Author Archives: frank

Saturday, September 15, 2012

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After a very windy and rainy night, the morning was partly-cloudy and windy.

We checked Sweeper Cove and Sweeper Creek. No new birds.

We headed up towards the airport ponds and flushed a large flock of Rock Ptarmigans.

Rock Ptarmigans, Adak, 09/15/12

There are many multi-family groups like this at this time of year.

We headed north. As we were driving up Bayshore Drive across from Adak National Forest (not a real National Forest, just called that by the locals — it is the largest stand of trees on the island — about 30), Barb noticed something sitting on the frame that used to hold the ANF sign. She said it was a hawk. I quickly got on it and saw that it was a falcon. We quickly ruled out all but Eurasian Kestrel! It was an immature. This is a first record for Adak and the central Aleutians.

Eurasian Kestrel, Adak National Forest, 09/15/12

Eurasian Kestrel, near Adak National Forest, 09/15/12

This was a lifer for us. We tried calling John, but only got his voicemail. So Barb drove up to the Palisades Overlook and tried calling him on the radio. Luckily she got him and John et al arrived several minutes later. Unfortunately, while I was waiting for Barb and John to return, the bird flew off and behind the nearby ridge, emerging several minutes later playing with a Gyrfalcon and heading towards town and out of sight.

So John continued to drive around looking for it and finally caught sight of it flying back up the hill where ANF is (although distantly) and all three got to see it.

We continued up to Clam Lagoon, where the only highlight was a flock of 11 Sanderlings out on the flats.

It will be hard to top the Kestrel on this trip, but we certainly hope to…

Friday, September 14, 2012

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Light breezes and partly-cloudy skies greeted us at dawn this morning. We headed down to Sweeper Cove (via a couple of feeder spots where we put out birdseed) and had a bunch of both Horned and Tufted puffins. Although the lighting was poor, I did manage to get a serviceable photo of one of the Horned.

Horned Puffin, Sweeper Cove, 09/14/12

Sweeper Creek had a couple of Rock Sandpipers. We headed to the general store to get a few items that we couldn’t ship (eggs, coke). We cruised around the town a little bit, looking for the wagtail that had been seen there the previous week, but had no luck.

We headed north along the bayshore, had a Peregrine Falcon just south of the Landing Lights,  briefly checked Contractor’s Marsh, then headed to Lake Andrew. As usual this time of year, there are tons and tons of Lapland Longspurs flying down the roads as you drive along. As Isaac said when we asked him how soon the longspurs leave, “Not soon enough!”

At Clam Lagoon, we arrived just as John, Colin, and Jack (Wykoff) were about to walk out the Clam Lagoon Peninsula. I joined them, while Barb stayed back at the truck. Just around the first bend was a Red-necked Stint. This is the third consecutive trip on which we have had Red-necked Stint on the Clam Lagoon Peninsula!

Red-necked Stint, Clam Lagoon, 09/14/12

Out at the tip, I photographed a Song Sparrow–“Up close and personal.”

Song Sparrow, Clam Lagoon, 09/14/12.

Barb and I continued around Clam Lagoon, while the others headed south.

We turned in to Shotgun Lake, but there were no birds there. However, as we started to leave, I looked back and a dozen ducks flew in. They were mostly Mallards, two Eurasian Wigeon, and one smaller dark duck. The road on this side of the lake is pretty far from the birds, so even with our scopes, it was difficult to determine what the mystery duck was. So we drove around to the other side and I crawled through the grasses to the edge of the bluff overlooking the lake and started taking pictures.

After looking at the photos on the camera, we felt the bird might be a Tufted Duck, but we had only seen this species in spring plumage before, and this was different. We decided we would have to review the photos on the computer screen when we got back to town in order to determine the correct identification.

We tried to call John, but we had no signal. We continued around Clam Lagoon. We had a dozen Red-necked Grebes and several Pacific Loons and one Arctic and one Common Loon off of the seawall. We checked Lake Ronnie from Zeto Point, and had a dozen Mallards and two Greater Scaup. Frank spotted our first Black Oystercatcher for the trip from up there and we saw another one fly by at Goose Rocks.

As we came back around Clam Lagoon, we stopped at Seal Rock Cove and spotted our first “mixed flock” of shorebirds — 19 Ruddy Turnstones and 1 Rock Sandpiper.

Ruddy Turnstone and Rock Sandpiper, Seal Rock Cove, 09/14/12.

We got back to town, got gas (still $6/gal.), and went to the house to review the photos.

After reviewing the photos, we decided it was a Tufted Duck. Not a lifer, but a first for a fall trip. [Added 9/15: CORRECTION! After advise from Isaac and some more research on the web, we have decided it is an eclipse plumage Greater Scaup — not a Tufted Duck.]

Greater Scaup in eclipse plumage, Shotgun Lake, 09/14/12

The five-hour time shift is hard to adjust to, but each day gets easier. We usually get fully adjusted to it the day before we head home…

Looking forward to tomorrow.

 

 

Thursday, September 13, 2012 – redux

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It is 6 a.m. here, my body thinks it is 11 a.m. and the sun doesn’t come up until 8 a.m. So I guess I will work on this blog…

Our Philly, Chicago, Anchorage flights on Wednesday were uneventful. We got our rental, got to the motel, retrieved our luggage (sent ahead of time), did our food shopping, got dinner and retired for some needed rest — but not before checking on the Phillies score — Phl 3 Mia 1, only 3 games back in the wild card race!

Thursday morning, we birded the usual spots around Anchorage — Arctic Valley, West Chester Lagoons, Ship Creek, etc. Nothing of note. A California Gull was reported at Cuddy Park, so we went there to check it out. There was a single immature gull there. It didn’t look right, but we are terrible on immature gulls, so we took some photos to study later. It turned out to be just a Mew Gull.

Mew Gull, Anchorage, 09/13/12

We stopped at small park (Russian Jack Springs Park) and found chickadees, Orange-crowned Warbler, and a Golden-crowned Sparrow.

Golden-crowned Sparrow, Anchorage, 09/13/12

Black-capped Chickadee, Anchorage, 09/13/12

We stopped at Goose Lake where last May we got photos of a Pacific Loon way across the lake. This time there were two and they were much closer.

Pacific Loon, Anchorage, 09/13/12

We got back to the motel, packed, and got to the airport. The flight left and arrived a few minutes early. I got some more photos of Mount Sitkin (this is an active volcano thirty miles east of Adak). Compare this late-summer photo with the one I took as we left Adak last May (scroll down to see that post).

Mount Sitkin, 09/13/12

We got our rental truck (always a surprise here).

Rental Truck, Adak, 09/13/12

Everything seems to work and it is quiet! Amazing!!

John Puschock, Colin Campbell, and Jack (didn’t get his last name) met us at the rental house and we followed them up to the Elfin Forest. They had found a Baikal Teal a week ago and it was hanging out in a small pond there. However, the bird was very skittish and hid in the reeds. We drove past the pond, but did not see the bird. We parked 50 yards away and John started to circle around to get a different angle and possibly flush it towards us. Unfortunately, the bird flushed before John got around and it flew away from us towards the sun. So all we saw was the silhouette of the north end of a bird going south…

Oh well. We will have two weeks here to try to get a better view.  We saw a Baikal Teal in Phoenix, AZ last year, and although the Arizona birders are counting it, we are always suspicious of exotic waterfowl showing up in the lower 48 states, as there are a lot of waterfowl collectors and escapes are common. A Baikal Teal on Adak however would have unquestioned provenance.

We did a drive around Clam Lagoon, but found nothing new. While working on my Google Adak Birding Map a few months ago, I noticed a pond that I had not seen before. It was on the west side of the Clam Lagoon Seawall, hidden by the dike. So as we were passing by, we stopped and I clambered up the dike, and sure enough, there was a hidden pond there. Although there were no birds on it right then, it looked like a good place for ducks to hide when flushed from the roadside ponds along that stretch of road. I have dubbed it “Hidden Pond” — not very original, but it will have to do for now, until we spot something rare there!

We hope to have more exciting news tonight…

Thursday, May 31, 2012

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Our final day started with light winds and partly-cloudy skies.

We went down to the fish plant outflow at the Sweeper Cove Jetty and there was a huge slick of fish stuff. A large flock of Glaucous-winged Gulls was feeding. Barb quickly yelled “Black-headed Gull!” A Common Black-headed Gull had been seen here for a few days prior to our arrival, but had not been seen since, despite many birders looking for it. This is an uncommon bird on Adak. There have only been three records in the last seven years and we have seen all three!

Common Black-headed Gull, Sweeper Cove, May 31, 2012

Common Black-headed Gull, Sweeper Cove, May 31, 2012

Up at Landing Lights Beach, we had ten Rock Sandpipers–the most shorebirds that we have seen in one spot this trip.

Rock Sandpipers, Landing Lights Beach, May 31, 2012

Here is a better photo of the seal on seal rock.

Harbor Seal, Clam Lagoon, May 31, 2012

We ended the trip with 61 species, including two new species for our Adak list (Brant and Snow Goose).

We left at 6 pm and as we took off, I got some good photos of the town and airport.

Adak town and Airport, May 31, 2012

In all previous trips, I have not been able to get a photo of Mount Sitkin either on the arriving or departing flights. It has always been shrouded in clouds on those days. Well, I finally got one this trip.

Mount Sitkin, May 31, 2012

Located 15 miles east of Adak on Great Sitkin Island, Mount Sitkin is an active volcano.

All of our flights took off and landed on time and we arrived home Friday afternoon.

Right now, it looks like we may be going back in September. The DOT is putting the Adak flight contract out for rebid in June, and it is unlikely that a new airline will be in place before September. Alaska Airlines is required to continue the flights until a new carrier is in place. So we hope to get at least one more trip out there.

If, however, the replacement airline offers the same service as Alaska Air did, then we will continue to go there. If not, it would just be too much hassle.

We will let you know…

 

 

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

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EARTHQUAKE!!! EARTHQUAKE!!!

Well, more like “earthquake?”

At 11 pm last night we experienced our third earthquake on Adak. As in the past, it started with a bump (like someone slamming the door) and was followed by a few small shakes, lasting about 5-10 seconds. Probably a “one” on the Richter Scale. Being on the Pacific Ring of Fire (the Aleutians are volcanic in origin), quakes are expected events.

Today’s weather was grim, it rained most of the morning and the wind howled out of the north. By afternoon, at least it stopped raining for the most part. The only sun we saw while out birding today was at the base of Mount Adagdak, just north of Clam Lagoon.

Sunshine at Mount Adagdak, May 30, 2012

By evening, however, more sun finally broke through.

Renting vehicles up here is always an adventure. The 1990 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which we had been using the past few trips, finally developed more problems than we were willing to put up with. Ie. the accessories stopped working (due to a faulty ignition switch), so we no longer had heat or windshield wipers! Not a good plan on Adak. So we switched to a Chevy Silverado extended-cab pickup truck. As with most vehicles on Adak, it does not look pristine.

Chevy truck (dents built in)

The handle on the driver’s side door was broken off, so we had to improvise.

Improvised door handle

Also, the switch for the electric window was damaged and had to be pressed down really hard in order to activate it. We improvised a solution to that problem, too!

Spatula/window opener

In spite of the weather, we did see some birds today.

At least one of the Hawfinches made an appearance at the Naval Admin Bldg and we had another Pacific Golden-Plover at Contractor’s Marsh.

At Clam Lagoon, Frank walked the peninsula and found a male Brambling. Since the pair of Bramblings that were hanging out at the marsh edge had not been seen since Friday, 5/25 (and looked for many times since), we assume this is a new bird. But there is no way to be absolutely certain. The photo of the first male Brambling is not good enough to compare plumage with this one.

Brambling, Clam Lagoon, May 30, 2012

Harbor seals spend a lot of time in Clam Lagoon and up at the northwest corner is a little cove that we have christened Seal Rock Cove because at low tide, a seal is always perched on this exposed rock.

Harbor Seal, Clam Lagoon, May 30, 2012

Back in town, one of the feeder areas that had not yet produced anything had a Hawfinch at it this afternoon. We can’t tell if this is a new one or one of the two that had been coming to the Naval Admin Bldg.

This will be our last posting until we get home, as we leave Adak at 6 pm tomorrow, spend the next fourteen hours or so in airplanes and airports, arriving home late Friday afternoon. So look for a final post and recap on Saturday.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

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Added a few trip birds today, but no lifers.

The number of godwits has increased to eight, which means some new birds arrived. As I was walking the Clam Lagoon marsh edge, a flock of seven godwits flew in and landed no more than thirty yards from me and proceeded to feed and get even closer as if I didn’t even exist. I was not hiding. There is no place to hide on a mud flat!

We refound the Snow and White-fronted geese and the loner White-fronted had joined them, so now it was two and two. As we were driving up towards Contractor’s Marsh, Barb heard a Common Greenshank. However, we never saw the bird. Later, on another approach to the marsh, we saw a flock of Aleutian Terns headed for the marsh with three shorebirds tagging along. Barb dropped me off so I could walk through the marsh to look for the shorebirds while she drove around the roads that criss-cross the marsh. Just as I got out of the car, a large flock of Aleutian Terns started flying overhead. Although lighting conditions were terrible, I did get a few decent photos.

Aleutian Tern, Contractor's Marsh, May 29, 2012

I walked back and forth through the marsh and as I approached the large pond at the western edge, three shorebirds plopped in right in front of me! Unfortunately, they were just Red-necked Phalaropes, instead of something new (or rare). Phalaropes are one of the few bird species in which the female is the more brightly plumaged and the male does most of the nesting duties. Here are a few photos.

Red-necked Phalarope (female), Contractor's Marsh, May 29, 2012

Red-necked Phalaropes (male - left), Contractor's Marsh, May 29, 2012

Red-necked Phalaropes, Contractor's Marsh, May 29, 2012

We continued up to Clam Lagoon, where the otters continue to delight.

Sea Otter with pup, Clam Lagoon, May 29, 2012

On the east side of the lagoon at the seawall, I was able to pick out a Laysan Albatross and Short-tailed Shearwater way out on the horizon. These were new for the trip, as was the aforementioned Greenshank.

On our way back up the east side of the lagoon, we spotted the geese and called Isaac, as he only got a fleeting look at them as the flew off the other day. I decided to walk the Clam Lagoon edge to look for hiding shorebirds. As I walked out onto the flats, a flock of Arctic Terns decided I was worth investigating and hovered overhead while screaming at me.

Arctic Tern, Clam Lagoon, May 29, 2012

The Brant was feeding on the flats, so I got some closer photos of it, standing and in flight.

Brant, Clam Lagoon, May 29, 2012

Brant, Clam Lagoon, May 29, 2012

No, I didn’t scare it off. It just flew 20 yards or so. I flushed a small shorebird from the edge of the marsh. It was a peep or a stint, but it circled up high and flew off to the south. Frustrating!

After dinner, I went down to the Hawfinch feeder to see if I could get a photo of both Hawfinches together. Earlier in the day, we saw both of them, but the one was chasing the other so much, I couldn’t get a photo. While waiting for the Hawfinches to show themselves, I got some neat photos of the Gray-crowned Rosy Finches (the “House Sparrow” of Adak).

Gray-crowned Rosy Finch, Naval Admin Bldg, May 29, 2012

Gray-crowned Rosy Finch, Naval Admin Bldg, May 29, 2012

Only one Hawfinch showed up while I was waiting, but posed nicely for me.

Hawfinch, Naval Admin Bldg, May 29, 2012

Hawfinch, Naval Admin Bldg, May 29, 2012

Hawfinch, Naval Admin Bldg, May 29, 2012

And, last but not least, this bird knows his place…

Hawfinch, Parking in the appropriate spot...

Our trip list is up to 60, about average for a spring trip. One-and-a-half days to go. Hoping for a late surprise.

 

 

Monday, May 28, 2012

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Not much to report. The law of diminishing returns…

The day started out calm. Kuluk Bay and Sweeper Cove looked like sheets of glass. That changed quickly however, and the wind picked up, fog moved in, and rain started. It wasn’t heavy rain, but enough to be a nuisance. It drizzled on and off all day and the wind shifted to the north. However, there were actually a few spots of sunshine (briefly) as well.

We stopped at the Quarry again and the Pacific Wren was on his usual perch singing away.

Pacific Wren, Quarry, May 28, 2012

We continued down to Finger Creek, but the road along the creek was flooded, probably due to melting snow spurred on by the recent rainfall.

Finger Creek and flooded road, May 28, 2012

We have never seen Finger Creek this high. On our way up to Clam Lagoon, we saw a flag flying at one of the memorial sites in honor of Memorial Day. This is the first time we have seen a flag up here.

Memorial Day, May 28, 2012

At Clam Lagoon, the Brant was still present, but no sign of the other geese. At Candlestick Bridge, the five Bar-tailed Godwits were feeding.

Bar-tailed Godwits, Candlestick Bridge, May 28, 2012

We drove out to the Loran Station, which is the northern point of Adak, to scan for pelagic species (shearwaters, albatross, etc.), but no luck.

We had no new birds today, but we did find another Bar-tailed Godwit down at Sweeper Creek.

Bar-tailed Godwit, Sweeper Creek, May 28, 2012

Only two-and-a-half days left. Hoping for something new…

Sunday, May 27, 2012

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The bad weather ended more quickly than originally forecast, and although it wasn’t perfect, the rain was sporadic today and the winds were not as strong as predicted.

It was a slow day, bird-wise. No new birds, not even trip birds. We saw one of the Hawfinches this morning and there were a lot of gulls at the fish plant outflow pipe. However, they were all Glaucous-winged.

At Clam Lagoon, the five Bar-tailed Godwits were feeding on the flats. The Snow and White-fronted geese were in one of the Seawall Ponds. The Brant was on Goose Rocks (so named by us because on our first trip here an Emperor Goose was on it). The Tattler was no longer at the inlet, but a lot of terns were feeding just inside the lagoon. Here is a little gallery of Arctic Tern photos.

Arctic Tern, Clam Lagoon, May 27, 2012

Arctic Tern, Clam Lagoon, May 27, 201

Arctic Tern, Clam Lagoon, May 27, 2012

As we went back around the lagoon, we ran into Paul and Bob, who stated they just saw the Brant in the main lagoon. We don’t know if the Brant that we saw on Goose Rocks was the same one or not.

The boat from Attu (the Puck-Uk) arrived late morning. We met it at the dock and gave John Puschok and Isaac Helmericks the info on the geese. They loaded up their tour group and headed for Clam Lagoon. They found the geese and the Brant (two new Adak birds for John, one for Isaac).

On our way back up to Clam Lagoon, we spotted the other White-fronted Goose at Contractor’s Marsh. We did another tour of Clam Lagoon, and although we did not find any new birds, I did get a nice shot of one of the Jaegers.

Parasitic Jaeger, Clam Lagoon, May 27, 2012

We then went to Lake Jean. The Common Loons were still there, but this time they were close enough together that I could get them in the same photo.

Common Loons, Lake Jean, May 27, 2012

Our trip list is at 57. Not bad considering that we haven’t had east winds that drive shearwaters and albatross in closer to shore and we did not take a boat trip to look for auklets. We have had some fantastic birds show up in the last few days of May in the past. We hope history repeats itself.

 

 

Saturday, May 26, 2012

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The weather is changing. As I write this, it is raining and the wind is howling. Today started out calm enough, but as the day went on the wind shifted around to the southeast and started to pick up strength. Gusts up to 55 mph are predicted tonight and tomorrow. But the morning and early afternoon were not too bad, just some light precipitation.

Up at Lake Jean, which is an arm of Andrew Lake, we had 2 Common Loons in breeding plumage — always a treat.

Common Loon, Lake Jean, May 26, 2012

In the small ponds next to Andrew Lake, the Red-necked Phalaropes are setting up shop to nest. They started arriving last week or so and are still in small flocks before establishing territories.

Red-necked Phalaropes, Andrew Lake, May 26, 2012

The flock of 5 godwits that were on the beach yesterday, were on the Clam Lagoon flats this morning. We were looking for the Snow Geese, as this would be an Adak bird for Isaac when he gets back on Sunday. We did not see them today, but other birders on the island did report them. So we are hoping they will hang in one more day. The Brant was still in the same area as yesterday.

As we travelled around Clam Lagoon, a Black Oystercatcher crouched down near a rock in hope of avoiding detection.

Black Oystercatcher, Clam Lagoon, May 26, 2012

The (or “a”) Wandering Tattler showed up at the Clam Lagoon Inlet and, unlike yesterday, posed in the open for all to see.

Wandering Tattler, Clam Lagoon Inlet, May 26, 2012

A lot of Aleutian Terns were feeding off of the inlet. There numbers are increasing every day. As we drove back around the lagoon, we spotted a different-looking duck. It was a female Northern Shoveler — an uncommon species on Adak.

Northern Shoveler, Clam Lagoon, May 26, 2012

When we got to the other side of the lagoon, we met Bob and Warren who stated they had a Dunlin along the marsh edge earlier in the day. So I decided to walk out there and try to see (and photograph) it. Of course, as soon as I got out on the flats, it started to rain. Not heavy, just a nuisance. However, I did find the Dunlin.

Dunlin, Clam Lagoon, May 26, 2012

The Bramblings were not seen by Bob or me, so they must have moved on. We went down to the Hawfinch feeder and saw both Hawfinches. However, the one refused to come in while the other was nearby, so I couldn’t get a photo of them together, unlike last May.

While watching the Hawfinches, a Song Sparrow came in to feed. The Song Sparrows on Adak are not like the ones back home. These are larger and darker.

"Aleutian" Song Sparrow, Adak, May 26, 2012

We are hoping the nasty weather over the next day or so blows in some goodies.