Reaching my goal

It's been a really great summer here in Southcentral Alaska, but the leaves have turned golden and mostly fallen from the trees. Winter is right around the corner which means cold, short days with minimal lighting.

My goal this year was to see and identify 150 different species of birds. I've had the pleasure to shoot many of them, and have had a blast doing it. Honestly, about a month ago, I was wondering if I was going to make it as the flocks began heading south for the winter and new birds were more and more scarce. Thanks to a community of active birders, I have continued to add them up. Someone would
find an American Coot on one lake, and the next week a Hooded Merganser on another lake, and then back to the other lake a couple weeks later for a Black Scoter. Other recent birds include; Lapland Longspur, Rough-legged Hawk, White-winged Scoter, Rock Sandpiper, Ring-necked Pheasant, and a Ruffed Grouse. I got closer and closer to my goal until I was one bird away. At 149 species, I wondered what my 150th bird would be and when I would see it. Would it be a Golden Eagle which might still be around before heading South? Or would it be one of the many birds that stay in Alaska through the winter like a Northern Goshawk, or a White-tailed or Rock Ptarmigan? Maybe even a Snow Bunting? Well, on Monday, October 10, I got up and went to work, only to discover that there were no cars in the parking lot and the sign said "Closed October 10 in observance of Columbus Day". How did I miss that memo? Oh well, I decided to go birding, headed to Potter's Marsh. There really wasn't much activity there, which was such a huge contrast to the summertime when it is buzzing with activity. I decided I wanted to see my kids and went home. Now I happened to know of a Snow Goose in Palmer, about an hour away, that had been seen the last several days. I had not had time to get out there over the weekend and thought I wouldn't be able to go see that bird, but seeing as how I found myself with another day off, the possibilities opened up. I text my wife "you want to go find a bird in Palmer?" she quickly repied "YEP!" My wife is a closet birder. At least that's what I keep telling myself. To her credit she's seen some cool birds and even spotted some for me. She's got a good eye and has been extremely supportive of me and my obsession hobby. In fact, I want to say a HUGE thank you to my wife Theresa for being so great. If it wasn't for her, I would not have reached my goal. So, I got home and we loaded up the kids and headed off to Palmer. I contacted my friend and asked if the Snow Goose was still around and sure enough, it had been spotted that very morning, and I was given specific details as to where it could be found. We arrived in Palmer, and made our way to were it was last spotted. Sure enough, as we got close, I saw a large flock of Canada Geese that it had been spotted with. I parked in a pull-in on the side of the road and there it was, a juvenile Snow Goose right there plain as day. It had to be the easiest find yet. And that's saying something because the American Coot was a very quick find as well. I was so excited! Number 150!!! I reached my goal. It's not the bird I was expecting, but it was welcomed for sure. I tried getting down low and crawling towards it to get closer for a better shot, but the birds were onto me and would have none of it. Here's one of the better photos I got.

Juvenile Snow Goose in Palmer Alaska

About a month or so ago, I was up in Hatcher's Pass looking for Rock Ptarmigan with a couple buddies, when my camera fell from my harness onto the rocks. I have a shoulder strap for my camera with a bolt that screws into my tripod mount on my lens. The bolt had wiggled its way loose without me knowing it and was hanging by a thread before giving out. My camera was damaged pretty good, but thankfully I purchased "Drops & Spills" coverage when I purchased my camera and was able to send it in to get fixed. Thank GOD! My lens came out fine except for smashing the UV filter I had on the front. I cleaned it off and it seems to be working just fine, and honestly I think I prefer it without the UV lens now. I am supposed to get my camera back at the end of October, so we will see. In the meantime, I have been shooting with my trusty old D5100 and recently a friend has lent me his D7200 until mine is returned. I'm excited to get out there again and find some birds! My goal will be owls for the next few weeks, and maybe, possibly a Northern Goshawk. I still have not seen a Great Gray Owl nor a Short-eared Owl however the Short-eared Owls migrate south so I might have missed them for the year. There's still a number of other birds I haven't seen as well, so it's likely I will get a few more by the end of the year. I am actively looking for: Snow Bunting, Great Gray Owl, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Rock Ptarmigan, Northern Goshawk, Townsend's Solitaire, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, and the occasional rarity that comes through.

I am a bit ashamed to say that this is the first post since June. That's three months I have let this blog lay dormant, just waiting for me to post something. That's way too long. And this blog deserves better. In upcoming posts I will be blogging about more than just birding, like sharing photography tips, things I have learned or that I'm trying out, post-processing techniques, continuing the "Creepy Bird of the Week  Month" and more. Maybe someday I'll do video too, but let's not get to far ahead of ourselves. I do have a lot of fun with this blog and hope to be much more active. If you're reading this, I hope you will stick with me! That's it for now. As always, keep your eyes to the trees, and your binoculars (and camera) handy. Seriously, I missed a few birds because I didn't have my bino's handy. Now get out there and go birding!

Here's my Flickr feed with a bunch of photos of the last three months. Enjoy!