Jack and I decided to take a week and head out among the crazy hunters.  Luckily we didn’t stray too far off the road where the hunters were searching for their moose, caribou, bears, or whatever was available to point a gun at and shoot.

We left Homer and headed up the Kenai Peninsula, birding at a few spots along the way, including the mouth of the Kasilof River.  I was hoping to see some shorebirds, but only observed three Greater Yellowlegs in the wetlands and no shorebirds on the river bank.  Of course the tide was coming in, rather than going out which makes a difference.  We actually saw more birds at the Kasilof River SRS when we stopped for a bathroom break.  Species observed there included:

• White-winged Crossbill
• Boreal Chickadee
• Gray Jay
• Red-breasted Nuthatch
• Bald Eagle

Any trip to Seward or Anchorage  or points further north requires a stop at Tern Lake, one of my favorite spots in Alaska.  There is generally a bird or two hanging around.

We stopped for the night at the Granite Creek Campground, owned and operated by the U.S. Forest Service.  This small campground was surprisingly busy for a week day and many of the campsites had already been booked for the upcoming Labor Day Weekend.  One last hooray for the camping crowd.  Birds observed here included:

• Boreal Chickadee
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Golden-crowned Kinglet
• Varied Thrush
• Red-breasted Nuthatch – heard only

From there we headed up the Glenn Highway after making a few stops in Anchorage for food that didn’t come with a sales tax price tag.  I know, we should be supporting our local governments but I think taxing food is just wrong.   Okay off that soapbox and onto the birds and nature.  We stopped at several places along the way in search of birds, including the Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Site (SRS).  There is a short trail that takes you to several lookouts and we were treated to chickadees, thrushes, and warblers.

• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Swainson’s Thrush
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Red-breasted Nuthatch – heard only (good thing I know their call)

We were checking the lakes along the Glenn Highway for swans, and at one lake around Milepost 174 there was a pair of swans with SIX cygnets.  The parents must have had fun raising all these youngsters.  I suspect there aren’t any Bald Eagles nearby.  Hope they all make their long journey south.

Our campsite for the night was at the Dry Creek State Recreation Site, located a few miles north of Glennallen.  I was surprised by this campground – it was relatively nice.  We stayed – alone – in Loop A.  Loop C seemed to be the popular campground loop, but our site in Loop A had the most birds, including a male Spruce Grouse that was in our site as we drove up.  Sweet!!!  Here is a list of the birds we observed:

• Spruce Grouse
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Wilson’s Warbler
• Boreal Chickadee
• Fox Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Common Raven
• Steller’s Jay
• American Robin
• Gray Jay
• Orange-crowned Warbler

The next day we left early, making a stop in Glennallen for eggs.  We then stopped off at the Wrangell-St. Elias Visitor Center, just south of Glennallen.  While Jack checked out the exhibits, I took a short walk on the Boreal Forest loop trail, encountering not one, but four spruce grouse – two males and two females.  One male was in full regalia, while the other male was most likely a hatch year bird.  I was alone of the trail at first, but a couple of people soon followed.  The woman was talking quite loud as she read the interpretive signs along the trail, later telling me her husband was afraid of bears so she talked loud to scare them away.  Once she saw I was looking at the spruce grouse, she quieted down.  Hooray!!!

Lots of bird songs and calls as I walked through the woods looking at the spruce grouse.  Species observed included:

• Spruce Grouse
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Golden-crowned Kinglet
• American Robin
• Fox Sparrow
• Swainson’s Thrush
• Boreal Chickadee

Our next stop was at Willow Lake.  We were afforded great views of the Wrangell Mountains due to the beautiful weather.  The lake had lot of ducks and sevens swans, but all were too far away for decent looks, let alone photos.   When we stopped there were only two other cars at this pull-off.  I guess everyone wanted to take photos of the mountains too as at least eight more cars pulled up while we were there.

Our next stop – Chitina (pronounced Chit-na).   But this was just a quick stop to look at the birds on the lake in town.  Birds observed on or near the lake were:

• Trumpeter Swan
• Mallard
• Northern Pintail
• Belted Kingfisher
• Green-winged Teal
• Common Merganser

I have a brother who has a beautiful cabin and property on Silver Lake (on the road to McCarthy), near Chitina.  We spent three nights and four days there enjoying the beauty of the area and my brother and sister-in-law’s company.   It was fun to relax and do nothing, although we did get in a few walks, a boat trip around the lake, a short drive, and a game of badminton (we won).  Oh and the food was marvelous.

The loons were calling at dusk, the northern lights were dancing at night, and we even had a Great Horned Owl hooting.   It was hard to leave this spot, and I can understand why my brother and sister-in-law spend so much time here during the summer.

Silver Lake/McCarthy Birds observed:

• Wilson’s Snipe
• Common Loon
• Orange-crowned Warbler
• Dark-eyed Junco
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Spruce Grouse
• Varied Thrush
• American Robin
• Gray Jay
• Black-billed Magpie
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Common Raven
• Belted Kingfisher
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Bald Eagle
• Great Horned Owl – heard only
• Boreal Chickadee
• Mallard
• Scaup sp.  (my guess is Lesser Scaup)
• Flycatcher sp.
• Wilson’s Warbler
• White-winged Crossbill
• Golden Eagle
• American Wigeon
• Trumpeter Swan
• Goldeneye sp.

Quite the list of birds.  The Gray Jays would come take food out of your hand (thanks to my brother and sister-in-law), or in my case  off my knee.  One morning there was a large mixed flock of songbirds foraging in the willow trees near the cabin.  Fun to watch the frenzied feeding, and birds chasing each other off.

Alas, we needed to leave Silver Lake and move on.  The weather had changed from sunny and warm, to overcast with the threat of rain.  All good things must come to an end they say.

We stopped in Chitina for breakfast at the Chitina Hotel.  The food was okay, but my brother is a much better cook, well actually three of my brothers (I have four).  Love you guys!!!

Our next stop for the night was Blueberry Lake SRS just south of Thompson Pass.  Jack was hoping to see the fall colors, which were starting to show themselves in the Copper River Basin, but were surprisingly absent from the Thompson Pass area.  A stop at Worthington Glacier was a nice break, and a good thing too since it was pretty much fogged in the next morning when we headed back toward home.    Birds were pretty sparse at the pass, the glacier, and our campground.  In our campsite we only had Black-billed Magpies.  I think they were feeding on food left by the previous camper.

On the way back home, we drove through Copper Center.  Not much happening there.  Even the local coffee shop was closed, on a holiday no less.

It really is amazing how much the vegetation can change in a week’s time.  While there was some color up around Sheep Mountain/Eureka area, and in the Copper River Basin when we first came through, there was SO MUCH MORE when we came back through these areas.  The hillsides were a beautiful red, and the aspen were turning yellow, gold, and orange.  So beautiful.

The road traffic was heavy, due to a large number of hunters returning home to Anchorage.  To avoid this traffic and the Alaska State Fair traffic, we decided to spend Monday night at Matanuska Glacier SRS, rather than driving into Anchorage.  We again walked the trail and listened and watched for birds.  Not as much activity this time – just the resident chickadees.  Guess the other birds left while the weather was good.  The Matanuska Glacier SRS campground, which is small, was surprisingly busy.

The next morning we headed into Anchorage in the pouring rain for the requisite Costco, Fred Meyer, and Target runs, and then on home.  Along the way we did make our mandatory stop at Tern Lake.  Far fewer birds here, but oh lots of interesting mushrooms

Driving into Homer was a reminder of unfinished projects, but we were happy to be back home.

HAPPY BIRDING

IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BIRD