorage to Adak.  It took us 4 hours to fly there with a short stop (one hour or less) at Cold Bay.

The community of Adak has a current population of around 320 people.  We didn’t see more than 20 people total during our one week stay.  During it heyday as a military base (Army/Navy/Air Force) during the Cold War there were upwards of 6,100 people on the island.  Once the Navy left in the late 1990s, many of the buildings fell into disrepair from the stiff winds.  I suspect only about 1/10 of the houses are habitable.  Sad.  There is one grocery store, which is open four days a week  for two hours  each day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 5:30 -7:30 pm.)  There isn’t a lot of groceries to choose from, and unfortunately much of the selection is junk food.  There is one liquor store and one bar on the island.  We didn’t visit either.

There is a middle/high school on the island.  We learned there are four kids that attend.  The grade school has ten kids.  I bet they could socially distance in a school with only 14 kids.  It was a good sized school  However, if one was to get terribly sick with Covid it would require them to be medevaced to Anchorage.  That would be a costly endeavor.

There were a lot of contractors in Adak working to remove or detonate live ammunition left over from when the Military had a base here.   And there were numerous signs up all over the island indicating that debris had been buried.  Steve, who owned the house we were renting, said that when the Navy left they buried jeeps that had not even been driven yet (brand new).  They turned them upside, with their tires sticking in the air, and buried them.  In a lot of places you cannot dig at all or no more than two feet below ground level.

There are approximately 16 miles of paved and unpaved roads – mostly unpaved.  Gas was around $5.40 per gallon when we were there.

Birders who want to check out the bird life on the water or nearby islands or rocky cliffs, can charter a boat for half-day, at the rate of $425/person!  Since this is a windy place, and thus calm seas are unlikely, and I and rough waters don’t get along, I decided I didn’t wan to pay $425 to puke my guts out.  Not sure any bird is worth that – at least not for me.  I hate being nauseous more than anything.  Several people did rent the boat to check out the seabirds – primarily various Aucklets but Albatross would be a delight.

Adak is a relatively barren island, composed primarily of tundra.  There are a few spruce trees and willows interspersed throughout the island, at least that portion of the island we visited.  The landscape is beautiful, however,  the weather can be miserable.

So if anyone wants to work remotely – can’t get much more remote than this – there are housing opportunities available and for a very reasonable price (under $100,000 – fully furnished and with a vehicle).    Here is an example of some of the housing in Adak.  A lot of fixer-uppers too.

Arrival Day…  Wednesday – May 26th

We did need to go shopping again for fresh produce on Tuesday, but on Wednesday we again arrived at the airport around 7:30 am for our 9:30 am flight.   Some of the same people who were on our flight to Adak last Saturday were once again on the flight – particularly the Fairbanks group, along with two other small groups of birders.  The trip to Adak via Cold Bay was uneventful.  Hooray!!!  We didn’t get to sit in first class this leg of the journey, but we both had rows to ourselves.

Once we arrived in Adak, we paid our $30 land-use fee to the native corporation, retrieved our checked bags, coolers, and boxes of food, and found Steve C. our host (owns the accommodations and vehicle we used).  We drove to our accommodations and proceeded to unpack the perishable foods and then grab our gear to begin birding.   The units were well furnished, but with spotty wi-fi so bring reading material.

There were some rare birds that had been spotted recently – Whooper Swan, Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Terek Sandpiper, and Temminck’s Stint –  so we wanted to check for these birds and headed to their eBird locations as our first order of business.

Our first stop was Haven Lake to look for the Whooper Swan.  It took us a little while to find the right road as the maps we had weren’t as helpful as they could be. Road signs, what signs???  We finally found the bird with the help of Michelle Lake from Fairbanks.  She got us on the right road.  We stopped and took photos, although the bird was some distance off.    There were also around eight (8) Eurasian Wigeons.  My favorite wigeon.

Our next stop was to look for the Eastern Spot-billed Duck so we headed to Clam Lagoon.  This is a big body of water and mud flats.  We stopped several people who had seen the duck, but we missed it.

You can drive almost all the way around the lagoon.  However, the outlet bridge (Candlestick bridge) is no longer serviceable.  Once you reach it you have to turn around and retrace your route.  This we did.  We stopped at the seawall to look for the Arctic Loon that had been spotted.  We thought we saw it, but turns out what we were looking at was a Common Loon (in non-breeding plumage).   A Terek Sandpiper had been spotted along the shores of the lagoon, but was never respotted during our stay on Adak – by us or others.

Our next stop was South Sweeper Creek where the Temminck’s Stint was spotted earlier in the day.  We eventually found it, again with the help of Michelle Lake.  Thank you Michelle.  This is a beautiful bird.

There were about a dozen or so Rock Sandpipers feeding and roosting along South Sweeper Creek.  We also had a Semi-palmated Plover.   In Homer we get Rock Sandpipers in the winter in their winter plumage.  Rarely see them in their breeding plumage.

Frank Haas asked if we had a two-way radio so that we could get notifications of rare bird observations.  Surprisingly although there were probably ten or more other birds on the island, we rarely encountered them when out birding.  We didn’t bring any radios as Jim thought cell phone coverage on the island was sufficient (based on reports from Frank Haas via his Adak website).  Luckily Frank had an extra radio we could use so long as he was still on the island (he would leave before we did).  We gladly accepted the radio.  Later in the day, as we were eating dinner, we got a notification via radio of an Eurasian Hobby spotted by the bartender at the local bar.   We stayed put, but the race was on with the other birders on the island looking for the hobby.  Turns out it wasn’t a Eurasian Hobby (type of small raptor), but rather a Common Cuckoo.  Frank reported all this to us after he had spotted the bird.   We decided to check it out the next day.

Thursday May 27th

One thing there is plenty of on Adak Island is Bald Eagles.  We saw lots of them, including this juvenile that was very light (and had ratty wing and tail feathers).

As for Passerines (songbirds), there weren’t many and the Lapland Longspur was the predominate species – very common.  Lapland Longspurs were a delight to see as they can be found in the Homer area occasionally during the winter, and during spring and fall migration.  We also saw Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finches.  We get these birds at our house in Homer during the winter, although a different subspecies.   The Song Sparrow, another common passerine, here is much larger than our Song Sparrow.  In fact, on the last full day we mistook one for a thrush (bad lighting and a quick look).  Savannah Sparrows are occasionally observed on Adak.  We didn’t see one, but Jim and I both heard a Savannah Sparrow.

Jim had been to Adak before so knew to bring bird seed to put out at various locations to help attract birds, especially rarities like the Hawfinch.

We went to a lot of different locations to check out the birds:  Along the coastline off Hillside Blvd., Adak National Forest (checking for rarities), Moose Road (in town), Otter Drive (in town), South Sweeper Creek, and Finger Bay Road.

Adak Forest is a must stop.  A number of rarities have been found here in past years.  We didn’t have any, but need to check just in case.  There is also a graveyard adjacent to the forest.  One for humans and one for pets.

Jim has been to Adak at least twice before so he was our driver and tour guide.  So off through the housing area we went in search of trees and the Hawfinch.  After checking out several trees for the Hawfinch, we finally spotted one in what I started calling “Frank’s Tree”.  Frank and others (including Jim) put out seeds for the birds near this tree.  This was a life bird for me (I think – ha ha ha).  At least I don’t remember seeing it previously – would need to go back and check my records for when I birded Southeast Asia in 2011.

We also saw the Common Cuckoo.  I think I may have seen this bird in Southeast Asia, but it is a new bird for Alaska.

We didn’t see the Eastern Spot-billed Duck today, nor the Terek Sandpiper.  Frank Haas thought the duck had flow the coup so to speak.  I hope not.

As we drove to Finger Cove, we stopped alongside the road to watch a pair of Rock Ptarmigan cross.  The male stopped in the road and allowed us to get some decent photos.  Also we could look out over Kuluk Bay and check out the seabirds.  There was a small raft of Ancient Murrelets.  Such pretty feathered birds – almost like they were wearing tuxedos.

As for Finger Cove, we didn’t see any unusual birds here.  Lots of Harlequin Ducks and Red-breasted Mergansers in the cove.  Oh, and Lapland Longspurs, but on land.   But the drive was pleasant and the countryside beautiful.  Lots of rolling tundra with wildflowers just starting to blossom, such as Lupines and Anemones.

Friday, May 28th

We had heard about a Wood Sandpiper at a small pond near Lake Alexander.  So off we went to see if we could spot the bird.  We got out of our vehicle and set up our spotting scopes.  Megan spotted something that looked out of place near some reeds, and yes it was the sandpiper!  This was a life bird for Megan.  Jim has seen it before and Jack and I have seen the bird in Africa.

After checking out the Wood Sandpiper we proceeded to Clam Lagoon.  This really is the best place for birding.  The number of species spotted here far exceeds any other spot on the island accessible by vehicle.

On our drive along the seawall, we stopped and saw some great birds.  Jim spotted a Whiskered Auklet.  This is the bird other birders spend hundreds of dollars on a boat trip to see and we saw it from land.  Thank you Jim.  I wasn’t sure I would ever get to see this bird (a life bird).  Not sure any bird is worth getting seriously nauseous over.  At least not to me.

We headed back to town and heard about a pair of Snow Geese spotted near the airport.  Off we went.  We ended the day with a new bird for the trip – Snow Goose.  They were hanging out near the airport terminal.  Thanks again to the Fairbanks group for the tip.

Saturday, May 29th

The morning started out nice, but the weather here can quickly change.  On our way to Clam Lagoon, we stopped at Paradise Lookout.  We checked out birds on the ocean – Red-breasted Merganser (shocker) were everywhere.  We had Harlequin Ducks and Common Eider as well.  Four Pacific Loons were spotted.  Still no Arctic Loon.  We observed 14 Bar-tailed Godwits on the beach.  This is the highest number of Godwits we saw at one time during out visit.  Glad we had our spotting scopes.

Next stop Clam Lagoon and Mudflats, again looking for and FINALLY spotting the Eastern Spot-billed Duck thanks to Megan’s eagle eyes.  The bird  looks similar in shape and size to a female Mallard.   We were very happy to see the duck (a life bird for all of us) and get decent looks through our spotting scopes.

We left the duck and continued along Clam Lagoon and seawill, finally reaching Candlestick Bridge.  From the  bridge we were able to observe several Laysan Albatross and several dozen Short-tailed Shearwaters.  Neither of these were a life bird. I’ve seen Short-tailed Shearwaters off of Anchor Point.  And I spent three weeks at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in 2012 counting Laysan and Black-footed Albatross where I saw hundreds of thousands of the Laysan Albatross.  I highly recommend this volunteer opportunity.

Later in the day,  we went to check out the old church and some abandoned navy facilities.  There are two church buildings on Adak (that I know of).  Neither are in current use for religious ceremonies.  The more recent facility is the island’s tsunami building.  This is where everyone goes if an tsunami warning has been issued.  It was locked up tight because of vandalism.  Guess whoever has the keys better be around if there is a tsunami warning issued.

Sunday, May 30th

We went out early to see if we could see the Eastern-Spot-billed Duck again.  The tide was in so much of the waterfowl were loafing in the distant vegetation along the water, including the Spot-billed Duck.  You could just make out its head to know what bird you had.  No one else saw the duck that day.  This duck isn’t out feeding regularly like the other ducks.   Maybe it doesn’t like all the Bald Eagle activity.  There are a lot of Bald Eagles near the lagoon – happy hunting grounds for young ducklings.

With the winds relatively calm (for Adak) and mostly sunny skies, we decided to drive out to the former Loran Station and look for Albatross, Fulmurs, and Shearwaters flying over the ocean below the bluffs.   Jim, who has spent a lot of time on boats, was able to pick out the Fulmurs and Shearwaters, but I could not.  The birds were too far away.  I’m sure I saw both, but if I can’t identify them then I don’t count them.

We did see a lot of puffins – primarily Horned – flying by.  They are easy to distinguish.  We also had some Tufted Puffins in a cove near the former Loran Station.  We got good looks at the birds through our spotting scopes (I brought mine and Jim brought his).   At this cove there is supposedly a hot springs at the or near the bottom of the cliff and rope to get down to it.  None of us tried out the rope.  Nor could we actually see the hot springs from the top of the bluff.

Afterwards we did go along Clam Lagoon again checking out the birds.  Nothing new to report.

On the way back to the house,  we drove by the Hawfinch tree (or Frank’s tree) and saw the Hawfinch again.   There have been several Common Ravens coming around the tree now to eat the seeds.  The Ravens are keeping the Hawfinch and Gray-crowned Rosy-finches at bay.

Monday, May 31st

After stopping off at the airport landing lights to check out the birds along the beach and on the ocean, we went to an area near Contractor’s Marsh.  Here Megan spotted a shorebird in a marshy area.  We got out of the truck to see if we could identify the bird.  We got some good photos and we were able to id the bird as Pectoral Sandpiper.  Not a life bird for us, but a new bird for our 2021 Adak list.  While we were watching this bird, a Bar-tailed Godwit flew in.  We’ve seen up to 14 Bar-tailed Godwits at a time on this trip.  Also present shorebird wise was a pair of Semi-palmated Plovers and several Red-necked Phalaropes.  The Plovers, like the Rock Sandpipers, are the most prevalent shorebird species.  But alas, no Common Snipe.

We also drove along Seawall Road in town.   Pigeon Guillemots are common, and you occasionally get Ancient Murrelets.  In the late afternoon we drove out to Clam Lagoon again to see if we could find the Eastern Spot-billed Duck.  No luck.   Our trip included a drive along the seawall, which is different than seawall road in town.  Confusing, I know.

Tuesday, June 1st

Our last full day on Adak Island.  We decided to check out Clam Lagoon and the seawall again.  No sighting of the Eastern Spot-billed Duck.  However, as we passed the seawall and were headed to the bridge, I saw a black-headed gull and shouted for Jim to stop.  The gull, very obligingly, landed nearby.  We quickly got the scopes out and found the characteristics we needed to confirm my belief that this was the Black-headed Gull, not a Bonapart Gull.   The Black-headed gull was seen by other birders before our arrival, but so far no one had seen it since our arrival so we thought it had moved on.  This was my ‘trip bird’ – the bird I really wanted to see when we came out to Adak and I was so happy that we finally spotted it on our last full day here.   “Timing is everything.”  We spent some time photographing the bird then proceeded to Candlestick bridge to check out birds on the ocean.  The bridge is accessible only by foot and this is where the ocean water floods the lagoon during the tidal cycle.

On our way back to town, we stopped to inform two different birding groups about the gull.  I think one group had seen the gull elsewhere (outside of Alaska) as they didn’t seem too excited about our find.  The other group – two men – were happy to hear about the gull and quickly took off in search of it.

Another great bird for the day was a Short-eared Owl.  It flew close to us so we got great looks.  This is my favorite owl species.

Wednesday, June 2nd

Today was the last day of our Adak visit – and go figure, calm and sunny.  We drove out to the airport landing lights beach to check for shorebirds.  We only saw the Rock Sandpipers.  We then went to Contractor’s March for a last ditch effort at finding a Common Snipe – struck out  again.  Guess we’ll have to come again another time.  We only heard the Wilson’s Snipe and had seen it earlier.  We then went back to Haven Lake to see if we could get better photos of the Whooper Swan.  Luckily the bird was still there, affording great views.   Finally we checked out the Adak National Forest for any possible rare birds – none – and then proceeded back to our accommodations to pick up our checked bags for transport to the airport for a security clearance.  We checked in and then went back to the apartment to eat lunch, grab our carry-ons and make a quick tour of South Sweeper’s Creek.  The tide was in so not as many Rock Sandpipers, and no other shorebirds.  Then, regretfully, it was time to get to the airport for our flight home.

We saw a total of 60 different birds species between the four of us.  I personally had 59 species (missing the Northern Fulmar). But did we see anything wildlife or interesting vegetation?

As you can see, there aren’t many trees on Adak.  Adak is primarily tundra.  Wildlife is scarce.  While there are supposedly over 3,000 Caribou (from an introduced herd of around 20 or so), we only saw remnants of a dead caribou.  Rats are a problem on the island but we didn’t see any, luckily.  In fact, other than a few people and several dogs, we didn’t see any mammals on the island.  I did spot some tracks near the landing lights.

As for flowers, things were just starting to bloom.  There were a lot of lupine plants that had flower heads that hadn’t opened up yet for the most part.  Each day the flowers were closer to blooming and some had bloomed.

Other plants I saw included dandelions (they’re everywhere), marsh marigolds, daffodils (definitely non-native), fireweed (just starting to come out of the ground), and cow parsnip.

Up, up, and away.   Once again we were in first class – this time all four of us.  We had an uneventful flight home – no turbulent wind or volcanic explosions – and deplaned around 6:30 pm in Anchorage.   It wasn’t until we left Cold Bay that we were able to see the world below us.  Here are a few photos of what I could see:

 

Overall we had a great trip with good friends.  Each day was ….

A Great Day to Bird

Jack and I decided to go to the Grand Canyon for the day.  I think several thousand other people had the same idea.  The Grand Canyon typically gets over 5 million visitors a year!  We left Sedona around 7:00 a.m., and arrived at the Grand Canyon around 9:30 a.m..   We parked near Mather Point and proceeded to walk 2.5 miles along the scenic Rim Trail to Bright Angel, then back.  When we first started out I would say about 75% or more of the people wore masks (even though we were outdoors, when on the narrow paths you often walk within six feet of people especially once the trails got busy).  However on the return trip back to Mather Point I would estimate that it was the reverse – only about 25% of the people wore masks.  My biggest frustration were those groups of two couples, without masks, who decide to take up the entire trail.  What arrogance and conceit, regardless of Covid.  If we didn’t have Covid,  I would have stopped in the trail to make them walk around me.  And surprisingly many of the people without masks were older people more susceptible to Covid.  I don’t care if you don’t have any regards for your own health and safety, but come on and be considerate of those around you.  Like I said, selfish individuals.  Masks don’t make you weak, but not wearing one does.   I noticed that most of the license plates were out-of-state.

Despite the inconsiderate people, the views, as always, were stunning.  The day started out sunny, but the clouds and wind came in around mid-day, keeping the temperatures comfortable.  There were a lot of birds out, and I was surprised that we were able to see 18 different species – with such high elevations and lots of people about.   We kept a close look out for the California Condor, and at one point I thought I had spotted a condor on a cliff face, but it turned out just to the a shadow (a candor shaped shadow no less).   So unfortunately we left Condorless.  We have seen them here before, and in fact once we had them flying overhead and we could see, without binoculars, their wing tag numbers.

Nuthatches were everywhere and we got to see all three nuthatches (Red-breasted, White-breasted, and Pygmy), along with four different woodpeckers (Williamson’s Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, and Red-naped Sapsucker).  Lewis’s Woodpecker is also found here, but unfortunately we didn’t see one, although I would have loved that more than the condor actually.   We were rewarded with several mixed flocks that kept us busy watching birds as others were watching the scenery.  Ah you’ve seen one rock, you’ve seen them all right?  Ha ha, except for the Grand Canyon…

Despite my bewildered frustration with maskless idiots, it was nice to be outdoors enjoying the magnificent scenery and the great birds.

Bird on everyone, bird on … Happy Turkey Day … and remember …

IT’S ALWAYS A GREAT DAY TO BIRD

Hard to believe that October has come and gone.  I’ve been busy tending to my father who has been hospitalized for two months following surgery for mouth cancer.  His hospital stay was much longer than was anticipated, but considering his age (90) probably understandable.  He did stay almost five weeks at Select Specialty Hospital.  Neither my dad, nor I were happy with his care there.  While the nurses were good, trying to communicate with his doctor and case manager proved difficult at times.  After his first week, I had a conference call that included people from different specialties – therapy, respiratory, pharmacy, etc..  They talked about their goals for my dad during his stay.  We were supposed to have follow-up conference call in the third week to talk about progress but that never happened, not without lack of effort on my part.  Very frustrating.  Needless to say, he did not reach the goals identified in the first conference call.  I could never get information as to what was happening, although the nurses did say they all loved him.  He was finally released, at my insistence, and transferred to a skilled nursing facility.  Otherwise, I think he would still be in the hospital.  The communications with staff at the skilled nursing facility is a 180 degrees different from the hospital.  They contact you whenever there is a change in condition.  I’ve probably spoken with 7-8 different staff members about his care in the past week.   So different than what I experienced at Select Specialty Hospital.  These last two months have been very trying.

When I was able to get out and bird I returned to my favorite spot – Bubbling Ponds.   During most visits I generally saw a new bird (new for the year  – FOY – First of Year) – Yay!!!   Jack and Moxie came with me on some of the visits, sometimes I went alone.

With migration pretty much over, the number of birds observed at Bubbling Ponds has dwindled somewhat.  Still, it is always fun to bird and walk the area.   The birds we are always guaranteed to see are ducks (lots of Mallards, American Wigeons, and Ring-necked Ducks right now), Black and Say’s Phoebe, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch, Belted Kingfisher (sometimes only heard), Great Blue Heron, Great-tailed Grackles, and Abert’s Towhee.

At home, we keep the feeders filled and have mostly House Sparrows.  Occasionally a Bewick’s Wren or two appear (one of my favorite birds) to check out the suet feeder or grab a drink of water.  A Ladderback Woodpecker likes the suet feeder also, along with a Ponderosa Pine in the yard.  The suet feeder is also favored by a large flock of Bushtits (another favorite bird).  Fun to see about 6-7 Bushtits all on the suet feeder at once.  And I added a new yard bird – a Eurasian Collared Dove.

We do have a neighborhood cat that we have to chase off regularly.  I keep thinking (okay hoping) the coyotes will get it, but no luck so far.  Saw it with a squirrel in its mouth the other day.  Oh was I steamed.  Damn cat.  Please people keep your cats indoors for their protection and for the protection of wildlife.

We did finally hike a trail near my father’s house.  The weather cooled down somewhat so off we went.  This trail – Baldwin Trail – was quite popular for a weekday.  The Sedona area has lots of trails and this is one busy area, especially on weekends.  The traffic coming up from the Phoenix area is heavy on weekends especially, even during times of Covid.  People are pretty good about social distancing on the trails – we always move off – and wearing masks.  Not everyone though.  While some people think it shows weakness if you wear a mask, I think it shows weakness if you DON’T wear a mask.

Despite the circumstances of our being in the Sedona area, it is nice not to have snow and plenty of sunshine.  In fact, for the entire two months I’ve been here it has been blue skies all but two days.  Not too shabby.  Of course it does make for very dry conditions, and that’s not good for wildlife or humans.

IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BIRD

September (instead of winter) finds me in Arizona.  I had to fly (yikes!!!) down here as my elderly (90 year old) father underwent major surgery for mouth cancer in late August.  After a little more than a month, he is still in the hospital, and probably will remain there another three weeks.  He may then go to a rehab center before coming home.  To make matters worse, just before his operation the retina in his right eye detached.  He could not get it repaired before his cancer surgery so he has lost the sight in that eye, and the other eye has macular degeneration,  When it rains, it pours.  Up until the surgery he was playing golf three days a week.

The weather here has been HOT – most days are in the 90s, with a couple of days surpassing 100.  So much for it being fall!  I thought I was melting.  I prefer temperatures in the low to mid 70s.  That is ideal for me.  But I do love the sunshine.  When it is cloudy here for more than a couple of days,  most residents get depressed.  I can understand how they feel.  Sunshine makes me feel like a million bucks.  Nowadays I need something positive in my life.

The birding here has been pretty good – fall migration.  At my dad’s house we have a pair of Juniper Titmouse, Bewick’s Wrens, and Anna’s Hummingbirds that come throughout the day.  I so love the Bewick’s Wren.  It happens to be my favorite wren species of North America.  I must say though, that the most common species at my dad’s house is the House Finch and the finches are coming on strong now that we have a feeder and water out for the birds.  Don’t have to worry about bear here in the summer, just raccoons, skunks, javelina, and rogue cats.  Moxie is keeping the cats away.

We also have had an ant problem.  They were attracted to the sugar water I dumped on the ground by accident when checking out the Hummingbird feeder.  So out came the vinegar (my mom liked to buy it in bulk so we had a lot) and the cornmeal.  I think the cornmeal really worked.  They eat it, but can’t digest it.  We haven’t had a problem since.  And these were good sized ants.

In the cool mornings when I’m not birding or hiking, I do walk the neighborhood with Moxie (our dog) for exercise and birds.   You never know what you might find.  One morning I had a Common Nighthawk flying around in the neighborhood.  That was a pleasant surprise.  And several nights I’ve heard Great Horned Owls – close.

In addition to rabbits in the neighborhood, I have heard yipping coyotes at night, saw ambitious raccoons trying to get the sunflower seeds off our hanging feeder, and one morning we even had a striped skunk in the yard.  I made sure Moxie stayed indoors.  Don’t want her sprayed by the skunk.  Although I’m afraid it may be hiding out under the deck during the day.

I have taken advantage of cool mornings to get to one of my favorite local birding hotspots – Bubbling Ponds Fish Hatchery located near Page Springs (known as the Page Springs Hatchery Hot Spot).  It takes me about 20-30 minutes to get there.   I’m just glad it is open to the public during the pandemic.   Most of the people I have encountered on my visits there have been people out for a walk -a nice riverside trail and fish rearing ponds.

Each of my visits generally start around 7:00 am in the morning.  I spend 2-3 hours there, depending on whether I go to the ponds only, or also walk the trails.  At the ponds/wetland alone I can encounter over 30 different species, and only a few of those are ducks.

I checked on eBird, and since I’ve been recording birds at this location on eBird I’ve recorded 95 different species here.  Not too shabby.  I’m #28 for record number of species seen.   I do highly recommend this location (listed as Page Springs Hatchery on eBird Hotspot).

Jack, Moxie, and I went to another favorite area – Bell Creek Trail.  We’ve only been here during the winter months so we were quite surprised when we got there around 7:00 am the weekend parking lot was half full.  We enjoy the hike here, and we occasionally get some good birds.  I was hoping to see the Black-throated Sparrow and I was not disappointed.  If you are ever in this area and that is a target bird you might want to check this area out.  I would estimate that I’ve seen this bird 8 out of 10 visits.  So good odds of finding the bird.

We did hear and finally spotted a Summer Tanager – male, in this case.  The females are harder to see as they blend in with the leaves.  We didn’t see a lot of species on our visit, but with all the people on the trails that was somewhat understandable.

 

I wonder what birds October will bring?

IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BIRD …

Sorry folks.  I had set this up to be published on August 31, 2020, and not sure that happened.  If not, I apologize.

Hard to believe it is August already.  The leaves on the vegetation up at the park (less than 1/4 mile from our home) are already starting to turn red, yellow, and orange.  The fireweed flower stalks (flower from the bottom up) are near the top (generally an indicator that summer is about over).    I’m not ready.

And now that it is the end of August, the fireweed is done, which means summer is over.  Luckily no new snow (or as we call it “termination dust”) on the mountains yet.  Only a matter of time.  The mornings are cooler, the leaves are turning, and soon we will get our first frost, then our first snow.

I have been ‘spaced-out birding’ while trying to avoid the masses.  I am thankful that I live is a state that isn’t very populated, although some weekends it is quite busy in our little corner of the state.  I continue to go birding at the Anchor Point beach.  Shorebird southbound migration continues – hooray!!!

Anchor Point Beach

Our small birding group went to Anchor Point on 5 August.  We always have to time it when the tides are best for birding watching.  On the 5th, we had to work with an incoming tide so started on the beach and then moved to the river.  I prefer an outgoing tide, but the timing was off that day.  Not only do I consider the tides for birding, but also the weather and everyone’s availability.

We saw 11 different species of shorebirds:  Surfbird, Black Turnstone, Rock Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Short-billed Dowitcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Semi-palmated Plover, and Wilson’s Snipe.

Surprisingly we saw 12 Rock Sandpipers — early arrivals as usually we only get one or two at the most this time of year.  It was nice to see more of them.  And, there were five (5) Spotted Sandpipers, all together in a group, so possibly a family.  The tide was rising and the food bank along the river was fading fast.  A Sharp-shinned Hawk, which we had spotted about five minutes earlier, swooped down and tried to take out one of the Spotted Sandpipers.  I’m happy to report no birds were harmed during our visit (not that we observed luckily).  I know the Sharp-shinned Hawk has to eat as well, I just don’t like to see their prey killed while I’m watching.  Out of sight, out of mind.

The only thing marring the trip was someone nearby shooting off their guns.  They seemed to be near the campground, and if I were camping there I would be distressed.  I have heard of bullets traveling up to a mile and striking someone.  So – go to the shooting range please.

On the 13th, Jack and I took Moxie to the Anchor Point beach so she could run and we could bird.  There are still shorebirds coming through, although not as many as in previous visits.  We did get a good variety – 14 different shorebird species.  Not too shabby.  I think the surprise of the day was the two Whimbrels I spotted at the end of the visit.  We were almost back at the boat launch parking lot when I was thinking that most of the Whimbrels have probably already migrated through.  About two minutes later these two Whimbrels flew and landed about 50 yards from me.  Nice.  I also saw a Sanderling, which is rare for this time of year.  I generally see one or two during the outbound migration.  Hope to see some again.  While the highest number observed for any given shorebird species was 14 (Black Turnstone), I was surprised to encounter 13 Semi-palmated Plover.  The plover  move through later in the season than the Turnstones and Surfbirds.

Out at sea (Cook Inlet), there was an occasional Horned Puffin and several dozen Sooty Shearwater.   There were also large concentrations of Black-legged Kittiwakes.  There must have been some small schools of fish for them to feed on.  Fun to watch them dive bomb into the water after food.

The tidal difference that day between low and high tide was only 5.5 feet (high tide 12.6 and low tide 7.1).  So the tide went out very slowly.  Not a whole lot of rocks were exposed and the shorebirds like the intertidal rocks.   It was a beautiful day so we walked to the mouth of the river.  Not much in the way of shorebirds there, mostly gulls.

My friend Jim and I ventured back out to the Anchor Point beach and river on 21 August.  We didn’t see as many shorebirds but did get a lot of seabirds.  Timing is everything, as Jack likes to say.  Sometimes on the water (Cook Inlet) you don’t see any birds.  This time we saw a lot, especially gulls and Horned Puffins.  Despite the outgoing tide, some of the puffins were clearly visible with binoculars.  But a scope is really needed to check out the birds on the inlet.  We had a total of 31 species.  Not bad for a couple of hours of birding.  The highlights for me were the two Lapland Longspur migrating south.  They are rare for this time of year.  We also had two Northern Harriers.  Always fun to watch the harriers slowly glide over the land and river in search of their next meal.

And yet another trip to the Anchor Point beach and river on 28 August with Jack, Jim, and Moxie.  We did see some shorebirds, but not many – Rock Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, and Greater Yellowlegs, oh and one peep.  The inlet waters were calm bird wise compared to last week when Jim and I were there birding.  Timing again.

The highlight of the trip was spotting a Humpback whale.  We even got to see it breach.  I think there were actually two whales.  Amazing creatures.

Home Grounds and Eveline State Recreation Site

So the other night I heard a crane calling.  The sound was plaintive, as though it had lost its mate, which very well could be as we do have a nesting pair of eagles nearby.   As I was looking for the crane I happened to look down on the ground near our garden.  There in the grass was a brown blob.  I got my bins out and looked.  I was surprised to see a Wilson’s Snipe just sitting in the grass.  The bird stayed there quite awhile,  allowing me to get a photograph.  I do love snipes.

In early August Jack and I took Moxie (the dog) for a walk in the park (Evenline SRS).  They do have a nice looped trail (a little over one mile).  We had a fair number of passerines in the park that day, including many hatch year Orange-crowned Warblers, plus several Golden and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.  We flushed a Spruce Grouse (or Moxie or Chaz did – Chaz is the neighbor’s dog who usually accompanies us).   Not many birds were singing except for the Alder Flycatchers.  They seem to like the dead treetops.  Easy to find that way.  It was a nice walk and yes, the leaves they are a changing.

Jack and I walk this park nearly every day.  A few days after noting that only the Alder Flycatchers were singing, they were silent.  That might be because they’ve already headed south for the winter?

We’ve had a nice mix of species in our yard.  A Sandhill Crane pair with a colt visited.  They like to hang out in the garden.  We’ve also had two hatch year Steller’s Jays searching for food.  They like the cracked corn we leave out for the cranes.  And not to be out done, the Ring-necked Pheasant hen and her four chicks were at the mound where we put out the corn.  And that was all in one day.  We still have our mix of sparrows around.

Kenai Flats, Cannery Road, and Kasilof Beach and River Mouth

My friend Jim and I drove up to Kenai/Soldotna to check out the shorebirds at Kenai Flats, Cannery Road, and the Kasilof River mouth and beach.   The Burke’s had reported seeing up to 50 Wilson’s Snipe at Cannery Road.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than three snipes at once, let alone 50.  We wanted to check it out.

Kenai Flat

The grasses are tall so hard to see into some of the ponds.  We did get a really nice view of a Peregrine Falcon on a snag.  What a beautiful adult bird.  I wish it had been closer so I could have gotten a photo of the bird.  We did get great views with our binoculars and spotting scopes.

There are also a lot of stumps out in the flats.  One looked like it might have a bird on it.  Sure enough we saw a Short-eared Owl perched on top of one of the stumps.  Again too far away for a photo.

With respect to shorebirds, we were ‘limited’ to several Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs.  But that was fine.  Always nice to see these birds.  There were two Trumpeter Swans in a pond, and two Sandhill Cranes nearby.  The Arctic Terns have left for points south so only gulls still hanging out along the river.  And I mean a lot of gulls, (think thousands), many of them hatch year birds.

Cannery Road

We left the Kenai Flats and headed to Cannery Road.  The small ponds here were mostly dry, but we did find a small number of Lesser Yellowlegs (seven) and one Greater Yellowlegs feeding in the pond.  Jack and I had been here about a week earlier and we had about twenty dowitchers and one Pectoral Sandpiper, in addition to the yellowlegs.   As we were checking out the ponds, a Northern Harrier flew over the ponds scattering the birds, revealing the few ducks around.  The yellowlegs seemed undeterred.   Then we noticed several large flocks of shorebirds.  These birds turned out to be Wilson’s Snipe and I estimate we saw at least 60 of them.  Four landed real close to us, but unfortunately a vehicle drove by flushing the birds.  We only got quick views.

Before we left the Northern Harrier was joined by another harrier and they proceeded to chase each other.  There also were two Common Ravens who didn’t care for the harriers,  we think the harriers were trying to take the prey the Ravens had captured.

Kasilof Beach and River Mouth

We hustled over to the Kasilof Beach to check the incoming tide for shorebirds.  We were told it is better to get here a half a hour early, rather than a minute late.  Truer words were never spoken when it comes to this beach and shorebirds.

The tide was still somewhat out but we could see shorebirds feeding in the mud flats.  We just had to wait for them to be pushed closer to the shoreline.   And looking out we could see a lot of shorebirds – yellowlegs and dowitchers, with a few smaller peeps mixed in.  In all, we estimate there were around 200 Greater Yellowlegs and about 75 Lesser Yellowlegs.  The estimated 50 dowitchers we couldn’t identify to species as they were too far out and then flew overhead in silence.

We did see several Surfbirds and Black Turnstones in the mix, plus Semi-palmated Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Semi-palmated Plovers, and other peeps (these birds flew silently overhead).   Nearby there were  several Semi-palmated Plovers (three) on the beach loafing.   Jim was hoping for a Sanderling, but if there was one in the bunch, we didn’t see it.

As the tide crept closer to shore, the birds would generally fly off in large flocks (25-50 birds) at a time – almost in waves.  When the tide was real close to shore, most of the birds had already flown off.

There were also a large number of Northern Pintails along the surfline.  And out further we did get glimpses of Red-throated Loons – always nice to see.   At the tip of the beach on the south side of the river, we had a large flock of around 17 Bonparte’s Gulls.  There were also hundreds of Herring Gulls and at least one Mew Gull.  One first cycle gull kept feeding close to shore.  I wondered if maybe it was injured.  It hung out alone.

Overall we were happy with the birding, but did note that it would be better to be at the Kasilof beach during the am tide, when the sun is at our backs and we would have better lighting.  However, the morning tides this week were too early – the drive is at least  two hour from Homer.  Maybe next year.

Eagle Lake

We ventured back out to Eagle Lake on the 14th of August to see if the adult Pacific Loons were still there.  They were.  Definitely no chick.  They are certainly beautiful birds.  The Mew Gulls, ever present in May, June, and July, were gone.  They had raised their young and found no reason to stick around.  The Merlins were gone also.  I don’t know if they were just gone in search of food and would return at night or if they too had left for good.

The passerines were pretty quiet, although I was able to pish two Orange-crowned Warblers, two Golden-crowned Sparrows, and a Fox Sparrow out of hiding.  We also had a Ring-necked Duck with nine ducklings.  I was surprised they had survived the Merlin and Bald Eagles in the area.

We saw two Sandhill Cranes near the far end of the lake.  And five Greater Yellowlegs flew in and landed in the tall (tall for them) grasses, sedges, and rushes.  Also at the far end of the lake was some white material in a tree and on the ground.  Jack and I decided to take a closer look and started walking in that direction.  About half way there I saw some movement, stopped to look, and spotted a large black object.  Yup, a black bear.  It was curious about the white material also.  At one point it must have smelled something in the woods because it took off at a dead run.  Luckily it wasn’t running towards us, but it was kicking up a lot of water.  We might not have been able to go over there anyway – too much water, even with our Xtra-tuff boots.  Turning around and going back the way we came seemed the smart thing to do, so we prudently retreated – Moxie never was the wiser…

This will probably be our last visit to the lake this year.  I conduct loon monitoring on the lake and that monitoring  is now complete.   Hopefully next year the pair will return and will raise a chick to fledge.

Besides Birding

When I went to vote early at City Hall for the Alaska primary, they had these markers on the floor to help people with physical distancing.    Alaska is “Xtra tuff” country (the boots).  Hope you all got out and voted in your primary and don’t forget to vote in the general election in November.

And speaking of voting, our local Friends of the Homer Library had an essay contest on voting.  Jack’s essay won second prize.  Way to go Jack.

Remember, voting is both a right and a privilege.  Vote, Vote, Vote. 

It’s Always a “GREAT DAY TO BIRD”

So despite the Covid-19 pandemic I have been able to get out and bird the local area, as well as my own yard.  Early morning birding doesn’t appeal to Jack so I generally go with four friends:   Lani, Megan, Jim, and Tim.

Anchor Point/Anchor River

We’ve gone several times to the Anchor Point beach/Anchor River to bird.  This is the time of year to catch the migrating (outbound) shorebirds.   They breed in the Arctic and then head south to leave the young to figure out migration and survival.  Jack and I have taken Moxie a time or two as she loves the beach but happily doesn’t chase birds.  The best time to go for shorebirds is when the rocks along the beach are exposed following an outgoing tide – generally when the outgoing tide is around 9.0 feet or less.  The more exposed rocks, the more feeding areas for the birds.  From late June through July, the shorebirds seen are the following:

• Black Turnstone
• Surfbird
• Ruddy Turnstone
• Whimbrel
• Sandpipers – Least, Western, or Semi-palmated
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs
• Red-necked Phalarope
• Rock Sandpiper
• Bristle-thighed Curlew

At least that is what I’ve seen this year.

The Black Turnstones are generally the birds seen in the highest numbers – several hundred.  Surfbirds aren’t far behind.  Whimbrel numbers vary from a few to up to 88 (the most I’ve seen on the beach at one time).  And this year I even spotted a Bristle-thighed Curlew.  These birds are distinguished from the Whimbrel by their unmarked buff colored rump.  This bird just happened to be about 30 yards from me when it flew straight out.  Couldn’t miss seeing the color of that bird’s rump.  Woohoo!!!  In Alaska I’ve only seen this bird once before (since it often misses our area as it migrates to breed in Western Alaska) during the 2009 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival and it was on this beach.

At one of our birding outings our group did see 37 roosting Greater Yellowlegs on the sand/gravel bars in the Anchor River.  That was quite a sight.  None of us had ever seen that many yellowlegs at one time.  We were surprised to also find two Red-necked Phalaropes – birds usually attributed to the sea during migration – along the river as well.  One was later spotted in the rocks feeding along with the Surfbirds, Whimbrels, and Black Turnstones.

There are other non-shorebirds to see here as well, although out on the bay it has been pretty quiet.

On 28 July Jack and I ventured back to the beach and walked from the boat launch parking lot to the mouth of the river.  The mouth is several hundred yards further north than when we first started going to the beach over 10 years ago.  At the first fishing hole, we had at least 48 Greater (mostly) and Lesser Yellowlegs loafing or feeding along the river – mostly loafing.   Then at the mouth we had another 24 Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, again loafing, along with a small mix flock of Black Turnstone and Surfbirds.   These two species’ migration numbers are dwindling.  Early to mid-July is generally the peak outbound migration for these birds.

Eagle Lake

Jack and I also do loon monitoring at Eagle Lake. We have been monitoring Pacific Loons here since around 2009.  This year we were hopeful that a chick would fledge.  We saw a young chick riding on the back of one of its parents one week, and then the next week when we went back the chick was swimming on its own near its parents.  We watched as several times the parents would dive for food leaving the chick unattended.  This was not good.  In fact, the following week when we went to check on the chick it was gone.  It might have been one of those times when the parents were underwater searching for food that the young chick was taken by a killed – most likely by a Bald Eagle.  There are Merlin (small raptor) and Mew Gulls in the area, but the chick looked too large for a Merlin or a Mew Gull to overtake.  Of course I guess all the Merlin or Mew Gull would have to do is kill the chick in the water and slowly drag it to shore.  I wonder what happened.  If only I was a fly on the water (wall) so to speak.   We will go back out in August one more time to see if the Pacific Loon pairs are still there so we can complete our monitoring tasks and complete the necessary report.

Home

There is never a dull bird moment at our house.  I think one day I counted about 15 hatch year Golden-crowned Sparrows.  We must have several breeding pairs nearby.

We also successfully hatched three Tree Swallows.  Well we didn’t personally, but the pair on our property were able to raise and fledge that many.  We have a nest box that has been used since we lived here.  Early in the year two pairs of Tree Swallows were fighting over the box.  The winners laid four eggs, of which three hatched.

Our nest box has three holes, rather than the typical one hole.  The purpose of three holes is to prevent the first born from poking out the hole and gobbling up all the food that the hard-working parents bring back for the young.  With three holes, three chicks can all hang out their hole waiting for food.  When they do start appearing at the holes, it is signal that flight feathers are developed and they are only a matter of days away from fledging.  And once they fledge, they and the parents disappear – time to head south we suspect.

This year the young birds first appeared at the holes on a Tuesday and by Friday the last youngster had fledged.  It seemed as though the last young bird had been holding out for a free meal as it was hanging out of the hole for most of the day without the parents returning to feed it (at least not that we observed).  I was getting a little worried when it finally gave up and flew away.  When that happened, I knew I wouldn’t be seeing any of the swallows again.  And I haven’t.  I hope they have a safe journey south.

At our house the young birds continue to chase each other around the yard, while their parents smartly eat to fatten up for migration.  Will miss all the sparrows when they head south in the fall.

For a diversion to enjoy, we have a family of Black-billed Magpies with five youngsters cavorting around.  They are now just coming into their long tails and blue/green sheen on their flight feathers.  Noisy birds.

It’s Always A Great Day to Bird

 

Yes, as I write this we are in the midst of a pandemic – Covid-19.  As we practice physical distancing and wear masks to protect others, we can still get outside (at least in Alaska) and go birding.  To date over 10.0 million people have been infected with the virus and over 500,000 people have died from it.  Let’s hope for an effective vaccine soon.

When we left for our trip we should have been completing our 3-month tour of Europe and Northern Africa.  We had planned a guided bird trip to Morocco, and then birding and sightseeing on our own in Portugal, Spain, Ireland, and Iceland.  Due to the pandemic we are instead going on a week plus long birding tour in Alaska instead.  Maybe in 2022 we will get to Europe.

Crossing the border between Alaska and Canada is restricted to essential travelers.  I’m not quite sure what that means, but anyone traveling the Alaska Highway must do so fully provisioned, except for gasoline.  Like Alaskans, many people in British Columbia and the Yukon that live along the Alaska Highway depend upon tourists.  These businesses are being hit quite hard with the restrictions on travel.  So most (99%) of the traffic we saw on the highway was Alaskans traveling – either for business or pleasure.

I always tell people the best time to come to Alaska is in June, out best month for sunshine.  We had a fair amount of days with precipitation on this trip surprisingly.  Not a typical Alaskan summer in many ways.

Day 1: Anchorage to Dry Creek State Park

Jack and I, along with two friends (Jim and Kerry), ventured out to eastern Alaska along the road system.  We left Anchorage after provisioning our vehicles (Kerry’s Born Free motorhome for him and Jim), and our van.  Oh and I can’t forget Moxie joined us.  She is a great dog in that she doesn’t chase animals.  If you throw her a stick or rock she will chase that, although don’t expect her to bring it back to you, but she doesn’t run after animals.

The weather was intermittent rain throughout the day.

Our primary birding destination for Day 1  was Kenny Lake, near Copper Center.  This lake is known for its Ruddy Ducks, a rarity in Alaska.  This year I spotted at least 8 Ruddy Ducks on the lake and it was breeding time so the males were displaying for the females, which was fun to watch.  This lake was crowded with waterfowl:  Ruddy Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Mallard, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, and Lesser Scaup.  I noticed later that someone also saw a Blue-winged Teal there.   The lake is also known for its Red-winged Blackbirds and we were able to see them, but from across the lake.  My favorite species of the visit, besides the Ruddy Ducks, was the Red-necked Phalarope.  You expect to see them along the Denali Highway, but I haven’t seen them here before.  And I missed them as they migrated through Homer this spring.  The biggest surprise at the lake was the Red Fox we spotted hunting for dinner.  He took off when he saw us.  Of course he headed toward the residences on the far side of the lake.  He was probably better off near us.

After Kenny Lake, we made our way to Dry Creek State Park for the night.  This park is located about ten miles north of Glennallen.  We’ve stayed at this campground before, but this night there were only three campers.  While the park has never been full when we’ve visited, there is usually a lot more campers.  Sign of the pandemic times.   There were a fair number of mosquitoes buzzing around so we spent most of our time in the van.

I was actually a little lazy and didn’t take but one photo the first day.  What was I thinking???

Day 2:  Dry Creek to Yarger Lake

As we were leaving the campground, Kerry spotted two shorebirds in the road puddles.  He thought they were Solitary Sandpipers based on their shape and behavior.  Turns out he was right.  Score.  I do love shorebirds and didn’t expect to see these birds on the trip.  Always a hit and miss proposition.

There was a fair amount of road construction on the Glenn Highway – Tok Cutoff road.  The road crews probably appreciate less traffic than in typical years.  We did make a lunch stop at a wetland slough/pond near the cutoff to Mentasta.  Jack and I always stop here on our way to and from the Lower 48 because you never know what you might find.   I was surprised to find two Canvasbacks and a Blue-winged Teal.  We had never seen these ducks here before.  In fact, during our 1.5 hours at the lake I had a total of 27 different species.  I was quite impressed.

We stopped in Tok to get gasoline (everyone) and ice (Jack and I), then headed to the Lakeview Campground at Yarger Lake in the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge.  This campground is small (about 10 sites) and free (donations accepted), but located just off the highway.  Although you hear traffic, you don’t see the vehicles.  There was one other camper – in the best camping spot – at the campground when we arrived.  No other campers came subsequently.  The lake was full of waterfowl, although most were hanging out at the far end of the lake.  Good thing we had spotting scopes.  At one point, Jim found over 10 Pacific Loons hanging out together.  We once again had Canvasbacks and Blue-winged Teals.   Maybe coming here in the summer, rather than spring and fall (our typical times of year when we pass through this area) we would see these birds more regularly.

We stayed at this campground, in part, because we had heard that a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker had been heard here.  When I went back later and read the eBird report of the sighting, the person had actually “heard” a single drum across the lake.  Wow, that birder has bionic ears.  He supposedly heard the bird from the photography blind.  When I was there, the Lesser Yellowlegs were screaming their presence and I couldn’t hear much.  No one else heard any drumming either.  And except for an Alder Flycatcher, Chipping Sparrow, Swainson’s Thrush, and a dozen American Robins or so, there weren’t a lot of songbirds present at the campground.  We saw a  pair (nesting, I suspect) of Sandhill Cranes on the far lakeshore.  These cranes are the Greater Sandhill Cranes, rather than the Lesser Sandhill Cranes that populate Homer in the summer.   There was also a pair of Trumpeter Swans on the lake.  We also heard later that a Sora had been heard and seen here.  We missed that bird too.  Soras rarely venture into Alaska.

The evening was beautiful.  I love clouds and their different formations.  The clouds this night were amazing.  The only thing that marred our stay was a float plane that landed practically at our campsite, and took on a passenger with gasoline (who parked directly behind our vehicle – how rude), and proceeded to do about 7-8 touch and go maneuvers, before bringing the passenger back and then leaving.  I let the refuge manager know about my displeasure, but since he is a pilot himself (and may have been the person piloting the plane), I didn’t get much sympathy.  It is, of course, one of the largest lakes in the refuge, and plane use is okay – but really eight touch and go maneuvers at 9:00 p.m. at night!  Here are a few photos from our campsite.   Since I love cloud formations I always go overboard in taking photos of clouds.