What’s good for the goose…

Guess what? We started the day at Sweeper Cove jetty and then checked for the Hawfinches. No luck. As we continued along Sweeper Cove, we ran into Ted Kenefick and Peter Harrison (yes, of Seabirds fame) who had a flat tire and no tool to get the spare! After futile attempts to release the spare tire, we gave them a lift up to Will’s so they could rent a vehicle until someone could fix the tire.

We checked Sweeper Creek and various feeders and eventually headed up to Clam Lagoon. There, we met Paul Mayer and Bob (sorry, forgot your last name) who had just come off of the flats. They said there was a dark duck or small goose across the way, so I set up my scope (a Questar) and quickly confirmed it was a Brant! A new bird for our Adak list. In addition, they stated that as they were coming out of town earlier, they saw two Snow Geese and a Greater White-fronted Goose flying towards the airport. Snow goose would also be a new Adak bird for us and we had previously seen only one White-fronted, so this was tantalizing news. They also said they saw a small shorebird out on the flats.

We continued around Clam Lagoon to the southwest access point and Paul, Bob, and I walked out the peninsula. No small shorebird, but we did see a female Bar-tailed Godwit and the Bramblings.

We went around to the other side of the lagoon and found the Brant.

"Black" Brant, Clam Lagoon, May 25, 2012.

This was the western race, previously known as Black Brant.

We continued down to Candlestick Bridge and scanned the inlet and the beaches. Note: In all of the trips we have made to Adak (this is our 11th) we have never seen a single shorebird on the beaches next to the inlet. Yet, as I scanned the beach, I found 5 Bar-tailed Godwits (1 male and 4 female). So we were now up to 6 godwits for the day. In the picture below, the male is on the right.

Bar-tailed Godwits, Palisades Beach, May 25, 2012.

As we headed back up past Lake Shirley, a Bald Eagle was mantling some prey on a post next to the road. Eagles are remarkably tame up here.

Bald Eagle, Lake Shirley, May 25, 2012.

We stopped at the “breach” (a portion of the seawall that was topped by winter storms) and walked out to the rocky beach to look for shorebirds. After scanning for a few minutes, I spotted a Wandering Tattler. Unfortunately, by the time I lowered my binos and lifted up my camera, he was gone. So no photo. However, that was the first reported Tattler this spring. The previous groups had not found any. While waiting at the truck for me to return, Barb spotted a Peregrine Falcon harassing a Bald Eagle. She called me and I got to see it as well.

We started back towards town, and ran into Monte and his group and shared sightings. As we pulled away, I spotted three geese flying overhead. It was the two Snows and the White-fronted. They were headed towards Clam Lagoon, so we did a 180 and raced up there in time to see them land on the flats on the east side. It was 4 pm, so we decided to go back into town, get gas (it closes at 5) and then come back up to try to get photos.

As we came back up to the lagoon and were racing around the north end, I saw a bird fly out from the near shore to the waters edge. But this was not a pattern I was used to up here, so I told Barb to stop. I quickly saw it was a Greater White-fronted Goose!

Greater White-fronted Goose, north end of Clam Lagoon, May 25, 2012.

We said to each other that this was probably the one that was with the Snows and it was not a good sign that they had split. Ie. the others may have continued on. However, we continued on, and as we neared the south end of the seawall, there were the two Snows and another White-fronted! So there were at least two White-fronted.

Snow Geese and Greater White-fronted Goose, Clam Lagoon Seawall, May 25, 2012.

We continued down towards Candlestick Bridge and checked again for the Brant. We didn’t see it at first, but then it came flying in from the north and a Parasitic Jaeger took up after it and chased it for a minute or two.

Brant being pursued by Parasitic Jaeger, Clam Lagoon, May 25, 2012.

At Candlestick Bridge, we found Bob and Warren and Monte’s group. Bob and Warren followed us back to see the geese. We stopped and saw the Brant, then headed back to where we saw the Snows. They were gone. We continued up to the north end where we saw the single White-fronted, but he too was gone. So we started scanning the lagoon, and soon Bob spotted the Snows over on the far shore. Barb quickly spotted the White-fronted with them. Bob and Warren went back to the breach to look for the Tattler, while Barb and I headed back towards town.

We checked on the Hawfinch and found one. This one was different than he one we saw the other day; it had less white in the wing and a slightly longer bib.

Hawfinch, Naval Administration Building, May 25, 2012.

Not a bad day. We picked up two new birds for our Adak list and saw Bramblings and a Hawfinch again. Let’s keep em’ coming!

A so-so day after yesterday’s excitement.

We started the day at Sweeper Cove and checked on the Hawfinch. No luck (but more on that later…).

Heading up Bayshore Drive, we flushed the Ruddy Turnstones again, but this time instead of flying over the hill, they landed next to the road.

Ruddy Turnstones, Bayshore Drive, May 24, 2012

We birded around the usual spots without finding anything new and headed back to town for a break. In all of the years (since 2005) that we have been coming up here, we never drove up the hill that has the water towers. So we decided to today and got great views of the town of Adak.

The town of Adak, looking south. May 24, 2012

The place we now stay in is located just below center in the above photo. Here is a closer look.

Our abode on Adak. The near half of the blue house.

We headed up to Clam Lagoon and halfway around ran into Bob and Warren who said the Bar-tailed Godwit was still around down near Candlestick Bridge (this is a washed out bridge at the southeast corner of the lagoon over the inlet). We continued around and found the Godwit sleeping.

Bar-tailed Godwit, Clam Lagoon, May 24, 2012

For the non-birders reading this blog, this is a bird that usually flies non-stop from Alaska to Hawaii!

Last night I had posted our sightings to the Alaska Birding Listserve and this morning got an email from a birder  (Monte) who was on his (and three friends’) way to Adak on today’s flight. So we met the plane when it arrived this afternoon and filled them in on our sightings. In addition, there were two other pairs of birders arriving. Most of them were staying until Sunday when the Attu boat returns to Adak to take it the rest of the way to Dutch Harbor for some seabirding. They were all interested in seeing the Hawfinch. We gave them directions and then headed back out.

We went to the fish factory outflow at Sweeper Cove to see if there was any gull activity. There were 30 or 40 gulls. Two were in a fight, grabbing each other’s bills and thrashing at each other.

Two Glaucous-winged Gulls fighting, Sweeper Cove jetty, May 24, 2012

They eventually flew off with one in pursuit of the other. In the photo below, all of the birds are Glaucous-winged Gulls. This is why I hate large gulls!

Glaucous-winged Gulls, Sweeper Cove jetty, May 24, 2012

Here is an adult portrait (much easier to identify than all of the immature plumages).

Glaucous-winged Gulls, Sweeper Cove jetty, May 24, 2012

While watching the gulls, we got a call from one of the newly-arrived birders that they couldn’t find the right location for the Hawfinch. So we drove over there and guided them over the phone to the location. The Hawfinch was there! While waiting for them to arrive, I spotted another bird about fifty yards away near a chainlink fence. I thought it might be another Hawfinch! The Hawfinch at the feeder flew over to the fence and both birds flew around the corner of the building. One Hawfinch came back shortly, followed by a Lapland Longspur. So I thought I must have mistaken the Longspur. We headed back to the house and then headed out to dinner. As we were on our way, we got a call from that birder saying they had two Hawfinches side-by-side (well, actually squabbling over who owned the birdseed!). So I had been correct in identifying the second bird.

We had a Hawfinch on our first trip to Adak in May 2005, but then not again until May 2010. Then last May we had three! We already have two this trip, so it will be interesting to see how many more we find.

Our odds of finding something new on the island increased with all of the new eyes that arrived today, so we are optimistic about the next few days.

It was a good day on Adak! It was partly sunny and the winds were light and variable, mostly coming from the east. They are supposed to swing to the north for the next day or so. However, the past two days of westerlies have been good to us.

We started at Sweeper Cove (as usual). We saw our first Horned Puffins of the trip. Pigeon Guillemots are abundant on Adak and pose nicely for pictures.

Pigeon Guillemot, Sweeper Cove, May 23, 2012

We headed down to Finger Bay, stopping at the quarry for Pacific Wren. The quarry is the one place on the island that you can count on finding  this intrepid little bird. How they survive Bering Sea winters, we will never know. This little guy was singing his heart out (as usual).

Pacific Wren, Quarry, May 23, 2012

At Finger Bay we added an Arctic Loon and found this Glaucous-winged Gull trying to dismember a crab.

Glaucous-winged Gull with crab, Finger Bay, May 23, 2012

We headed back north, checking feeders along the way. As we were driving up Bayshore Drive, five shorebirds flushed from the side of the road and disappeared over the sand dune. The last bird to flush was a Semipalmated Plover, but we did not get good looks at the other four. Frank walked up on the dune to look for them and they flushed again and flew over the nearby hill; two Pacific Golden-Plovers and a Ruddy Turnstone. We did not see the fifth bird.

We continued up Bayshore and got nice looks at an Arctic Tern.

Arctic Tern, Landing Lights Beach, May 23, 2012

We headed to Contractor’s Marsh and Frank started to walk it while Barb circled around to meet him on the other side. As I was walking, I got a call from Warren stating they had a Ruff about an hour earlier at the marsh, but it flew out of site towards Landing Lights Beach. Thinking of the fifth shorebird that we never relocated earlier (which was just south of Landing Lights Beach), we suggested it might be the Ruff. So we met up with them and searched that area. Barb drove around to the other side of the hill where we had seen the other shorebirds fly, and flushed two Turnstones, which obligingly flew back over to where I and Bob, and Warren were. So the fifth bird was probably the other Turnstone. No sign of the Ruff.

I still remember the first breeding-plumaged Lapland Longspur that we saw on our first trip to Adak in 2005. It was impressive then and still is today.

Lapland Longspur, Adak, May 23, 2012

We headed up to Clam Lagoon and I walked the marshy shoreline looking for shorebirds. No shorebirds, but I relocated the Bramblings that Bob and Warren had found yesterday. They didn’t stay still long enough to get good photos, but I got an identifiable one of the male. The birds flushed and flew a few hundred yards behind me, and I wasn’t going to chase them just for a better photo, so this will have to do.

Brambling, Clam Lagoon, May 23, 2012

We continued around Clam Lagoon. On the east side, we spotted a Bar-tailed Godwit out in the middle of the flats. The ones we saw the other day did not stay around (even for the time it took us to drive around the lagoon), but this one stayed as we drove back around to the other side. We hope it attracts others. In past trips we have had dozens of godwits stopping to feed on the flats, but some years, only one or two. We hope this turns into the former.

We headed back into town and down to Sweeper Cove and creek. As we were going by Sweeper Cove, we stopped at the Naval Administration Building where we had scattered birdseed. On the ground, under the spruce tree was a male Hawfinch. I quickly snapped some photos, then called Warren and Bob (this would be a lifer for Bob!). However, all we got was voicemail! Warren had been having problems with his Iphone (no ring or sound, although he could make and receive calls?!). We left the message and continued birding.

After getting gas ($6 a gallon!), we headed back up to Contractor’s Marsh, where luckily we ran into Bob and Warren. I think they made record time getting down to the Hawfinch once we filled them in! The bird was still there (pigging out on the sunflower seed and chasing away the rosy finches) and everyone was happy.

Hawfinch, Naval Administration Building, May 23, 2012

Hawfinch, Naval Administration Building, May 23, 2012

No lifers for us, but it is always a good day when you see both a Brambling and Hawfinch on the same day. We are up to 49 species for the trip.

We started today as usual, checking Sweeper Cove and the various places that we put out seed in hopes of attracting passing vagrants. The local Gray-crowned Rosy Finches have discovered most of the feeding spots, so we hope that they will in turn attract other species (at least that is how it worked in the past).

While scanning Sweeper Cove, we saw a flock of two-dozen passerines flying across the cove towards Sweeper Creek. We drove down there and scoured the area, but could not relocate them. A large flock of birds in this season is unusual, as most breeders on Adak arrive here in dribs and drabs and quickly set up territories. Who knows what they were…

Note: You can see maps and pictures of the places mentioned in this blog by clicking on Birding Adak on our home page (www.FranklinHaas.com).

While we were scanning the Airport Ponds for waterfowl, a half-dozen Aleutian Terns flew in, the first for this year. We later also saw an Arctic Tern.

Rock Ptarmigans are plentiful this year and explode from the side of the road as we drive by. Here is one standing and flying.

Rock Ptarmigan, near Lake Andrew, May 22, 2012

Rock Ptarmigan, near Lake Andrew, May 22, 2012

Up at Haven Lake (on the way to Lake Andrew) we had Wilson’s Snipe winnowing and calling. Common Snipe were reported last week, but we have not yet found any.

On the way back to town from Lake Andrew, we spotted two Pacific Golden-Plovers on the side of the road. These were in nicer plumage than the one we saw yesterday. The plumage descriptions match the three birds that Bob and Warren had reported to us yesterday up near Contractor’s Marsh.

Pacific Golden-Plover, near airport, May 22, 2012

Bob Schutsky and Warren Hanson found a pair of Brambling at Clam Lagoon as they were walking the marsh edge in search of shorebirds! You can see pictures of Bramblings (and other birds) that we had on Adak last May at https://picasaweb.google.com/FranklinHaas/AdakMay2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCL6Oo9eK7uv_Wg#

I hope to walk Clam Lagoon tomorrow. If I find the Bramblings, I will post their picture(s) here.

Before we arrived, Isaac (the resident birder, who is co-leading a trip to Attu right now) informed us that he had found a lot of owl pellets in the stand of spruce trees just past Palisades Overlook. He did not have a chance to return to look for the owl that might be roosting there before he had to leave for the Attu trip. So today I hiked down to the spruce grove and did some searching. I found a lot of pellets (see below), but no owl. None of the pellets looked fresh, so I suspect it was a wintering bird who has since departed. The only owl we have ever seen on Adak was a Short-eared Owl (which are suspected to have bred on Adak at one time).

Owl pellet. One less rat on Adak!

Winds were westerly today and are supposed to be southwesterly tomorrow. Here’s hoping for more new birds!

We checked the jetty twice today, but did not find any wagtails (or other dickey birds). After a quick check of Sweeper Cove and creek, we got the rest of our food shopping done and headed for Clam Lagoon.
We found two Sanderlings out on the mud flats, but that was it for shorebirds.
As usual, the sea otters delighted us, and this one was still nurturing an almost full-grown pup.

Sea Otter with pup, Clam Lagoon, May 21, 2012

We have seen a hundreds of Black Scoters so far and several dozen White-winged Scoters. This one stayed close enough for a portrait.

White-winged Scoter, Clam Lagoon, May 21, 2012

We have been seeing Semipalmated Plovers at their usual breeding areas. This one was at Clam Lagoon.

Semipalmated Plover, Clam Lagoon, May 21, 2012

Clam Lagoon was filled with waterfowl and alcids. Waterfowl included Buffleheads, Common Goldeneyes, Red-breasted Mergansers, Mallards, Pintails, Common Teal, and others. Marbled and Kittlitz’s Murrelets were in abundance.

Along the Clam Lagoon seawall is the easiest place to see Red-faced Cormorants, but rarely close-in. This bird was somewhat closer than usual, permitting a photo that shows how it got its name.

Red-faced Cormorant, Clam Lagoon seawall, May 21, 2012

As we got to the east side of the Clam Lagoon mud flats, two Bar-tailed Godwits flew in. The previous tour groups had only seen one so far. The tour groups that left as we arrived also reported many Pacific Golden-Plovers. We finally found one today. You can see by the color on its back how it got its name.

Pacific Golden-Plover, Contractors Marsh, May 21, 2012

We had several Red-necked Grebes. This one (not quite yet in breeding plumage) cooperated nicely.

Red-necked Grebe, small boat harbor, May 21, 2012

Ancient Murrelets are abundant this time of year and occasionally come in close, as these two did.

Ancient Murrelets, Sweeper Cove, May 21, 2012

We are seeing many of the ubiquitous Rock Sandpiper, calling and displaying. This one stands on its namesake.

Rock Sandpiper, Sweeper Cove jetty, May 21, 2012

No new birds for us so far on this trip, but it is better to start with a whimper and finish with a bang, so we are hopeful for better days ahead. The wind started to change from the north to the west today and is supposed to be westerly the next few days. Hopefully (did you know that Websters now accepts this usage of this word?), this will blow in some Asian birds…

Our flights to Anchorage on Saturday were on time and uneventful. We did our food shopping and then did a little birding. We stopped by Goose Lake to look for the Pacific Loon that had been reported, but no luck.
However, I did get great shots of a pair of American Wigeon who were quite friendly.

Male American Wigeon, Goose Lake, Anchorage, May 19, 2012

Female American Wigeon, Goose Lake, Anchorage, May 19, 2012

A Mew Gull also cooperated.

Mew Gull, Goose Lake, Anchorage May 19, 2012

You can never get enough Magpie photos.

Black-billed Magpie, Anchoarge, May 19, 2012

On Sunday morning, we ventured out for more birding in the Anchorage area. We went up Arctic Valley and had lots of Robins, Varied Thrushes, Dark-eyed Juncos, Yellow-rumped and Wilson’s Warblers, Fox and White-crowned Sparrows, but nothing new. We stopped at Goose Lake again on the way back and found the Pacific Loon.

Pacific Loon, Goose Lake, Anchorage, May 20, 2012

We got to the airport after lunch and met Bob Schutsky and Warren Hanson, who would also be birding Adak. The flight left and arrived early. On the approach to the Adak Airport, I was able to get a nice shot of Finger Bay and the road leading to it.

Finger Bay showing access road

We talked to the two birding tour groups who were departing the island as we were arriving and found out it has been slow so far.
However, they had seen both a female White Wagtail and a black-backed male White Wagtail. This would be a lifer for us, but they had not seen them since Wednesday.
After unpacking, we drove down to the Sweeper Cove jetty, where they had seen the male Wagtail. We saw a black-and-white bird fly up from the jetty and disappear over the other side, but we could not relocate it. We are aware that we have frequently seen Snow Buntings out on the jetty, so the bird we saw could have been one of those. We will try again in the morning.