The 2010 Great Backyard Bird Count (February 12 - 15th) is a great opportunity to connect people with nature, and further the Audubon mission.
- The Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way for people of all ages to connect with nature. Audubon and Cornell invite you to get involved February 12 - 15, 2010-- President's Day weekend.
- It's easy - just count the birds in your backyard, local park or another location and report what you see online at www.birdcount.org"Count for Fun, Count for the Future"
- Taking part in the GBBC helps give scientists important information about birds and the environment we share. When you volunteer to help you become part of a large team of Citizen Scientists across the country. You can see what birds are being reported in your own neighborhood and throughout the United States and Canada by visiting www.birdcount.org
- Bird-watching is the second fastest growing hobby in the USA, right after gardening. The Great Backyard Bird Count combines the two. Find out why people love to combine them. Discover how you can create a bird-friendly yard. http://www.audubonathome.org/birdstohelp/
- You can count anywhere you choose - at a local park, a school yard, even a city garden. Any one can join the fun; no experience required. It's FREE.
- The Great Backyard Bird Count is perfect as a family exercise. Bird watching is a stress-reducer. Listening to bird songs helps too!Introducing a relative or friend to bird watching is a wonderful gift. Set up a Binocular Boot Camp to urge newcomers to learn how to identify birds at your local Audubon Center or Chapter.
- Develop you own version of Birding Basics http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/bird_watching/index.shtml
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
Christmas Bird Count Results
This was the 37th consecutive Kodiak Christmas Bird Count. A record eighty-five people participated this year. We tallied 78 species and 14,384 individual birds on count day, and an additional 3 species in count week (the period from three days before, to three days after count day). Count Week birds were Sharp-shinned Hawk, American Three-toed Woodpecker, and Northern Shrike. The average number of Count Day species seen over the previous ten years is 77, so this year’s total was respectable, but not stellar. The post-count compiling party was held Claudia and Stosh Anderson’s house. Thank you, Claudia.
Twelve upland field parties included two Ptarmigan SWAT teams and, for the first time ever, a Great Blue Heron SWAT team. All three SWAT teams found their target birds. When I recently looked up the exact meaning of the acronym SWAT, I chuckled when I read that it means Special Weapons And Tactics, which fits our ptarmigan teams, in particular, to a T. As usual, we had two boats participating. This year they were the Ursa Major II and the Mythos. Bird feeder Counts were made from Monashka to Bells Flats at 22 feeders. Twenty one species were found at feeders. The most abundant species at feeders was Pine Siskin (482). Four species, Orange-crowned Warbler, American Tree Sparrow, Lincoln’s Willow Sparrow, and Golden-crowned Sparrow wereseen only at feeders.
Twelve upland field parties included two Ptarmigan SWAT teams and, for the first time ever, a Great Blue Heron SWAT team. All three SWAT teams found their target birds. When I recently looked up the exact meaning of the acronym SWAT, I chuckled when I read that it means Special Weapons And Tactics, which fits our ptarmigan teams, in particular, to a T. As usual, we had two boats participating. This year they were the Ursa Major II and the Mythos. Bird feeder Counts were made from Monashka to Bells Flats at 22 feeders. Twenty one species were found at feeders. The most abundant species at feeders was Pine Siskin (482). Four species, Orange-crowned Warbler, American Tree Sparrow, Lincoln’s Willow Sparrow, and Golden-crowned Sparrow wereseen only at feeders.
Ptarmigan by Patrick Saltonstall
There were all-time high counts of seven species this year: Willow Ptarmigan (21), Bald Eagle (889), Northern Goshawk (7), Rock Sandpiper (490), Rock Pigeon (506), American Robin (24), and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (179).
Mixed shorebird flock on Dog Bay breakwater by Pam Foreman.
Rare species seen this year that have been seen fewer than sixteen times on Count Day in the history of the count (and the number of times seen) are: Ring-necked Duck (13), Willow Ptarmigan (5), Merlin (14), Orange-crowned Warbler (3), and Rusty Blackbird (4).
What are the commonest wintering birds in the Kodiak area? These 29 species have been seen on all 37 consecutive Kodiak CBC’s: Mallard, Greater Scaup, Steller’s Eider, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Horned Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Mew Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Black-billed Magpie, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, American Dipper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Varied Thrush, Song Sparrow.
Orange-crowned Warbler by Molly MacIntosh
For the second time in many years, Kodiak did not have the highest count day species total in the state. This is the second year that the high count title goes to Ketchikan, which this year mustered an impressive 81 count day species. Ketchikan compiler Andy Piston once again pulled out all the stops and led his people to the pinnacle of Alaskan winter birding.
We are very fortunate to have large vessels covering the marine waters in the count circle. This year’s vessels were the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge’s Ursa Major II, skippered by Jeff Lewis, and Dave Kubiak’s F/V Mythos. We appreciate the major effort they make to support the count.
You can find all count results, as they are posted, at: http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/
Cheers, Rich MacIntosh, compiler
PARTICIPANTS: Claudia Anderson, Roberta Austring, Paul Banyas, Wendy Beck, Celeste Beck-Goodell, Shirley Berns, Rae Jean Blaschka, Sue Blott, Graham Burnside, Chris Cooney, Diane Cooney, Andrea Cooney, Robin Corcoran, Braxton Dew, Angela Dewinter and family, Libby Eufemio, Rosemary Eufemio, Josh Fitzgerald, Nate Fitzgerald, Raymond Fletcher, Mary Forbes, Pam Foreman, Sam Friedman, Harvey Goodell, Jan Haaga, Pete Hannah, Jack Hannah, Carolyn Heitman, Pat Heitman, Mary Ann Hickey, Arielle Himelbloom, Linda Himelbloom, Eva Holm, Iver Holm, Oliver Holm, Beverly Horn, Donna Hurley, Gunnar Johnson, Katya Johnson, Mona Johnson, Tom Kjera, Dave Kubiak, Debra Kubiak, Linda Lance, Tom Lance, Jeff Lewis, Mary Lukens, Ian MacIntosh, Molly MacIntosh, Rich MacIntosh, Mike Marion, Sarah Meunier, Mike Milligan, Lucy Murdoch, Dan Olsen, Dean Olsen, Hildur Olsen, Deedie Pearson, Doug Pederson, Laurie Pederson, Suzanne Peschier, Jeanne Pontti, Bill Pyle, Dana Reid, Susan Reid, Dick Ross, Patrick Saltonstall, Dave Schuckman, Mike Sirofchuck, Darcy Stielstra, Stacy Studebaker, Pat Trosvig, Tom Trosvig, Cindy Trussell, Jane Van Atta, Esther Waddell, Haliegh Walker, Gary Wheeler, Jack Withrow, Jill Wittenbrader, Myla Woodley, Denny Zwiefelhofer.
We are very fortunate to have large vessels covering the marine waters in the count circle. This year’s vessels were the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge’s Ursa Major II, skippered by Jeff Lewis, and Dave Kubiak’s F/V Mythos. We appreciate the major effort they make to support the count.
You can find all count results, as they are posted, at: http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/
Cheers, Rich MacIntosh, compiler
PARTICIPANTS: Claudia Anderson, Roberta Austring, Paul Banyas, Wendy Beck, Celeste Beck-Goodell, Shirley Berns, Rae Jean Blaschka, Sue Blott, Graham Burnside, Chris Cooney, Diane Cooney, Andrea Cooney, Robin Corcoran, Braxton Dew, Angela Dewinter and family, Libby Eufemio, Rosemary Eufemio, Josh Fitzgerald, Nate Fitzgerald, Raymond Fletcher, Mary Forbes, Pam Foreman, Sam Friedman, Harvey Goodell, Jan Haaga, Pete Hannah, Jack Hannah, Carolyn Heitman, Pat Heitman, Mary Ann Hickey, Arielle Himelbloom, Linda Himelbloom, Eva Holm, Iver Holm, Oliver Holm, Beverly Horn, Donna Hurley, Gunnar Johnson, Katya Johnson, Mona Johnson, Tom Kjera, Dave Kubiak, Debra Kubiak, Linda Lance, Tom Lance, Jeff Lewis, Mary Lukens, Ian MacIntosh, Molly MacIntosh, Rich MacIntosh, Mike Marion, Sarah Meunier, Mike Milligan, Lucy Murdoch, Dan Olsen, Dean Olsen, Hildur Olsen, Deedie Pearson, Doug Pederson, Laurie Pederson, Suzanne Peschier, Jeanne Pontti, Bill Pyle, Dana Reid, Susan Reid, Dick Ross, Patrick Saltonstall, Dave Schuckman, Mike Sirofchuck, Darcy Stielstra, Stacy Studebaker, Pat Trosvig, Tom Trosvig, Cindy Trussell, Jane Van Atta, Esther Waddell, Haliegh Walker, Gary Wheeler, Jack Withrow, Jill Wittenbrader, Myla Woodley, Denny Zwiefelhofer.
BIRDS OF THE 2009 KODIAK CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
Emperor Goose 588
Canada Goose 31
Gadwall 74
American Wigeon 16
Mallard 703
Northern Pintail 1
Green-winged Teal 19
Ring-necked Duck 3
Greater Scaup 587
Lesser Scaup 2
Scaup sp. 19
Steller's Eider 835
Common Eider 140
Harlequin Duck 530
Surf Scoter 133
White-winged Scoter 239
Black Scoter 921
Long-tailed Duck 820
Bufflehead 133
Common Goldeneye 170
Barrow’s Goldeneye 57
Common Merganser 80
Red-breasted Merganser 164
Rock Ptarmigan 1
Willow Ptarmigan 21
Pacific Loon 7
Common Loon 32
Horned Grebe 106
Red-necked Grebe 50
Double-crested Cormorant 50
Red-faced Cormorant 10
Pelagic Cormorant 454
Great Blue Heron 5
Bald Eagle 889
Sharp-shinned Hawk cw
Northern Goshawk 7
Merlin 2
Peregrine Falcon 1
Black Oystercatcher 627
Black Turnstone 52
Surfbird 36
Rock Sandpiper 490
Dunlin 62
Wilson's Snipe 1
Mew Gull 266
Herring Gull 1
Glaucous-winged Gull 715
Glaucous Gull 2
Common Murre 217
Pigeon Guillemot 123
Marbled Murrelet 13
Crested Auklet 2
Rock Pigeon 506
Belted Kingfisher 16
Downy Woodpecker 6
American Three-toed Woodpecker cw
Northern Shrike cw
Black-billed Magpie 246
Northwestern Crow 316
Common Raven 917
Black-capped Chickadee 207
Red-breasted Nuthatch 47
Brown Creeper 4
Winter Wren 39
American Dipper 15
Golden-crowned Kinglet 281
American Robin 24
Varied Thrush 181
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
American Tree Sparrow 7
Fox Sparrow 18
Song Sparrow 22
Lincoln’s Sparrow 3
Golden-crowned Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco 35
Snow Bunting 50
Rusty Blackbird 2
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch 179
Pine Grosbeak 103
Red Crossbill 75
Common Redpoll 1
Pine Siskin 621
cw = seen count week only
Emperor Goose 588
Canada Goose 31
Gadwall 74
American Wigeon 16
Mallard 703
Northern Pintail 1
Green-winged Teal 19
Ring-necked Duck 3
Greater Scaup 587
Lesser Scaup 2
Scaup sp. 19
Steller's Eider 835
Common Eider 140
Harlequin Duck 530
Surf Scoter 133
White-winged Scoter 239
Black Scoter 921
Long-tailed Duck 820
Bufflehead 133
Common Goldeneye 170
Barrow’s Goldeneye 57
Common Merganser 80
Red-breasted Merganser 164
Rock Ptarmigan 1
Willow Ptarmigan 21
Pacific Loon 7
Common Loon 32
Horned Grebe 106
Red-necked Grebe 50
Double-crested Cormorant 50
Red-faced Cormorant 10
Pelagic Cormorant 454
Great Blue Heron 5
Bald Eagle 889
Sharp-shinned Hawk cw
Northern Goshawk 7
Merlin 2
Peregrine Falcon 1
Black Oystercatcher 627
Black Turnstone 52
Surfbird 36
Rock Sandpiper 490
Dunlin 62
Wilson's Snipe 1
Mew Gull 266
Herring Gull 1
Glaucous-winged Gull 715
Glaucous Gull 2
Common Murre 217
Pigeon Guillemot 123
Marbled Murrelet 13
Crested Auklet 2
Rock Pigeon 506
Belted Kingfisher 16
Downy Woodpecker 6
American Three-toed Woodpecker cw
Northern Shrike cw
Black-billed Magpie 246
Northwestern Crow 316
Common Raven 917
Black-capped Chickadee 207
Red-breasted Nuthatch 47
Brown Creeper 4
Winter Wren 39
American Dipper 15
Golden-crowned Kinglet 281
American Robin 24
Varied Thrush 181
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
American Tree Sparrow 7
Fox Sparrow 18
Song Sparrow 22
Lincoln’s Sparrow 3
Golden-crowned Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco 35
Snow Bunting 50
Rusty Blackbird 2
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch 179
Pine Grosbeak 103
Red Crossbill 75
Common Redpoll 1
Pine Siskin 621
cw = seen count week only
Friday, December 4, 2009
Christmas Bird Count
Kodiak Audubon’s December Program is being presented by Rich MacIntosh. He will present a slide show with identification tips on the Winter Birds of Kodiak on Friday, December 11, 2009 in room 128-130 at the Kodiak College in the Benny Benson Building.
Join us at 6:30 p.m. for pizza and to sign-up for this year’s Christmas Bird Count. Rich’s talk will begin at 7:00 p.m. This is a wonderful opportunity to sharpen your skills for the 2010 count. This year’s count will held in town on December 19 and at Narrow Cape on January 2. For more information about the December program on the 11th you can contact Cindy at 486-1224. For more information about the Christmas Bird Count, please contact Rich MacIntosh at 486-3087.
Join us at 6:30 p.m. for pizza and to sign-up for this year’s Christmas Bird Count. Rich’s talk will begin at 7:00 p.m. This is a wonderful opportunity to sharpen your skills for the 2010 count. This year’s count will held in town on December 19 and at Narrow Cape on January 2. For more information about the December program on the 11th you can contact Cindy at 486-1224. For more information about the Christmas Bird Count, please contact Rich MacIntosh at 486-3087.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
November Birds About Town
This is the second column of the fall. This column includes, with a few exceptions, sightings from 1 through 28 October 2009. In recent years, the column has included more and more photographs. Not only are they nice to look at, but they are increasingly important for documenting the occurrence of uncommon or unusual birds in this area. It is highly advised that you try to photograph any unusual bird that you report. It really is true, in the case of bird documentation, that a picture is worth a thousand words. When you see a bird of interest, get in the habit of taking a photo of it. Thanks go to Jeff Allen, Tim Blott, Raymond Fletcher, Pam Foreman, Carolyn Heitman, Dave Kubiak, Lynne Murphy, Cecil Ranney, and Stacy Studebaker for providing photos or video during the period. Photos appearing in this column are: “white-cheeked” geese – Lynne Murphy, “white-cheeked” geese – Rich MacIntosh, Pacific Loon – Lynne Murphy, Peregrine Falcon – Lynne Murphy, Least Sandpiper – Stacy Studebaker, Wilson’s Snipe – Cecil Ranney, Common Raven – Tim Blott, Golden-crowned Kinglet – Carolyn Heitman, Golden-crowned Kinglet – Dave Kubiak.
Please feel free to call me with bird reports or questions at 486-3087, or email me at: rmacintosh@gci.net. A copy of the Kodiak bird checklist is available at the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, or online at: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/chekbird/r7/kodiak.htm
Good birding!
On 3 Oct, RM watched an immature Bald Eagle overtake and kill a Greater White-fronted Goose at Womens Bay. An account of that struggle appears at the very end of this report. The fall “white-cheeked” goose movement through the archipelago continues, with both Canada Geese and Cackling Geese reported in early October from Tugidak Island. LM took a nice photos of geese in flight over the Tugidak tundra (see photo). A group of white-cheeked geese on Mission Lake on 5 Oct (RM; photo) contained one tiny Cackling Goose, two of the medium-sized Canada Geese from the Shuyak population, and one lighter-breasted bird of unknown persuasion (right in photo). It is always exciting to see birds in migration, so JA was excited to see a flock of about 45 Emperor Geese flying in high from the northeast over the Buskin River mouth on 7 Oct. These birds were just arriving in this area from their summer haunts in western Alaska. A flock of about 100 Snow Geese was seen in nasty weather over Spruce Cape on 20 Oct (IH, EH). Trumpeter Swans were heard and seen on Tugidak Island in early October (BP, PB).
Migrant Tundra Swans were seen again this fall migrating over Trident Basin, with three on 30 Sep, 4 on 2 Oct, and about 25 on 23 Oct (SBo). Twelve Tundra Swans were on Lake Rose Tead on 20 Oct (RM), and 15 were there on 26 Oct (RF). The first Ring-necked Duck of the fall was a male with Greater Scaup on Mission Lake on 29 Sep (RM), and about eight were with Greater and Lesser Scaup on Lake Rose Tead on 20 Oct (RM). The first Buffleheads of the fall were seen on Kalsin Pond on 2 Oct (RC, RM). On 19 Oct, four Hooded Mergansers were on Mission and Potatopatch Lakes (RM). All of these birds were in brown female or immature male plumage, and one of them (see photo) didn’t have a “hood”. A Pacific Loon photographed in Hidden Basin on 27 Oct (LM; see photo), shows the dark “necklace” that is diagnostic for winter individuals of this species. An early October cruise by JA off the east side of Kodiak yielded several interesting seabirds. A single juvenile Short-tailed Albatross accompanied a Laysan Albatross and several Black-footed Albatross……a north Pacific “grand slam”. Two of the always rare Buller’s Shearwaters were also seen and photographed. A suspected light morph Wedge-tailed Shearwater seen on that same day (JA) would have been a first state record had it been well photographed.
In early Oct, Tugidak Island hosted many Northern Harriers and Short-eared Owls (BP, PB). LM got a great photo of a juvenile Peregrine Falcon (see photo) in Hidden Basin on 27 Oct. A late Lesser Yellowlegs was on the flats opposite Kalsin Pond on 2 Oct (RC, RM), and a late Least Sandpiper was photographed at Pasagshak on 4 Oct (SS, MS; see photo). Pectoral Sandpipers, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and Long-billed Dowitchers continued to be seen on the Kalsin Bay sedge flats through 27 Oct (RM). The Red-necked Phalaropes JA saw at sea east of Kodiak on 11 Oct were very late, while the Red Phalaropes seen the next day were not so late. A nice photo of a Wilson’s Snipe taken at a considerable distance on CR’s lawn on 9 Sep shows the power of a good digital camera to document birds (see photo). The first Thayer’s Gull of the fall was an adult seen off the east side of Kodiak Island on 14 Oct (JA). Since October is the best month here for Slaty-backed Gulls, it was not surprising that an adult was at Womens Bay on 2 Oct (RM, RC), three birds were there on 3 Oct (RM), and three were seen off the east side of Kodiak in mid Oct (JA). Two Common Ravens were photographed (see photo) in a knock down drag out battle on the ground on Spruce Cape on 4 Oct (TB, SBl). As described by SB, “one had a grip on the other’s face and wouldn’t let go”. After taking a few pictures, TB chased them away! CH photographed a Golden-crowned Kinglet (see photo) eating from a suet feeder in her yard on 19 Oct. This behavior is very seldom seen. A Brown Creeper was seen on 28 Oct by ML. A Varied Thrush that showed up in the CH yard on 19 Oct (CH) was the only one reported. Except for corvids, there have been no birds reported from fruiting mountain ash trees yet. Things should break loose any day now. An immature White-crowned Sparrow in the RM & MM yard on 26 Oct is probably going to winter here. The first fall road system Dark-eyed Junco was a bird at Mill Bay on 3 Oct (JA). CH had two at her feeder on 5 Oct. Red Crossbills were fairly common at feeders. Pine Siskins were not much in evidence.
THEY COOKED HIS GOOSE - On 3 Oct, RM was watching gulls below the Sargent Creek bridge in Womens Bay when all the gulls took to the air. The most probable cause, an (immature) Bald Eagle, was soon seen to be chasing a Greater White-fronted Goose in direct flight over the bay. The two birds flew south, towards Salonie Creek, with the eagle gradually gaining on the goose. When they were off the mouth of Salonie Creek, the eagle was only about 10 meters behind the goose, which then began taking evasive measures, cutting one way, and then another. This tactic did not work either, and the goose soon crashed into the water. Once the goose was in the water, the eagle began diving in shallow arcs over it, as it would do when picking up a fish from the surface of the water. Other eagles in the area were attracted to the scene, and several birds began making passes over the goose. During the first couple of passes, the goose would dive completely under the water, but after that, it would only duck its head or flail its wings. After a few misses, the eagles began connecting with the goose. On one early pass, an eagle grabbed the goose by the head, jerked it completely off the water, and was able to fly about five meters before dropping it. Another time, an eagle grabbed the goose by a flailing wing and flew a few meters with it. This happened several more times in the next few minutes, with the eagle always dropping the goose, presumably because it was too heavy to carry very far. After being grabbed and dropped four or five times, the goose was still able to keep its head and neck above water. It was still alive. Soon thereafter though, the goose showed no sign of life. Once the goose was lifeless on the water, the eagles stopped diving on it. My guess as to why they abandoned the goose at that point is that the lifeless goose, “dead weight”, and with no body parts sticking out of the water, presented an even more difficult target for the eagles to both grasp, and also jerk out of the water. The onshore wind and a falling tide would no doubt make the goose available to the eagles in due time.
CONTRIBUTORS:
Jeff Allen, Paul Banyas, Sue Blott, Tim Blott, Stephen Bodnar, Robin Corcoran, Raymond Fletcher, Pam Foreman, Carolyn Heitman, Eva Holm, Iver Holm, Dave Kubiak, Mary Lukens, Molly MacIntosh, Rich MacIntosh, Lynne Murphy, Wayne Murphy, Bill Pyle, Cecil Ranney, Mike Sirofchuck, Stacy Studebaker.
Please feel free to call me with bird reports or questions at 486-3087, or email me at: rmacintosh@gci.net. A copy of the Kodiak bird checklist is available at the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, or online at: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/chekbird/r7/kodiak.htm
Good birding!
On 3 Oct, RM watched an immature Bald Eagle overtake and kill a Greater White-fronted Goose at Womens Bay. An account of that struggle appears at the very end of this report. The fall “white-cheeked” goose movement through the archipelago continues, with both Canada Geese and Cackling Geese reported in early October from Tugidak Island. LM took a nice photos of geese in flight over the Tugidak tundra (see photo). A group of white-cheeked geese on Mission Lake on 5 Oct (RM; photo) contained one tiny Cackling Goose, two of the medium-sized Canada Geese from the Shuyak population, and one lighter-breasted bird of unknown persuasion (right in photo). It is always exciting to see birds in migration, so JA was excited to see a flock of about 45 Emperor Geese flying in high from the northeast over the Buskin River mouth on 7 Oct. These birds were just arriving in this area from their summer haunts in western Alaska. A flock of about 100 Snow Geese was seen in nasty weather over Spruce Cape on 20 Oct (IH, EH). Trumpeter Swans were heard and seen on Tugidak Island in early October (BP, PB).
Migrant Tundra Swans were seen again this fall migrating over Trident Basin, with three on 30 Sep, 4 on 2 Oct, and about 25 on 23 Oct (SBo). Twelve Tundra Swans were on Lake Rose Tead on 20 Oct (RM), and 15 were there on 26 Oct (RF). The first Ring-necked Duck of the fall was a male with Greater Scaup on Mission Lake on 29 Sep (RM), and about eight were with Greater and Lesser Scaup on Lake Rose Tead on 20 Oct (RM). The first Buffleheads of the fall were seen on Kalsin Pond on 2 Oct (RC, RM). On 19 Oct, four Hooded Mergansers were on Mission and Potatopatch Lakes (RM). All of these birds were in brown female or immature male plumage, and one of them (see photo) didn’t have a “hood”. A Pacific Loon photographed in Hidden Basin on 27 Oct (LM; see photo), shows the dark “necklace” that is diagnostic for winter individuals of this species. An early October cruise by JA off the east side of Kodiak yielded several interesting seabirds. A single juvenile Short-tailed Albatross accompanied a Laysan Albatross and several Black-footed Albatross……a north Pacific “grand slam”. Two of the always rare Buller’s Shearwaters were also seen and photographed. A suspected light morph Wedge-tailed Shearwater seen on that same day (JA) would have been a first state record had it been well photographed.
In early Oct, Tugidak Island hosted many Northern Harriers and Short-eared Owls (BP, PB). LM got a great photo of a juvenile Peregrine Falcon (see photo) in Hidden Basin on 27 Oct. A late Lesser Yellowlegs was on the flats opposite Kalsin Pond on 2 Oct (RC, RM), and a late Least Sandpiper was photographed at Pasagshak on 4 Oct (SS, MS; see photo). Pectoral Sandpipers, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and Long-billed Dowitchers continued to be seen on the Kalsin Bay sedge flats through 27 Oct (RM). The Red-necked Phalaropes JA saw at sea east of Kodiak on 11 Oct were very late, while the Red Phalaropes seen the next day were not so late. A nice photo of a Wilson’s Snipe taken at a considerable distance on CR’s lawn on 9 Sep shows the power of a good digital camera to document birds (see photo). The first Thayer’s Gull of the fall was an adult seen off the east side of Kodiak Island on 14 Oct (JA). Since October is the best month here for Slaty-backed Gulls, it was not surprising that an adult was at Womens Bay on 2 Oct (RM, RC), three birds were there on 3 Oct (RM), and three were seen off the east side of Kodiak in mid Oct (JA). Two Common Ravens were photographed (see photo) in a knock down drag out battle on the ground on Spruce Cape on 4 Oct (TB, SBl). As described by SB, “one had a grip on the other’s face and wouldn’t let go”. After taking a few pictures, TB chased them away! CH photographed a Golden-crowned Kinglet (see photo) eating from a suet feeder in her yard on 19 Oct. This behavior is very seldom seen. A Brown Creeper was seen on 28 Oct by ML. A Varied Thrush that showed up in the CH yard on 19 Oct (CH) was the only one reported. Except for corvids, there have been no birds reported from fruiting mountain ash trees yet. Things should break loose any day now. An immature White-crowned Sparrow in the RM & MM yard on 26 Oct is probably going to winter here. The first fall road system Dark-eyed Junco was a bird at Mill Bay on 3 Oct (JA). CH had two at her feeder on 5 Oct. Red Crossbills were fairly common at feeders. Pine Siskins were not much in evidence.
THEY COOKED HIS GOOSE - On 3 Oct, RM was watching gulls below the Sargent Creek bridge in Womens Bay when all the gulls took to the air. The most probable cause, an (immature) Bald Eagle, was soon seen to be chasing a Greater White-fronted Goose in direct flight over the bay. The two birds flew south, towards Salonie Creek, with the eagle gradually gaining on the goose. When they were off the mouth of Salonie Creek, the eagle was only about 10 meters behind the goose, which then began taking evasive measures, cutting one way, and then another. This tactic did not work either, and the goose soon crashed into the water. Once the goose was in the water, the eagle began diving in shallow arcs over it, as it would do when picking up a fish from the surface of the water. Other eagles in the area were attracted to the scene, and several birds began making passes over the goose. During the first couple of passes, the goose would dive completely under the water, but after that, it would only duck its head or flail its wings. After a few misses, the eagles began connecting with the goose. On one early pass, an eagle grabbed the goose by the head, jerked it completely off the water, and was able to fly about five meters before dropping it. Another time, an eagle grabbed the goose by a flailing wing and flew a few meters with it. This happened several more times in the next few minutes, with the eagle always dropping the goose, presumably because it was too heavy to carry very far. After being grabbed and dropped four or five times, the goose was still able to keep its head and neck above water. It was still alive. Soon thereafter though, the goose showed no sign of life. Once the goose was lifeless on the water, the eagles stopped diving on it. My guess as to why they abandoned the goose at that point is that the lifeless goose, “dead weight”, and with no body parts sticking out of the water, presented an even more difficult target for the eagles to both grasp, and also jerk out of the water. The onshore wind and a falling tide would no doubt make the goose available to the eagles in due time.
CONTRIBUTORS:
Jeff Allen, Paul Banyas, Sue Blott, Tim Blott, Stephen Bodnar, Robin Corcoran, Raymond Fletcher, Pam Foreman, Carolyn Heitman, Eva Holm, Iver Holm, Dave Kubiak, Mary Lukens, Molly MacIntosh, Rich MacIntosh, Lynne Murphy, Wayne Murphy, Bill Pyle, Cecil Ranney, Mike Sirofchuck, Stacy Studebaker.
Friday, October 23, 2009
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