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.

Cold day in Eagle River

It's a cold, crisp, clear day here in Eagle River, AK. The branches of every tree are covered with a light layer of snow. It's a true winter wonderland, complete with Pine Grosbeaks, Redpolls, Chickadees and more. Being relatively new to birding, I am amazed at how many bird species remain in Alaska during the winter months. I have seen Robins, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Dark-eyed Junco, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser and more. This has already started off being a great year of birding. As of yesterday, I have hit the

Boreal Owl

Today I took my usual lunch and made my way down to one of my favorite birding spots. It's been snowy the last few days so I wasn't expecting much activity besides the usual Chickadees. Upon arrival, I immediately heard a Steller's Jay making a loud ruckus along with some Magpie's. Thinking they were fighting amongst themselves, I went to investigate and see if I could get some good shots. The Steller's jay was in a large spruce tree located in a woodsy area in the middle

New Gear!

Well I finally went and did it. After 4 and a half months playing with my Canon SX50 HS, I have officially upgraded gear. A good friend of mine had purchased a Nikon D5100 a year or so ago, and it's been sitting collecting dust ever since. He's taken a couple photos with it but that was when he first go it. It's practically brand new. He made me a killer deal on

Black-capped Chickadee - 2016 bird of the year

Again, today's post is going to include events of the last week or so.

Last weekend saw a close of 2015, my first year of birding. I ended my year at 70 species, which I am proud of. I could probably have done more, but I think that I did well, all things considered. Some of the birds I recall excitedly seeing for the first (sometimes only) time, are: Yellow Warbler, Common Murre, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Snow Bunting, Pacific Wren, and my #70 a Northern Shrike. My bird of 2015 is probably the Yellow-rumped Warbler, I saw them everywhere.

End of the year looming

I have not posted as often as I would have liked to. I have no excuse. I have definitely been out birding, despite temperatures being a bit frigid. I have still been seeing new birds and even achieved my goal of identifying 70 bird species for 2015. The last few new bird sightings have been: Common Murre, Snow Bunting and just last week I saw number 69 at my most frequent spot at Spenard Crossing, a Pacific Wren! This little bird is no bigger than a chickadee. It was a little brown puff ball darting around in the underbrush and grass. They are a very handsome bird, and
of course, I did everything I could to shoot it a few times. These little birdies are quick however and I was only able to get off a few

Monday, December 15

I did not get the opportunity to post yesterday so I will post today.

This post covers part of last week also.

I finally got a chance to see the Northern Hawk Owl that had been reported behind the International Airport. I made my way out past Point Woranzof and found several other birders with their huge scopes already there, getting what I'm sure where some amazing shots. I grabbed my little Canon SX50 and zoomed up as close as I could get. This is one of those times where my camera leaves me wanting. But hey, a sighting is a sighting and I couldn't have been more excited. I went back the next day and on they way saw a small flock of Pine Grosbeaks. I was able to get quite a few photos before heading back over to see the owl again.

Yesterday I had the day off work so I used the opportunity to head over to Kincaid Park to an area that has had reports of Snow Bunting according to ebird.com. It was a fairly quiet walk over to the bluff overlooking the flats, except for the Brown Creeper and Black-capped Chickadee's I saw.