Alaska Bird ObservatoryAlaska Bird ObservatoryBirding Report – May 12, 2004 - Take the Shorebird Challenge
“Bird” is not just a noun, but a verb used to describe a passion shared by millions of people. Moving beyond “birdwatching” to “birding” usually involves the acquisition of high-quality binoculars, traveling to different habitats (or states or countries) in pursuit of new or just more species, and continually developing your bird identification skills. In fact, it’s the challenge of identifying a new bird or one that is hard to distinguish from related species that makes birding such an exciting and dynamic activity.
One group of birds that tests the identification skills of even more experienced birders are the shorebirds, which include sandpipers, plovers, curlews, whimbrels, godwits, and snipe. Several of our local shorebird species appear impossibly similar, but knowing _how_ to look at them will make them easier to identify. Don’t just look at the physical features, such as leg color, bill length and color, and tail pattern. Look also at the bird’s behavior and listen to its call. For example, does it probe the mudflats like a sewing machine, or does it walk and jab as it forages? A good field guide will highlight these differences, and a bird song CD will help you learn the different vocalizations. You can also pick up some tips at this weekend’s shorebird identification workshop with the Arctic Audubon Society.
To accommodate the workshop, shorebirds have been winging into the valley all week. These include a killdeer at Creamer’s Refuge, least sandpipers, lesser yellowlegs, and red-necked phalaropes at the International Airport ponds, and Hudsonian godwits, long-billed dowitchers, and semipalmated plovers at the South Cushman Pond. Be on the lookout for pectoral, western, semi-palmated and solitary sandpipers, American Golden-plovers, whimbrels, and ruddy turnstones to arrive soon.
Some sightings of note this past week include Eurasian wigeons at Creamer’s Refuge and the peat pond near the Murphy Dome-Goldstream Road intersection, surf scoters, ringed-necked ducks and a red-winged blackbird at South Cushman Pond, and gadwalls, glaucous and glaucous-winged gulls over the pond at Lakeview Terrace near the landfill. The flooding in Delta and lingering snow drifts on Barley Way have been hampering access to birding hotspots near Delta Junction, but the burned area off of Meadows Road have yielded some fun species. At least three pairs of mountain bluebirds, two sharp-tailed grouse, and several woodpeckers were seen here last Saturday. Two female bluebirds were also seen at the yak farm on Sawmill Creek Road.
Call the Arctic Audubon Society Birding Hotline at 451-9213 to report or learn about local bird sightings.
Upcoming Events:
Saturday, May 15 – Shorebird Identification Field Trip in Fairbanks with Arctic Audubon Society. Meet in the Creamer’s Farmhouse parking lot (by the barns) at 8 AM. Free. Bring binoculars and snacks; rubber boots recommended. Call Tom Green for information at 474-1559 or 452-6370.
Saturday, May 15: 3rd Annual Upper Tanana Migratory Bird Festival. Celebrate the spring bird migration through the Tanana Valley at the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge near Tok, Alaska. Bird watching field trips, bird-banding demonstrations, live bird programs, and special conservation presentations. For more festival information contact Heather Johnson at 883-9417.
May 14 – May 21: Registration for the Alaska Bird Camp, an ornithology day camp for 8-9 year olds (June 7-11) or 10-12 year olds (June 14-18). Call Tricia at the Alaska Bird Observatory for details, 451-7159.
May 15 – June 13: Farthest North Birdathon fundraiser for the Alaska Bird Observatory and Arctic Audubon Society. Get your own bird-counting team together or join one of several guided walks and family events. Many prizes will be awarded. All ages and skill levels welcome! Call 451-7159 or visit www.alaskabird.org for details.
Birding Report - May 6, 2004 - A Week for Waterfowl Watching
Waterfowl concentrations at Creamer’s Refuge have been lower than previous years, possibly due to early snowmelt opening up ponds elsewhere in the valley. Waterfowl aficionados can take heart, though, by the arrival of many migrants in the valley this past week. The ice has disappeared from most local ponds, which now host mallards, northern pintails, American wigeon, green-winged teal, northern shovelers, canvasbacks, redheads, Barrow’s and common goldeneyes, lesser scaup, and bufflehead. Want to learn how to tell these birds apart? Join Arctic Audubon Society’s annual Waterfowl Identification field trip this Saturday. Or, grab your field guide and head to the following locations:
South Cushman Pond – In addition to the ducks mentioned above, gadwall, long-billed dowitcher, Arctic tern, and rusty blackbird were seen here this week. To find the pond head south on Cushman Street until it turns to gravel. Continue on until you see the pond to your right. You can scope the pond from the road, or walk or drive (4WD recommended) down onto the flats for closer looks. You can continue around the main road to the west end of the pond for additional vantage points. Be prepared for mud-boggers, target shooters, gravel trucks, motocross riders, and the most shameful assortment of garbage, burned-out cars, and junked appliances that Fairbanks has to offer. Avoid this place on weekends and evenings.
International Airport Ponds – Start with the two ponds near the terminal (you can park near the edge of the northernmost pond near Everts Air). A male blue-winged teal arrived here this week, along with least sandpipers, lesser yellowlegs, Bonaparte’s gulls, and a nice assortment of ducks. Follow Old Airport Way as it wraps around the south end of the runway. Watch here for tiny buffleheads and other ducks in the ponds along the road.
Other places in Fairbanks to look for ducks and shorebirds are the pond near Water Wagon’s station by Chena Pump Plaza, the peat pit near the intersection of Sheep Creek and Murphy Dome roads, Smith Lake west of UAF, and Badger Slough near North Pole.
Of course, Creamer’s Refuge is still a great place to look for birds, including sandhill cranes and greater white-fronted geese. Get beyond the parking area along College Road and explore the refuge’s trails and ponds. The main trailhead is near the big barn. New arrivals at the refuge this week include Wilson’s snipe (formerly called common snipe), northern flicker, violet-green and tree swallows, varied thrush, white-crowned sparrows, savannah sparrows, and American tree sparrows.
Birding Report, April 28, 2004 - BLUEBIRDS IN THE BURN
Sightings of mountain bluebirds in the interior are on the increase, with recent reports from Northway, Tok, and the Delta Junction area. Mountain bluebirds nest in cavities, and forests that have burned recently are good places to look for these small thrushes. They will also nest in boxes near open habitat. The old burn along Meadows Road south of Delta is a particularly reliable place to find bluebirds. Although the males are sky blue, they can be hard to spot in flat light. Wait patiently and listen for loud, “burry” whistles to locate one. Females have a pale gray body and a blue tinge to the rump, tail and flight feathers. Bluebirds feed primarily on insects and will hunt from perches or while hovering.
Local Ponds: The ice is receding from the pond complex at the end of South Cushman Road. Mallards, northern pintails, northern shovelers, and both common and Barrow’s goldeneyes were seen there on Wednesday. An impressive flock of over 800 redpolls was seen between the pond and the Tanana River. The ponds by the international airport terminal are still under ice, but those near the south end of the runway are opening. Until the ice goes out on these larger ponds, your best luck for waterfowl is at Creamer’ Field or on smaller ponds around town. A pair of trumpeter swans has been resting in the pond at the bottom of Ballaine Road in Goldstream Valley.
Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge: Canada geese, greater white-fronted geese, pintails, green-winged teal, American wigeon, common goldeneye, and mallards can be easily viewed in the front fields and ponds. The first sandhill cranes showed up last Friday, and a bufflehead duck was seen on the Seasonal Pond. Ruby-crowned kinglets and a Hammond’s flycatcher have been calling near the bird-banding station. Be sure to watch for northern harriers and peregrine falcons hunting over the fields.
Down the ‘Rich: This is a great time of year to watch migratory birds passing through the Delta Junction area. Raptors, including golden eagles, bald eagle, rough-legged hawks, red-tailed hawks, and northern harriers are still on the move over the highway and the agricultural fields. Over 1,200 trumpeter and tundra swans were seen flying above or in fields along Barley Way last weekend. One field held more than 900 swans, plus large numbers of Canada and white-fronted geese. Lost Lake is still frozen but Clearwater Lake is definitely worth a visit. A male spruce grouse was displaying on the Old Richardson Highway on Shaw Creek Flats. Watch for common mergansers on the Tanana River by Shaw Creek.
Upcoming Events:
Saturday, May 1: Spring Migration Celebration, 12 - 4 p.m. with events at the Alaska Bird Observatory, Wedgewood Resort, and Creamer’s Field. Activities for all ages including a bird call contest, live peregrine falcon, scavenger hunt, games, bird viewing, displays, puppet shows, awards ceremony for the Junior Duck Stamp contest, and registration for Camp Habitat and the Alaska Bird Camp. Information: 451-7159
Saturday, May 8: Waterfowl identification field trip with the Arctic Audubon Society. Meet at 8 a.m. in the Creamer’s Refuge front parking area. Bring binoculars and rubber boots. Free. Information: Tom Green at 474-1559 or 452-6370.
May 1 – 30: Registration for the Farthest North Birdathon, a fundraiser for the Alaska Bird Observatory and Arctic Audubon Society. Form your own team and count birds, or join an expert on one of several guided walks offered in May and June. Information: 451-7159 or www.alaskabird.org
Call the Arctic Audubon Society Birding Hotline at 451-9213 to report or learn about local bird sightings.
Birding Report – April 14, 2004
Spring migration has officially sprung. This month brought a record early arrival for Canada Geese (April 3) and a Trumpeter Swan (April 7) to Fairbanks. Other species have made their earliest appearance in at least five years at Creamer’s Refuge, including greater-whited fronted geese, mallards, northern pintails, herring gulls, and mew gulls. Evenings are exceptionally nice for observing and photographing the trumpeter swans, geese, and ducks at the refuge. Please keep your dogs in your car or on a tight leash on the trails.
Thousands of geese and a variety of ducks, including four common goldeneyes and 15 common mergansers, were counted at Clearwater Lake on Sunday. With the start of a new subsistence waterfowl hunt in Delta, birders may find fewer birds at this popular migration stopover site this year.
While waterfowl are the most plentiful early migrants, this is a good time to watch for raptors arriving or moving through the Tanana Valley. A peregrine falcon was spotted at Creamer’s Refuge Monday evening, and bald eagles have made several visits there this week. You’ll increase your chances of seeing a raptor hunting for a meal if you spend at least 30 minutes enjoying the view at Creamer’s. A number of red-tailed hawks, especially of the darker Harlan’s hawk variety, have been sighted in Fairbanks and the Delta Junction area. American kestrels have been seen along Steele Creek Road and in the UAF fields.
A sharp-shinned hawk was spotted along Chena Hot Springs Road on Sunday. “Sharpies” are small hawks with short, rounded wings and a long, narrow tail. Adults have striking red eyes and rufous barring on their breast and belly. Immature birds have pale yellow eyes and a brown streaked breast and belly. During migration sharpies may be seen circling high overhead, but they are otherwise very hard to find in the dense forests where they breed. These secretive raptors feed almost entirely on small birds, and sometimes take advantage of local birdfeeders. In the early 20th century, gunners shot thousands of these birds for sport during fall migration; sharp-shins have been extirpated from Rhode Island and are a species-of-concern in several other states.
As for songbirds, snow buntings began cruising through town in mid-March. American pipits were observed in Tok on April 6, and a flock of dark-eyed juncos was spotted near Birch Hill the following day. Lapland longspurs arrived in Paxson and Tok on April 7, and a Mountain bluebird was reported from Northway on Wednesday. Last Sunday, the first American robin of the season was heard in the Rosie Creek area.
Want to compare these results with last year? See the 2003 Birding Reports.
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