ABO Spring 2007 Birding Reports

Birding Report – May 24, 2007- Migration Winds Down

Although the intensity of spring migration activity has peaked, the diversity of birds in the Tanana Valley is still impressive. Some of the week’s highlights include a short-eared owl, Townsend’s solitaire, and gray-crowned rosy finch seen on Murphy Dome, harlequin ducks on the Chena River near Hamilton Acres, and several great gray owls observed out on the Tanana Flats.

The woods are now alive with bird song, including the trill of the orange-crowned warbler. This tiny songbird prefers shrubs found in aspen forest or riparian areas where it blends in well with the leaves. Orange-crowns often flit through vegetation, gleaning insects from leaves, blossoms, and branches. Their high-pitched trill is similar to that of the junco, but is less “telephone ring-like” and usually drops in pitch at the end.

Creamer’s Refuge: There are plenty of sandhill cranes to watch in the front field. A greater yellowlegs was seen at the Seasonal Pond over the weekend. A golden-crowned sparrow visited the feeder at the Alaska Bird Observatory headquarters at Wedgewood Resort on Tuesday, and great-horned owls are being seen regularly in the evenings across the ABO footbridge.

South Cushman Pond/Tanana Lakes: This lake at the end of South Cushman Street is still hopping with birds. Stilt sandpipers were seen here on Wednesday. Other highlights include a pair of blue-winged teal, three gadwalls, greater scaup, black-bellied plovers, greater yellowlegs, western, Baird’s, and least sandpipers, arctic terns, and American pipits. After visiting here, drive south on Van Horn Road to Lakeview Terrace and scope out the lake. A Eurasian wigeon and long-tailed ducks were observed here recently.

Airport Ponds: A number of songbirds were recently observed along easternmost pond near the terminal, including Swainson’s thrush, yellow warbler, blackpoll warbler, and Savannah sparrow. A variety of ducks can still be found these ponds and the one around the south end of the runway. The floatplane ponds off of the east ramp has had some good action, including eight snow geese, surf and white-winged scoters, long-tailed ducks, gadwalls, a common loon, wandering tattler, western and Baird’s sandpipers, ruddy turnstones, Hudsonian godwits, whimbrels, black-bellied plovers, and a peregrine falcon killing a pectoral sandpiper.

Smith Lake: Several duck species, including ring-necked ducks, mallards, American wigeon, and lesser scaup were spotted here on Wednesday. This is also a great place to see Bonaparte’s gulls, which can be quite aggressive if you approach their nest site.

Down the ‘Rich: Red-necked phalaropes are in many of the ponds along the east end of the Denali Highway, while waterfowl are concentrated along the margins of the bigger lakes. American golden-plovers, short-eared owls, and long-tailed jaegers have also arrived on the highway. Arctic terns and harlequin ducks can be seen along the Gulkana River, and a pair of merlins are nesting in Paxson.

Birding Report – 17 May 2007: Shorebirds Shuffle Into Town

It’s been a fantastic week for shorebird sightings in the Fairbanks area, with at least 17 species reported. Huge flocks of American golden-plovers and pectoral sandpipers wowed birders at Creamer’s Refuge and the airport’s floatplane pond over the weekend. Smaller groups of Baird’s sandpipers, long-billed dowitchers, least sandpipers, Hudsonian godwits, and semipalmated sandpipers can be found at many local ponds now, while whimbrels have been seen in the fields at Creamer’s Refuge and near the Fairbanks Athletic Club South.

A western sandpiper and black-bellied plover were spotted at the floatplane pond last weekend, and a ruddy turnstone and greater yellowlegs appeared there on Tuesday. Like the much more common lesser yellowlegs, greater yellowlegs are long-legged, noisy waders with pale-spotted dark brown upperparts and streaked breasts. The greater yellowlegs is much bigger than the lesser, but the best way to distinguish greaters is by the heavier and more extensive barring on their underparts. Also, the greater’s bill is longer and slightly upturned. Both species are among the most poorly studied shorebirds in North America.

Other highlights from the past week include a gadwall and red-necked phalarope at the “Model Airplane Slough” located along the Tanana River dike about 9.5 miles down the Richardson Highway, peregrine falcons at Creamer’s and along the Tanana, single glaucous and glaucous-winged gulls along the dike, a great gray owl near Eielson AFB, a short-eared owl by the UAF Botanical Garden, large flocks of swallows over most lakes and ponds, and huge flocks of American pipits and Lapland longspurs at Creamer’s, the UAF agricultural fields, and near the airport. The first fledging common redpolls of the year were reported on May 11.

Creamer’s Refuge: Sandhill cranes can still be seen dancing and resting in the fields. A greater white-fronted goose, Say’s phoebe, golden-crowned sparrow, and red-winged blackbird were located by birders this week, along with a good variety of ducks and shorebirds. Be sure to check out the Seasonal Pond and newly refurbished Boreal Forest Trail.

South Cushman Pond/Tanana Lakes: A barn swallow, rarely seen in interior Alaska, was photographed here on Monday. Some of the 32 other species recently seen at the lake include Eurasian wigeon, gadwall, ring-necked duck, common goldeneye, northern goshawk, northern harrier, Hudsonian godwit, Wilson’s warbler, and horned lark.

Airport Ponds: Trumpeter and tundra swans, redheads, surf scoters, Pacific, red-throated and common loons, red-breasted merganser, and Baird’s sandpiper have been seen at the floatplane pond, which can be accessed from University Drive and Float Plane Lane. Follow all posted regulations and park out of the way. Following University Avenue south of the runway will take you by fields and additional ponds. Watch for blue-winged teal, common goldeneye, bufflehead, golden-plovers, and longspurs. Continue from here to the ponds near the airport terminal, parking near the northeastern pond. Red-necked grebes nest here every year, and this week the ponds hosted canvasback ducks, wigeons, pectoral sandpipers, long-billed dowitchers, and Hudsonian godwits.

Smith Lake: Birders observed six trumpeter swans here this week, plus green-winged teal, lesser scaup, ring-necked ducks, and rusty blackbirds.

Birding Report – 10 May 2007

Migration continues to heat up in the Tanana Valley. This week’s highlights include a male Eurasian Wigeon found at the Peat Pond by the intersection of Goldstream and Murphy Dome Roads, Blue-winged Teal at South Cushman Pond and along the Boreal Forest Trail at Creamer’s Refuge, and a Baird’s sandpiper at South Cushman Pond. Large flocks of Lapland longspurs and American pipits have been seen along the Richardson Highway and in the hay field at mile 3 of Chena Hot Springs Road.

Some new arrivals in the Fairbanks area this past week include: ring-necked ducks, red-necked grebes, ospreys, American kestrels, semipalmated plovers, least and pectoral sandpipers, red-necked phalarope, northern flickers, cliff swallow, Hammond’s flycatcher, Say’s phoebe, varied and hermit thrushes, Townsend’s and yellow warblers, and white-crowned, golden-crowned, fox and Lincoln’s sparrows. Colorful horned grebes have also appeared on local ponds. These small waterbirds can be recognized by their bright red eyes, buff “horns,” black head and facial feathers, chestnut breast and sides, and habit of diving frequently for aquatic invertebrates. Horned grebes build floating nests among emergent vegetation on shallow ponds. Grebe chicks ride and are fed on the backs of their parents for almost two weeks.

The ice is continuing to recede on local lakes and ponds. Local favorite South Cushman Pond (aka Tanana Lakes) is best accessed by driving toward the Tanana River on South Cushman Road. The mudflats around the east side of the main pond can be reached by several steep access ramps off the main road; 4WD is recommended. Trumpeter swans, canvasbacks, lesser scaup, over 100 green-winged teal, Hudsonian godwits, Arctic terns, and a merlin were seen here this week. A nesting pair of bald eagles can be observed (from a respective distance) near the Intertie further south along the road. Access to the west shore of the pond along Lathrop Street is now limited due to a new gravel mining operation and fence.

Bird numbers are on the increase at the ponds near the international airport terminal. On Tuesday, birders saw or heard red-necked grebes, American wigeons, northern shovelers, lesser yellowlegs, Bonaparte’s gulls, violet-green swallows, and a Savannah sparrow. Construction around the south end of the runway has likely altered the sloughs and nearby field permanently and completely eliminated a grove of nearby trees. Still, a solitary sandpiper and Wilson’s snipe were sighted here this week.

Wear boots if you plan to visit Smith Lake, which can be accessed from Sheep Creek Road or the ski trails on UAF’s West Ridge. Bonaparte’s gulls, red-necked grebes, canvasbacks, wigeon, and a belted kingfisher were observed here recently.

Bird activity is also on the upswing in the Denali area. Birders have spotted brown creepers, varied thrushes, white-crowned sparrows, American tree sparrows, rusty blackbirds, and large flocks of redpolls. Other observations include golden eagles over Igloo Mountain and near Teklanika Campground, two merlins along the Savage River Loop Trail, a gyrfalcon near the Teklanika River, and golden-crowned sparrows along Stampede Road.

Birding Report- 4 May 2007

Things are starting to pick up in the Tanana Valley and lots of birds are returning as the ice recedes on local ponds. Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge has been busy with lots of waterfowl visible in the front fields and the seasonal pond despite low water levels. This past week has seen the arrival of green-winged teal, yellow-rumped warblers, hermit thrush, Wilson’s snipe, lesser yellowlegs, merlin, and both tree and violet-green swallows at Creamer’s Field. The arrival of the swallows coincides with the emergence of our other winged “friends,” the mosquitoes! Wood frogs have been calling and the leaf miners are out in full force. For butterfly aficionados, Compton’s tortoiseshell and mourning cloak butterflies have been sighted.

Northern shovelers arrived at Creamer’s Field on Sunday and have been sighted at several other local ponds. A common species, shovelers are easily identified by their conspicuous extra-large bill. Inside are many rows of fine filaments that are used to strain food from the water. The duck takes a billful of water and squirts it through the filaments, much like Humpback Whales. Shovelers are often found in shallow, muddy ponds.

The South Cushman Ponds (proposed Tanana Lakes Recreation Area) have partially opened and is a great spot to observe waterfowl and some of the early shorebird arrivals. Northern pintails can be seen in large numbers as well as common goldeneye, scaup, canvasbacks, northern shovelers, lesser yellowlegs, and American wigeon. A northern harrier and tree swallows were seen there on Saturday and two blue-winged teal were observed on Wednesday.

The ponds near the airport are opening and are attracting a variety of waterfowl including green-winged teal, canvasbacks, both common and barrow’s goldeneye, and northern pintails. Two Bonaparte’s gulls were seen on Monday evening. The float ponds were still mostly frozen with little bird activity except an adult northern goshawk flying over on Monday. Bufflehead and a lesser yellowlegs have been seen at the peat pits off of Sheep Creek Road.

The area around Clear has been the site of a few large flocks of sandhill cranes and swans. A flock of about 50 tundra swans was seen flying near the Tanana River on Saturday.

Few songbirds have been reported around the Fairbanks area. Dark-eyed juncos, American robins, yellow-rumped warblers, and ruby-crowned kinglets have been singing around town and a single mountain bluebird was sighted off of Murphy Dome Road on Sunday. A resident Downy Woodpecker has been observed excavating a nest behind the Alaska Bird Observatory, a sure sign of spring.

Birding Report – 26 April 2007

It’s been a slow week for birders in the Tanana Valley, with most of the action at Creamer’s Refuge. Bird diversity and numbers have been low, but you can catch plenty of Canada geese there and perhaps a cackling goose or two. A few greater white-fronted geese, northern pintails and American wigeons showed up this past week, and the first sandhill crane touched down on Wednesday. Trumpeter swans have been seen irregularly in the pond back towards the dairy barns. Be sure to walk out the Farm Road Trail to check out Kessel Pond for waterfowl. The first American robin of the season was spotted at Creamer’s on Wednesday. A ruffed grouse has been drumming near the ABO banding station, and American tree sparrows were observed there several days this week.

The first mew gulls of the season arrived at Creamer’s Refuge last Saturday, while herring gulls numbers are down from the past few years. Herring gulls can be separated from mew gulls by their larger size, pink legs, and larger bill with a subterminal red spot. Herring gulls prey on invertebrates, fish, insects, eggs, and young birds, and will also scavenge carrion and human refuse. Although now a very common species, herring gulls were nearly extirpated by plumage hunters and eggers during the nineteenth century.

Down the ‘Rich: Birders reported relatively slow action around Delta Junction last weekend. The nice weather put most of the migrating raptors up too high for viewing, but a few northern harriers, two kestrels, and 25 hawks (mostly red-tails) were counted. Meadows Road on Fort Greely was closed for military maneuvers but is supposed to open to the public this week. This can be a great place to look for mountain bluebirds and sharp-tailed grouse. Snow was still blocking part of Barley Way in the Delta agricultural fields on Sunday, and birding along the farm roads was poor. There was better action at Clearwater Lake, but be sure to visit there early before all the river paddlers arrive and push the birds to the back edges of the lake. Biologists in Tok counted several large flocks of trumpeter swans flying over on Wednesday, so watch for swans if you head to Delta this weekend.

Down the Parks: Golden eagles and gyrfalcons are on their territories in Denali National Park, and a few smaller migrants arrived this week. These include robins and varied thrushes heard at the Park Headquarters, juncos seen at local feeders, and a Townsend’s solitaire singing at Big Creek just west of the Teklanika River. A few dark red-tailed hawks have been seen between the Park entrance and Savage River. For good tips on where to find birds in Denali Park, pick up a copy of “Birds of Denali” at the Alaska Bird Observatory or local bookstores.

Birding Report – April 19, 2007

The favorite time of year for Interior Alaska birders has arrived, with spring migration officially underway. Snow buntings led the charge into Fairbanks back in March, and the first Canada geese arrived at Creamer’s Refuge on April 13—a week later than in the past two years. Some exceptionally early first sightings around Fairbanks include a northern flicker on March 25, two rusty blackbirds on April 8, three red-winged blackbirds on April 11, and a Wilson’s snipe on April 14. A peregrine falcon was seen flying over Eielson AFB on April 12.

Migrants arriving this past week include mallards at Creamer’s, common goldeneyes on the Chena River, herring gulls along the Tanana River, and a ruby-crowned kinglet along Chena Hot Springs Road. Four trumpeter swans have been feeding on the Chena near the University Avenue bridge, and a single tundra swan was sighted at Creamer’s Refuge on Sunday.

Fairbanks birders counted 15 red-tailed and rough-legged hawks around Delta Junction last weekend, and hawk migration through that area should peak this coming week. The fields along Sawmill Creek Road and Barley Way often provide excellent hawk-watching vantage points, and the swan numbers in the fields can sometimes be mind-boggling. On Sunday, approximately 200 Canada geese, six trumpeter swans, one goldeneye, six common mergansers, and eight herring gulls were spotted at Clearwater Lake.

Other birders have noticed little migration activity beyond Fairbanks. A few rough-legged hawks, one American robin, and several Lapland longspurs were sighted in Tok this past week. Six trumpeter swans were perched on the ice at the south end of Summit Lake last weekend, and snow buntings are flitting around Paxson. Golden eagles arrived in Denali Park last month, and a northern harrier was seen there on March 24. Most unusual was a mew gull at the Savage River on March 30.

Our resident birds and short-distance migrants have already initiated breeding activity. Ravens have been seen carrying nesting material, boreal owls have been tooting around town, and grouse have started displaying. More northern shrikes than usual have been seen and heard around Fairbanks this spring. This predatory songbird has a very complex and variable song consisting of low chatters, trills, warbles, gurgles and whistles. Shrikes often hunt from an exposed perch and will take small birds, voles, shrews, and insects. Larger prey is often impaled on thorns or barb-wired fences, or wedged in branches so the shrike can pull the food apart with its bill. Because of this habit, shrikes are also known as “Butcher Birds.”

Please contribute to these reports by calling in your bird sightings to the Alaska Bird Observatory (451-7159) or the Arctic Audubon Society Birding hotline (451-7159).

Alaska Bird Observatory

ABO's Birding Resources - Tanana Valley Spring 2007 Birding Reports