Monday, September 19, 2022

I got one right!

Temp in the 50s, partly sunny, occasional (very) light shower in the morning, Wind WNW 5-10 mph

I decided to do Finger Creek this morning, to look for tattlers, etc.

No luck on the tattlers, but at the North Quarry, on Lake Leone, I found a Tufted Duck! This is awfully early for this species, so I suspect that the lingering Tufted Duck I had in the spring, lingered on…

Distant, but identifiable photo.

Tufted Duck (left) with two Greater Scaup, Lake Leone, September 19, 2022

I radioed Aaron about it and his group came down and saw it. A lifer for one of them.

I checked numerous spots (at a leisurely pace), but found nothing new.

I met up again with Aaron at Haven Lake around noon. He was taking his group back for lunch, while I headed up towards Clam Lagoon. I was going to walk the peninsula, while they were later going to walk the marsh edge.

I walked out the peninsula and three quarters of the way out spotted a peep hiding behind a rock.

Little Stint, Clam Lagoon, September 19, 2022

As I approached, it flew over to an exposed sand island and then let me photograph it to my heart’s content.

I wasn’t sure at first (with my history of misidentifying stints), but thought it might be a Little Stint.

I took a lot of photos, then headed back to the car. Once there, I reviewed the photos and convinced myself that it was indeed a Little Stint.

I got on the radio to call Aaron and, amazingly, they had just crested the hill coming down to the lagoon and were within range.

They arrived at my location in a few minutes and we walked back out the peninsula.

The bird was still there and Aaron confirmed my identification.

It was a lifer for most of the group, including Aaron Bowman, the co-leader!

Little Stint, Clam Lagoon, September 19, 2022
Little Stint, Clam Lagoon, September 19, 2022
Little Stint, Clam Lagoon, September 19, 2022. Note bold white ‘V’ on back.
Little Stint, Clam Lagoon, September 19, 2022. Note black scapulars and tertials.

I finally got one right…

The bird was most cooperative and they all got umpteen photos.

They went to walk the marsh edge while I continued elsewhere.

Further up the lagoon, I found a Pelagic Cormorant that was unusually close. Most of the cormorants up here are wary.

An unusually close Pelagic Cormorant, Clam Lagoon, September 19, 2022.

I found nothing else of note, but on the way back down the lagoon, Aaron radioed me that they had seen another (or the same) Little Stint at the south end of the marsh edge. However, all the birds in the area were flushed by a patrolling Peregrine, so there was no way to determine if this was the same bird or not.

The Peregrine soared over me as I was receiving this news.

Peregrine Falcon, Clam Lagoon, September 19, 2022

So, a good day for all.

The trip list is 39.

You can see the eBird list at https://ebird.org/checklist/S119069590

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Temp in the 50s, mostly cloudy, rain at dawn, occasional very light sprinkles later, Wind WSW 5 mph

No rarities, but lots of photo ops…

The usual alcids were in and near Sweeper Cove: murres, murrelets, puffins, guilemots, etc.

Kuluk Bay (and later, the Seawall) had tons of alcids way out. I don’t care much about looking a dots, so I concentrate on the closer birds. If I really tried, I could triple (or more) all of my alcid counts on eBird.

No birds at the town feeders so far.

Had a few Rock Sandpipers at Sweeper Channel. Here’s a photo from later in the day.

Rock Sandpiper, Landing Lights Jetty, September 18, 2022

When I got to Contractor’s Camp Marsh, Aaron’s group was already there. While they walked the marsh, I checked the Thrush Feeder and other nearby areas.

The Thrush Feeder was alive with activity, with many Rosy-finches, Longspurs, and Song Sparrows feeding away.

On the fence nearby, were two Pine Siskins. If you read my bog from May, you already know that siskins have been wintering on Adak in recent years. Well, this year they stayed and nested! So no surprise to see these two today.

Pine Siskins, near Thrush Feeder, September 18, 2022

Aaron’s group had both Common and Wilson’s snipe and a Wood Sandpiper in the marsh.

Neither Warbler Willows nor Adak National Forest produced any birds.

At Clam Lagoon, I walked out the peninsula and then down the marsh edge.

Nothing on the peninsula, but the marsh edge was active.

There were at least four Long-billed Dowitchers, two Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, and an unknown number of Pectoral Sandpipers (I’m guessing six).

The birds were constantly flushing (although I was trying to avoid that) and circling around, some landing behind me, some in front. So it was difficult to keep track of the actual numbers.

Long-billed Dowitchers, Clam Lagoon, September 18, 2022
Pectoral Sandpiper, Clam Lagoon, September 18, 2022
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (left) and Pectoral Sandpiper, Clam Lagoon, September 18, 2022

Also, Aaron’ group spotted a Pacific Golden-Plover on the flats, but I missed it.

At the Breaches, there were three Ruddy Turnstones.

Ruddy Turnstone, The Breaches, September 18, 2022

At the Seawall, I found two Horned Grebes (a species I missed in May) as well as several Red-necked Grebes. There was a steady stream of hundreds and hundreds of Short-tailed Shearwaters going by (scope-birds), but I couldn’t pick out any albatross.

There were several flocks of Common Eider in various plumages.

Common Eider, Seawall, September 18, 2022

A Pacific Wren looked angrily at me…

Aleutian Pacific Wren, Seawall, September 18, 2022

A flock (one of three today) of Aleutian Cackling Geese flew over.

Aleutian Cackling Geese, Seawall, September 18, 2022

There were Eurasian Wigeon, Greater Scaup, and Northern Pintails on Lake Shirley

The east shore of the lagoon was the same as the other side: gulls and ducks.

Up at the Blue Building, a Peregrine Falcon zipped by. No activity at that feeder, yet.

Heading back towards town I found a skate washed up on the beach at Landing Lights./

Skate, Landing Lights Beach, September 18, 2022

And a Song Sparrow posed nicely.

Aleutian Song Sparrow, Adak, September 18, 2022

Winds have been westerly since we arrived and are forecast to be so the rest of the week. That should bring in some new birds.

My trip list is 36.

My day’s list is at https://ebird.org/checklist/S119006883

Friday and Saturday, September 16 & 17, 2022

Temp in the 50s, partly cloudy, wind WSW 15 mph

The flights on Friday were early. I got my rental car, checked in to the hotel and then went food shopping.

I then did a little birding. Just the usual suspects, but a couple of nice photos.

Sandhill Cranes, Audubon Bench, Anchorage, Sept 16, 2022
A sleepy Greater Yellowlegs, Audubon Bench, Anchorage, Sept 16, 2022

Saturday morning, I got up early in a race to be first up the Arctic Valley Road in hopes of finding a grouse or ptarmigan out on the road.

I got there just before “first light,” so it was still pretty dark.

As I drove past the golf course at the bottom of the road, I noticed a cop in a patrol car sitting off the roadside. I continued driving slowly up the mountain and about halfway up, I saw headlights coming up from behind me. So I pulled off to let the car go by, but instead it pulled up next to me. It was the cop (rather curious about this slow-moving car in the dark…).

He asked me what was happening and I flashed my binos (as all good birders do) and explained my mission of being first up the road looking for grouse, etc. Not only did he buy that, but he said “Okay, I will turn around instead of going to the top.”

I have had a number of birder/cop interactions over the years — most of them positive.

I am adding this one to that positive list.

I didn’t see any chickens, but I had several Varied Thrushes feeding on the road in the dark. It was so dark, this was the best my camera could do.

Varied Thrush, Arctic Valley, Anchorage, Sept 17, 2022

Nothing else of note, but I had some Common Mergansers down on Ship Creek.

Common Mergansers, Ship Creek, Anchorage, Sept 17, 2022

I went to the airport and met Aaron Lang who is leading a Wilderness Adventures tour out here this week. Two leaders and six birders.

The flight left on time, but was fighting strong headwinds all the way resulting in a late arrival. It then took an hour to get our luggage (don’t get me started!).

So it was after 4 pm before I got out to do any birding.

Unfortunately, the typhoon that passed through here Thursday and Friday did NOT leave the trees (what few there are) dripping with Asian vagrants.

So it looks like we will have to find our rarities the hard way, as usual…

I had a flock of 6 Ruddy Turnstones at Clam Lagoon and Aaron reported some Laysan Albatrosses and Short-tailed Shearwaters out in Kuluk Bay, but that was about it.

We both started putting seed out at the various feeders.

We will have a more through and leisurely pace tomorrow.