Last year was my first full year of birding, and I had a blast! I dove head first into finding as many species as I could with the time and resources available to me. My first bird of 2016, my "Bird of the Year" was the Black-capped Chickadee, which is one of the most common birds in North America year round. I saw this bird through the glass-sliding door that accesses my deck on the morning of January 1st. It was quickly followed by Steller's Jay's, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and other winter birds. Some of my more memorable finds over the course of the year include a Common Yellowthroat (rare to AK), a Pied-billed Grebe (also rare), Pacific Wren, Hooded Merganser, Snow Goose, American Kestrel, as well as a 5 different species of owls including: Northern Saw-whet Owls, three Northern Hawk Owls, three Great Horned Owls, one Boreal Owl, and one Short-eared Owl. I've also learned more about photography, as I continued growing my skills and refining my style. I compiled a 2017 Birds of Alaska calendar that contained some of my best photos of 2016, and completely sold out, which was very exciting. Finally, I ended 2016 having seen a total of 152 bird species, surpassing my goal by two birds. You can see my final list here.
My first bird of 2017 (my Bird of the Year) was the Pine Grosbeak. January 1st was Eagle River's Christmas Bird Count. This was my second year participating in this annual event. The air was crisp that morning, as the first light of dawn was still creeping across the sky. I was greeted by a Pine Grosbeak, serenading me from the top of a frost covered birch tree in my yard. I affectionately refer to these birds as the "Winter Robin" because of the similarities in song to the Robins, as well as being of similar size and color. As noted in previous posts, these birds are regulars at my feeders every day so decided to start at home. I spent the first hour and a half just counting the Pine Grosbeaks, Redpolls, Chickadees, and Nuthatches, from the comfort and warmth of home. It proved to be quite a challenge as waves of birds would come in, then fly off, while countless more waited in the trees. Getting an accurate count was a tough. From there, I geared up, and ventured out to my assigned area and the search was on! I had a great time counting 14 species, all of which are regular residence in our winter wonderland.
So what's ahead for 2017? Well for starters, I will continue to add birds to my life list. In fact, I've already added a Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch to my life list and I didn't even have to venture far from home to see it. I got a tip that there was a gentleman in my hometown of Eagle River, that had the Finch's coming regularly to his feeders. I called him up and he said he would let me know when they returned. I got the call from him about a week later that the fresh snow had pushed a flock of around 80 birds down the mountain. The following day, I called to confirm that the birds were still there, then headed up to his place. The road up the mountain was a zig-zag of switchbacks, but I finally made it. It was a bit chilly, and the lighting was poor which forced me to shoot at a much slower shutter speed than I wanted, but I got some satisfactory shots and then headed back down when my fingers and toes were numb to take any more photos. I was thrilled to add a very beautiful little bird to my life list and to photograph it was icing on the cake.This year I will also continue to hone my craft, learning more about my camera, getting more lenses to enhance my landscape photography and, as always, search for birds I haven't yet seen. Top on that list is the Northern Goshawk, the Golden Eagle, White-tailed and Rock Ptarmigan, various shorebirds, warblers, sparrows and finches. All in all, it's going to be a good year.
Last week, I thought I had FINALLY found the ever elusive Northern Goshawk, but once I was able to examine the photos, it turned out to be a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Kind of a bummer but it's always nice seeing hawks. The big news is that I will be taking my family to Maui, Hawaii mid February, which is a MUCH needed vacation and break from the cold. This winter so far has been much more "wintery" than the last few years. We've had several cold spells that have dipped into the minus double digits as well as some pretty hefty snowfalls. It definitely puts a bit of a damper on birding. Hawaii will provide some nice weather and a good variety of lifers to add to my list. I'm really looking forward to our trip and will be sure to write a good report when I return.
So here's to new birds, new adventures, and of course, more photos. If you haven't yet decided to give birding a try, I highly recommend it. Whether your new to birding or a seasoned vet, I wish you happy birding, and a happy new year!
As always, keep your eyes peeled and your binoculars handy!
Below is a slideshow of my recent photography for your viewing pleasure.
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