Saturday, October 6, 2018

Posted on October 8, 2018 by frank

778

Temp in the 50s, partly sunny, wind 10 SW mph

Final day

No new shorebirds or passerines, but out at Lake Andrew, Barb spotted a Northern Harrier. By the time I jumped out of the truck to get photos, it was gone.

It was an “orange” bird, thereby excluding Hen Harrier. This is the second time that we have had a harrier at Lake Andrew that quickly got away. Our other two encounters were more photo-friendly.

After all of the great trips we have had over the last couple years, we knew we were headed for a let down. Well this was it. No lifers.

However, it was our third best trip species-wise (60). And our second best year list (92).

We added Redhead to both of our Adak lists and Barb added Leach’s Storm-Petrel (I had one previously).

The shearwaters, Fulmars, and petrel were certainly the highlight of the trip.

As I mentioned earlier in the week, the plane did not arrive on Wednesday, so today’s flight had more passengers than normal. The plane arrived on time, but since the TSA agent comes out with the plane and examines EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF BAGGAGE, the plane left an hour late! This made our connection in Anchorage iffy, but the pilot put the pedal to the medal and we arrived just as our flight to Chicago was boarding. Whew!

That flight left on time and arrived early, but the gate was not empty, so we sat on the tarmac for 40 minutes and were late!

Our layover in Chicago is three-and-a-half hours, so it was no problem.

The flight to Philadelphia left about a half-hour late and, as we were landing, he aborted (there was a plane on the runway where it shouldn’t have been) so we circled for another thirty minutes before finally landing.

So we got home about an hour late, but safe (and with our luggage!).

We will return next May.

PS: We got the Rock Wren this morning (Oct 8)

Friday, October 5, 2018

Posted on October 6, 2018 by frank

Temp in the low 50s, mostly cloudy, occasional light shower, Wind SW 10-15 mph

Although there have been a couple of fishing boats in, the fish factory has not been outputting any stuff to the outflow, so the gull activity has waned.

We checked all of the feeders and bushes and trees, but all we found were native species.

As we were approaching Contractor’s Camp Marsh, Barb heard geese, so we got out of the truck and scanned. There was a flock of about one hundred Cackling Geese going over. They were high and not intent on landing.

A Peregrine Falcon was sitting on a guy wire surveying the marsh.

Peregrine Falcon, Contractors Camp Marsh, Oct 5, 2018

After checking Warbler Willows, we went up to Lake Jean (an arm of Lake Andrew) and found a flock of 21 Greater Scaup and one male Bufflehead! This is an early date, as Birds of the Aleutians lists Oct 11 as the early date for the Aleutians (and Oct 17 for Adak).

Bufflehead (left) with Greater Scaup, Lake Jean, Oct 5, 2018

At Clam Lagoon, out on the peninsula, there were 9 Sanderlings.

Sanderling, Clam Lagoon, Oct 5, 2018

I can’t resist taking photos of Sanderlings…

Later, at the South Lookout, we saw the flock of 29.

At the Seawall, Horned and Red-necked grebes continue in good numbers. A Common Murre came in close enough to photograph.

Common Murre, Seawall, Oct 5, 2018

Our Trip List stands at 59, which is way above average, although no lifers contributed.

Our Year List is 91, our second best.

We leave tomorrow evening (6 pm) and will be arriving home late Sunday afternoon and hope to try for the Rock Wren in Bucks County early Monday morning (assuming it is still being reported), so I won’t be posting the wrap-up until Monday afternoon (EDT).

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Posted on October 5, 2018 by frank

Temp in the low 50s, overcast, becoming mostly cloudy, Wind WSW 10-20 mph

Not much to report today. If the strong westerlies brought along any Asian birds, we have not yet found them.

There was one Emperor Goose on Clam Lagoon today. We had 8 on the 23rd and 2 on the 24th and Jon and Jim had a flock of 30 a few days before we arrived. We thought the numbers would increase as the time went on, but that hasn’t been the case. A flock of 28 Cackling Geese has been here all week and another flock of 10 arrived two days ago. We have occasionally heard other flocks going over, but could not spot them.

Out at the Clam Lagoon Peninsula, I saw one Sanderling. Then two more joined it, and then the rest of the flock showed up. Unlike the previous sightings, they were not terribly intimidated by me. I walked slowly past them – going out and coming back – and they remained feeding there. Unfortunately, no other shorebirds joined them.

At the marsh edge, the same Sharp-tailed Sandpiper that I photographed two days ago posed out in the open today. Again, approaching slowly allows for close encounters with these birds without spooking them. When I passed by, he just walked back into the reeds.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Clam Lagoon, Oct 4, 2018

Maybe we will find something new tomorrow…

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Posted on October 4, 2018 by frank

Temp in the 40s, Overcast and raining until early afternoon, then mostly cloudy, Wind WSW 20-30 mph

Storm birds, but not what we expected…

It was raining and blowing since yesterday evening. A strong low pressure system was sitting just northwest of us sending strong winds and rain in our direction. The wind pattern showed strong winds leading directly from the Kamchatka Peninsula to here!

Come on birds!

It was too wet and windy to look for dicky birds, so we headed to the Sweeper Cove outflow to see what was happening with the gulls. There was the usual mixture, but we also saw a few Short-tailed Shearwaters out on the bay – but not very close.

Gulls and kittiwakes feeding frenzy, Kuluk Bay, Oct 3, 2018

As usual the gulls and kittiwakes were going at it.

Glaucous-winged Gull and Black-legged Kittiwake, Kuluk Bay, Oct 3, 2018

We headed north, and at the Airport Creek Bridge, there were two Ruddy Turnstones and one Rock Sandpiper (we hadn’t seen a Rock since last Thursday).

At Clam Lagoon, ducks were out feeding – I guess they felt safe in this weather. There were Mallards, Common Teal, and Northern Pintails. At the Peninsula (seen from the truck!) The flock of Sanderling were skittering about.

The surf was too rough to see much at the Seawall.

As we headed back south, at the Airport Creek Bridge, there were two Rock Sandpipers and two Sanderlings!

We returned to the house for a break (and lunch), then headed back over to Sweeper Cove. The rain was pretty much over, so the conditions were much better – but the truck was still rocking from the wind.

As we pulled up, we saw the flock of gulls as before, but then noticed some darker birds. They were Short-tailed Shearwaters.

Short-tailed Shearwater, Kuluk Bay, Oct 3, 2018

Short-tailed Shearwater with Black-legged Kittiwake, Kuluk Bay, Oct 3, 2018

We then noticed others. They were Fulmars!

Fulmar with Glaucous-winged Gulls, Kuluk Bay, Oct 3, 2018

Then we noticed a small dark bird. It was a Leach’s Storm-Petrel!

Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Kuluk Bay, Oct 3, 2018

This is how we like our pelagics – with our feet firmly planted on solid ground!

The petrel was an Adak bird for Barb. I had seen one in May 2010.

We then went around to all of the bushes and trees, looking for new passerines – no luck.

Then up to Clam Lagoon. The tide was in, so there were no flas for shorebirds, but the ducks were still out and were joined by the Cackling Goose flock.

On our way back to town, we had a Glaucous Gull at the Navfac beach. This is our first for a fall trip. We assume we were usually too early for them in September.

Glaucous Gull, Navfac Beach, Oct 3, 2018

Back down at Sweeper Cove, all of the pelagics had left, but a flock of ten Cackling Geese landed nearby. I am always taken aback when I see geese out on the ocean (other than Brant).

Cackling Geese, Kuluk Bay, Oct 3, 2018

The Trip List is now 58 (5 short of our best) and the Year List is 91 (3 short of our best).

PS: The plane did not arrive today due to weather.

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Posted on October 3, 2018 by frank

Temp in the low 50s, overcast, becoming partly sunny, Wind WSW 15-20 becoming 20-30 in the afternoon.

Nothing new around town, so we headed north.

At Clam Lagoon, Barb spotted a Jaeger sitting out on the flats. It was too far to identify, so I walked out there and got some very shaky photos – holding a camera steady in 30 mph crosswinds is challenging at best.

Parasitic Jaeger, Clam Lagoon, Oct 2, 2018

It turned out to be a Parasitic – a trip bird, but not a year bird. However, it beats the previous late date for a Parasitic Jaeger in the Aleutians (09/21, Attu) and our latest date of 9/19. Also of note was that it was a light morph – 99% of the birds we see out here are dark morphs.

Since I was already out on the flats, I walked the edge and finally got a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper to stand (relatively) still.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Clam Lagoon, Oct 2, 2018

No shorebirds were on the peninsula.

Also on the flats was the flock of Cckling Geese that has been hanging around for the last week or so. Note how they are lined up behind each other to block the gale-forced winds.

Cackling Geese with Glaucous-winged Gulls, Clam Lagoon, Oct 2, 2018

At Lake Andrew, a Peregrine Falcon was toying with a Raven.

Peregrine Falcon and Common Raven, Lake Andrew, Oct 2, 2018

At the Seawall, we found an Arctic Loon, making this the first trip on which we got all five loon species!

The winds have been roaring all last night and today from the WSW. They should drop a few more birds here for us to find. I hope we can in the last four days…

The Trip List is 55. Year List remains at 89.

Monday, October 1, 2018

Posted on October 2, 2018 by frank

Temp in the low 50s, partly sunny, becoming overcast in the afternoon, Wind WSW 10-15 increasing to 20-30 in afternoon.

At the Airport Creek Bridge, we had 3 Ruddy Turnstones, our first since Thursday.

Up at Clam Lagoon, from the South Lookout, we saw the Sanderling flock over on the peninsula, but hey took off and disappeared. When I walked out the peninsula, one lone Sanderling was there.

After passing the Sanderling, just around the bend, a peep flushed again before I could identify it (no, I do not know the peep calls…). Very frustrating.

As I returned, the Sanderling was crouched in a foxhole, trying to stay out of the 30 mph winds.

Sanderling, Clam Lagoon, Oct 1, 2018

At the Lake Andrew Rec Center, a trio of eagles tried out the play equipment.

Bald Eagles, Lake Andrew, Oct 1, 2018

At the Seawall, we had the usual suspects.

At Lake Shirley, the Northern Pintails had gone, but the number of Greater Scaup had increased.

Lake Ronnie was where the Common Teal were hiding today. I scanned though the flock, but could not find anything different.

Back at the Seawall, we found another far-out Yellow-billed Loon. Then a large splash caught our eye. It was a Steller’s Sea Lion working on a fish he had just caught.

Steller’s Sea Lion, Seawall, Oct 1, 2018

Steller’s Sea Lion with Glaucous-winged Gull (and unidentified fish), Seawall, Oct 1, 2018

When we got back around the lagoon, the Sanderlings were on the mud flat adjacent to the South Lookout (don’t know if “Lonesome George” had joined them…).

No new birds today. Trip List remains at 53. Year List at 89.

The winds are getting stronger. Hope springs eternal…

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Posted on October 1, 2018 by frank

Temp in the low 50s, partly sunny, Wind WSW 10-20 mph

We went over to Lake Andrew early to see if that duck was still around, but all we found were 5 Common Teal. Out on the lake were two Common Loons — one in breeding plumage and one not.

Still no passerines at any of the willows, spruces, or feeders (other than locals).

At the Seawall, the number of grebes continues above average. We are seeing around 20 Horned and 25 Red-necked each day.

Horned Grebes, Seawall, Sept 30, 2018

At the Airport Creek Bridge, Barb spotted he Sanderling flock coming in. There were 29.

Sanderlings, Airport Creek Bridge, Sept 30, 2018

But the excitement of the day came as we were approaching the Lake Andrew Rec Center. We stopped to look at the ponds, and just as we did, a shorebird flew out. It was pale gray, had a white stripe up its back, a long bill, and orange/yellow legs that stuck out beyond the tail. We don’t know if our presence or the eagle or the ravens flying over agitated it, but it flew back and forth (too fast or me to photograph it) and finally landed in one of the ponds behind some reeds. I took the best photos I could and then it flew up again and circled around and disappeared.

Based on what we saw in flight and the head, bill, and neck markings seen in the photo, we believe it is a Spotted Redshank! Our second for the year (but different plumage)!

Spotted Redshank, Andrew Lake Rec Center Ponds, Sept 30, 2018

Good thing that we had the breeding-plumaged bird last May, as this was not very satisfying. This is the first Asian bird we have had on this trip, so we are optimistic that some others may show up. We have been in a westerly flow for several days, but the winds have not been very strong.

We subsequently searched all of the usual places that it might have gone, to no avail.

I usually do not like walking the Clam Lagoon marsh edge on consecutive days, but I had to in case the bird had settled there. I did not find it, but got a nice shot of the Long-billed Dowitchers.

Long-billed Dowitchers, Clam Lagoon, Sept 30, 2018

After dinner, we ventured out again and decided to use the western lighting to scan Kuluk Bay. We were rewarded with a nice Red-thoated Loon. The first one we have had within reasonable photo distance.

Red-throated Loon, Kuluk Bay, Sept 30, 2018

We also had some nice White-winged Scoters.

White-winged Scoters, Kuluk Bay, Sept 30, 2018

The Trip List is 53 (above average) and the Year List remains at 89.

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Posted on September 30, 2018 by frank

Temp in the low 50s, mostly cloudy, occasional light rain, wind SW 10-15 mph diminishing as the day went on.

We added two trip birds today.

A Gyrfalcon flew by us near Haven Lake and a Common Loon was on Lake Andrew.

Also at Lake Andrew, a duck flew out of one of the ponds adjacent to the road and disappeared over a dike. It looked different. I slogged my way over to the dike and peered over. There were three ponds – 2 big and 1 little. I could not see all of each pond, but what I could see had no birds.

I noticed that there was a small building up on the hillside (that we had driven up to once before) which would provide a view of all three ponds – or so I thought. However, halfway up the road, there was a locked gate! We could see much of the larger pond from there, but not the other two.

So we will try again tomorrow.

The gulls at the fish factory outflow continue to squabble over the bits nd pieces being discharged there. Here is a short video of the gathering. (Note: I am still working on this, so it may not work.)

At the Seawall, we had 6 Pacific Loons today as well as continuing good numbers of Horned and Red-necked Grebes.

We went up to Clam Lagoon after dinner again, but this time there was only one Common Teal to be seen!

Later, coming back to town, we stopped at the Thrush Feeder where about 40-50 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches had been feeding earlier.

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Thrush Feeder, Sept 29, 2018

But by this time of day (sunset), they had gone to roost and two large rats were finishing up whatever the finches hadn’t eaten. This is why I fill the feeders in the morning, rather than the afternoon before.

Norway Rat, Thrush Feeder, Sept 29, 2018

The Trip List stands at 51. The Year List remains at 89.

Friday, September 28, 2018

Posted on September 29, 2018 by frank

Temp in the low 50s, mostly cloudy, rain in the morning, partly sunny in the afternoon, Wind WSW 10-20 mph diminishing in late afternoon.

We added a few trip birds and one year bird, but otherwise, pretty slow.

At the Seawall we saw a Crested Auklet (year bird). This is the third fall trip on which we have seen Crested Auklet close to shore. The other two were in Sweeper Cove and just outside Sweeper Cove. As were those previous sightings, this one also was an immature.

We also found one Ancient Murrelet there.

At the Landing Lights, I saw the flock of 25 Sanderlings on the beach at the Airport Creek Bridge. But, by the time I got back to the truck and we drove the thirty yards up to the bridge, they were gone. One of the birds looked darker than the others and was probably a bird that hadn’t finished molting yet, but it could also have been another sandpiper.

Earlier in the week when Jon, Jim, and I walked out the Clam Lagoon Peninsula, we found a Sea Otter carcass.

Sea Otter remains, Clam Lagoon, Sept 28, 2018They look a lot cuter like this…

Sea Otters, Clam Lagoon, Sept 28, 2018

I walked out the Peninsula this morning and had a small shorebird flush ahead of me before I saw it on the ground. It circled out over the lagoon and back behind me, but when I returned, it was nowhere to be found. Yesterday, when a Pectoral Sandpiper that I was trying to circle around so as not to flush it, flushed, it was soon joined by a smaller shorebird from farther up the marsh edge. They put down a hundred yards ahead of me, but when I got to that area, all I could find was the Pectoral. So there is a small shorebird hanging around — just have to get a look at it.

After dinner, we headed back up to Clam Lagoon. This time of year, the Common Teal hide most of the day in hidden ponds and channels (hiding from hunters and predators we suppose). Then, late in the afternoon, they venture out along the Clam Lagoon marsh edge to feed. So this is the best time to look through the flock for any Asian strays that might be hanging with them (although the lighting sucks at this time of day!).

As usual, they were out along the marsh edge, but we couldn’t pick out any oddities. Two Falcated Ducks were seen in June (after we had left!), and we hoped they somehow stayed around…

The Trip List is 49 and the Year List is 89.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Posted on September 28, 2018 by frank

Temp in the low 50s, mostly sunny, wind S 5-10 mph

It blew hard (up to 45 mph) last night and rained an inch, but this morning it was calm and sunny (but cool).

No new birds at Sweeper or the feeders. We checked Warbler Willows and Adak National Forest, but nothing there.

At Landing Lights, four Ruddy Turnstones and one Rock Sandpiper continue.

Ruddy Turnstone, Landing Lights, Sept 27, 2018

Because of the storm last night and the perfect conditions (no wind or rain), I decided to walk Clam Lagoon again today. I had the same mix of birds that we had previously (Pectorals, Sharp-tailed, Dowitchers).

Long-billed Dowitcher, Clam Lagoon, Sept 27, 2018

I didn’t see that many dowitchers when I was starting out birding, and when I did, they were hunched down like snipe doing their sewing-machine-feeding action. I am always caught a little off-guard when I see them like this — standing tall like a Tringa.

At the Seawall, a young Tufted Puffin was within camera range.

Immature Tufted Puffin, Seawall, Sept 27, 2018

At Lake Shirley we searched for the Redhead to no avail. It, and the American Wigeon, were gone. There were still plenty of Greater Scaup, pintails, and Eurasian Wigeon. We checked Lake Ronnie, but only found Mallards up there. Maybe it is on one of the more inaccessible ponds. We have had birds on Lake Shirley before which would disappear for a day or two and then reappear. We will see.

Further down along the east side of the lagoon, another Peregrine circled overhead.

Peregrine Falcon, Clam Lagoon, Sept 27, 2018

The sea was still calm as we came back up to the Seawall, so I spent some time scoping (usually, the sea is wavy or choppy, making it hard to get on distant birds long enough to identify them). Today yielded 2 Pacific Loons, 1 breeding-plumaged Yellow-billed Loon (of course, too far out for photos! One of these days…), a White-winged Scoter, 12 Horned Grebes, many Red-necked Grebes, and a lot of alcids. We could not pick out any pelagics going by.

The Trip List is 47, the Year List is 88.

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Category Archives: 2018 September