Finding the Ghost

I am currently working on finishing up my full report on my trip to Maui, but before I do, I want to share with you a big moment that happened before heading off for warmer temperatures.

It was a Sunday morning, about a week before Maui, and my wife and I had planned to drop the kids of with their grandparents while she joined me on a birding trip. Our destination was about 45 minutes from home to an area in the Mat-Su Valley that is rich in bird life, even in frigid

2017 Winter Birding Report

Admittedly, I'm way behind on my regular blogging. I can't believe I haven't written anything since last year! In this post, I want to reflect a little on some of the highlights of 2016, and what I am looking forward to in 2017.

Brrrrr...baby it's cold outside.

Temperatures have dropped severely in the last few weeks, making it painful to get outside and do any photography for more than about 15-20 minutes.  We don't have that much good light these days, so on clear, cold days when the sun shines for a few hours, us die-hards embrace the frigid weather and make the most of the opportunity.

When I got into birding last year (read about it here), one of my obsessions became putting up bird feeders around my house. I wanted my house and yard to be a bustle of feathered activity and I tried several different varieties of bird feeders, both handmade and store bought. It didn't take long for the Black-capped Chickadees and the Red-breasted Nuthatches to find my suet cages and little plastic bird feeders. I bought the generic "wild bird seed" and watched as a few birds here and there came to enjoy the feast. I noticed that the Nuthatches would sift through the seeds and pick out tasty morsels,

Finding owls

Here in Alaska, the days have gotten much colder and the leaves on the trees have been replaced by lumps of snow and frost. The ground is covered by about 3 inches of snow, which crunches under our feet as we venture outdoors. For me the changing season is like grinding to a screeching halt after the momentum of a sprint. The warmer months were filled with so many birds offering many great photo opportunities. Our summer birds have now departed, and many of our winter birds are returning, but not nearly as numerous or plentiful as their warm weather counterparts. Many of our cold weather birds tend to flock together in large numbers through the chilly season for food and safety.

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

Owls, and Crossbills, and Hawks, OH MY!

My regular birding report has really been lagging behind and it's my own fault. I hope my "Creepy Bird of the Week" series is a good filler, it's certainly fun for me to dig up the ugliest birds I can find.

I've been out birding a lot since my last report, even finding some new areas to explore that have yielded interesting sightings. A few weeks ago I was looking for Green-winged Teal in a new area I had been exploring for several days in a row. There are pools of water throughout this area and the water is brackish there with pockets of sun shining through the dense forest like spotlights, which makes the teals look like the are in black water. It's a very neat look, and I had shot a hen in that water which turned out really great. So I went back to try to get the drake in that same type of scene. Well, in my search for Teal, I heard a Robin giving off some alarm chirps perched on a branch

Creepy Bird of the Month #2: Potoo

Welcome to another installment of Creepy Bird of the Month. This week we're going to take a look at a truly grotesque bird, the Potoo. Now this creeper looks like something straight out of a muppet horror movie. With it's big yellow, bulging eyes and gaping mouth, it just might take flight in your nightmares. And if that wasn't disturbing enough, it's got a seriously eerie, spooky call to accompany it's ghoulish looks.

Bring on Summer!

I've let another month slip by without posting. There has been all kinds of activity and a lot to report on. I will try to condense this one, though it covers 4-5 weeks.

There is so much life happening all around. Baby birds are hatching and baby animals are being born. Plant life has spring to life after months of cold and darkness, bathing everything in fresh spring air. The sun is shining, bringing warmth and light, and energy to this fragile eco system. I love to pause and just listen to the birds sing, and take a deep breath of the fresh air. It smells deliciously sweet and almost intoxicating in it's purity. Take a deep breath and enjoy life.

Spring continues to blossom

Well we are in full on spring mode now, with leaves blossoming and more and more migrants returning to mate and nest in our local woodlands, and wetlands. I've continued to get out and explore new areas and revisit regular spots, seeing new birds quite often.

Spring is in the air.

It is an unusually early spring here in the great northern state of Alaska. We are seeing record early migrations around the state. That's music to my ears! I am thrilled to see the return of my feathered friends and I want to shoot them all. With my camera that is.

Activity has been amping up since my last post. Last week I finally got to see and photograph a Barrow's Goldeneye. These ducks are distinctive from their Common cousins in a blueish head plumage and more distinctive, closed white bars on the wings.

First migrants arrive

The last two weeks have seen some new species arrive here in Southcentral Alaska (seems my weekly blog has turned into a bi-weekly blog lately). Last week, at one of my usual birding spots I saw a pair of Gadwall ducks and also a lone Green-winged Teal drake. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was able to get some nice shots off. I wasn't alone there, as someone I admire and respect a great deal was there ahead of me and saw me arrive. he motioned for me to come over to the water and pointed out the Gadwall. While we were shooting, the Teal showed up. Two new species in one day is a good day this time of year.

Been a bit slow lately

I've been out and about a number of times lately in search of new birds. I've even got a good list to go on and a number of spots were they can potentially be found. However, the birds seem to be evading me at the moment.

Today, I went for the third time to a spot that has had a fairly regular American Three-toed Woodpecker, but

Alaska Birding Adventures Continued...

I haven't exactly been racking up the numbers in my 2016 bird count. In fact, I am getting 1 or two new birds a week at best. Once spring hits and the migratory birds return it will be crazy but for now, it's slow going.

Since I posted last I have been all over the place. I went up Campbell Airstrip Drive as it transitions to Basher Road earlier this week in search of Ptarmigan and Snowy Owl which

Birding in the last frontier

I'm finding that posting once a week is a good pace for me, unless something major happens that I absolutely can't wait to post like some rare bird that I came across or the birth of the newest birder in my family (looking for mid March for that action). This past week was fairly active for me as far as photography is concerned, but I did not add any new birds to my list. I came across a couple of Hairy Woodpeckers and a Downy as well, at my usual lunch break stomping grounds. And I also saw my little Boreal Owl friend again too, which was very nice. Although, it was being harassed by quite a few Jay's and Magpie's.