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12 May Creamer's Refuge ["Nancy DeWitt" ] 10 May Re: Songbirds ["Barbara Logan" ] 10 May Tufted Duck ["Nancy DeWitt" ] 09 May Rusty Blackbird, shorebirds ["sethbeaudreault" ] 08 May Songbirds ["rosyfinch2u" ] 8 May Re: Birds ["Sandy B." ] 08 May Birds ["Nick Hajdukovich" ] 07 May Varied Thrush, Fox Sparrow, etc ["sethbeaudreault" ] 07 May Today was a great day for birding! ["Barbara Logan" ] 6 May Please Report Color-flagged Hudsonian Godwits and Whimbrels [] 05 May Yellow-rumped warbler, etc. ["sethbeaudreault" ] 05 May Hammond's Flycatcher ["sethbeaudreault" ] 4 May Gadwall [Luke DeCicco ] 05 May Swans ["rosyfinch2u" ] 2 May Robin ["Christine" ] 02 May Heard a Robin! ["annette_buenau" ] 30 Apr Little Birds ["Nancy DeWitt" ] 29 Apr Glaucous, Glaucous-winged and Hybrid gulls [Luke DeCicco ] 28 Apr Osprey ["cnye009" ] 27 Apr Delta Report and Creamer's (Snow Goose, Hybrids, and Glauc Gull) [Luke DeCicco ] 28 Apr summary of eagle nest obs. ["cnye009" ] 27 Apr American Tree Sparrow & correction [Andrea Swingley ] 26 Apr Re: Junco [Andrea Swingley ] 26 Apr N. Shoveler ["Nick Hajdukovich" ] 25 Apr Re: Junco [Derek & Beth ] 25 Apr Spring Birds... ["Sandra" ] 25 Apr sandhill cranes ["Christine" ] 25 Apr Junco ["Nancy DeWitt" ] 24 Apr GW and G Gulls ["Nick Hajdukovich" ] 21 Apr RBA Fairbanks Alaska April 18 [] 21 Apr Creamer's ["Nick Hajdukovich" ] 21 Apr Delta Birding Report ["Nancy DeWitt" ] 19 Apr NOGO in the yard [Andrea Swingley ] 17 Apr Am. Wigeon, N. Pintail ["Nick Hajdukovich" ] 16 Apr Herring Gulls ["Nick Hajdukovich" ] 14 Apr Raptors ["Nancy DeWitt" ] 14 Apr Trumpeter Swans ["rosyfinch2u" ] 13 Apr Canada Geese! [Luke DeCicco ] 13 Apr Standard Creek Owls [Luke DeCicco ] 12 Apr Re: More Buntings [Barbara & Don Logan ] 12 Apr Re:RBA Fairbanks April 10 2008 [Terry Tedor ] 12 Apr More Buntings ["Nancy DeWitt" ] 11 Apr Re:Hawk Owl [Buenau ] 11 Apr Hawk Owl ["Nancy DeWitt" ] 10 Apr Buntings, Etc. ["Nancy DeWitt" ] 9 Apr RBA Fairbanks April 10 2008 [] 09 Apr Harlan's hawk in Delta ["Steve DuBois" ] 07 Apr Boreal Birds at UAF's North Campus ["alaskabirder" ] 03 Apr geese at creamers?? ["damselfly40" ] 02 Apr Juvenile Northern Goshawk near Tenth & Lathrop Streets in Fairbanks ["Barbara Logan" ] 02 Apr Common Crane ["Nancy DeWitt" ] 02 Apr Birds ["Nick Hajdukovich" ] Subject: Creamer's Refuge From: "Nancy DeWitt" <arct1c_warbler AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 00:51:17 -0000 Took a nice walk around Creamer's Refuge and behind the Alaska Bird Observatory headquarters this morning. There were two Pectoral Sandpipers and some Long-billed Dowitchers by the front pond, along with some cranes, Canada Geese, pintails, wigeons and mallards. We saw some large flocks of what were likely pipits or longspurs flying around, but they never came close enough to ID. Heard and saw a lot of Hammond's Flycatchers, several Solitary Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs and Northern Waterthrush, and one each of Fox Sparrow and Northern Flicker near the ABO banding station and around the Boreal Forest Trail. Savannah Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, chickadees and redpolls were all singing too. There were a few Green-winged Teal and American Wigeon on the Seasonal Pond, and we got to watch one of two Horned Grebes try to eat a wood frog. We were able to see one adult Great Horned Owl and a good-sized owlet on the nest near ABO. The goofy Ruffed Grouse that chases and throws leaves at people was in his usual spot on the new Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary. Heard my first Townsend's Warbler of the year in that same area (in the large spruce near Wander Lake). Nancy DeWitt Fairbanks P.S. Heard my first Hermit Thrush singing at our house this morning, and ABO captured one while we were visiting the banding station.Subject: Re: Songbirds From: "Barbara Logan" <dlogan AT alaska.net> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 05:54:03 -0000 We have songbirds back in our yard the last couple of days, around downtown Fairbanks; AMERICAN ROBINS, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, YELLOW RUMPED WARBLER and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. Thought I saw a BLACK-POLL WARBLER pass through, but it may have been a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER without much yellow. It was distinct-looking with black and white, but I didn't get a really good look before it was gone. My husband also saw a BONAPARTE'S GULL at Pike's Landing at noon. I can hear some kind of gull squawking outside (near the Chena River) right now. It must be Spring! (SMILE)Subject: Tufted Duck From: "Nancy DeWitt" <arct1c_warbler AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 05:42:25 -0000 Since Nick Hajdukovich hasn't posted this sighting yet, I will. Nick discovered a spiffy male Tufted Duck at Tanana Lakes this afternoon. It was snoozing amongst a flock of mostly Canvasbacks in the southwestern arm of the lakes. We viewed it from the top of the big new gravel pile off of Lathrop Street (at the sight of the former motocross track). Jim and I went back this evening to look for the duck but couldn't find it there or over at the airport ponds. We did enjoy seeing some Redheads in addition to the other ducks, along with the Baird's Sandpiper at the float plane pond that Seth mentioned earlier. Heard my first Northern Flicker today. Nancy DeWittSubject: Rusty Blackbird, shorebirds From: "sethbeaudreault" <sethbeaudreault AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 09 May 2008 18:23:09 -0000 Had a Rusty Blackbird near my cabin off of Gold Hill Rd yesterday evening around 7:30. Good shorebirds at the airport float ponds yesterday afternoon, including (thanks to Nick) Baird's, Semipalmated, and Pectoral sandpipers among a flock of yellowlegs. Seth BeaudreaultSubject: Songbirds From: "rosyfinch2u" <survina AT msn.com> Date: Thu, 08 May 2008 23:42:05 -0000 There are songbirds in Tok today! YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, ROBINS, and JUNCOS are all singing. Present but not singing are WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS, pair of MALLARDS, and a RUFFED GROUSE that was out on a thin cottonwood branch eating leaf buds. The last couple days, we've seen at least a half-dozen "V"s of garburbaling SANDHILL CRANES, all headed west; the largest "V" had about 350 birds. Impressive. Sally UrvinaSubject: Re: Birds From: "Sandy B." <pfwbone AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 09:42:17 -0700 (PDT) A small group of the Hoary Redpolls still hopping in and out of my area off Farmers Loop. It is very cool there with snow piles under the trees. I am happy to report spotting a Robin in my yard last night. It is the first that I have seen there. The very vocal Great Horned Owl has seemed to be much quieter as of late, in fact my most noisy neighbor is Sandhill Cranes and of course the Spring Peeping of Arctic Frogs. To anyone who stops and listens...the Songs are there..Birds everywhere! Wonderful! Nick HajdukovichSubject: Birds From: "Nick Hajdukovich" <upupa_epops200 AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 08 May 2008 08:01:31 -0000 Hey all, Just in case anyone still cares about Hoary Redpolls, I have about 6-8 of them coming to my feeder every day at my house. This seems very late for them, because I remember them usually becoming very scarce around this time of year. I'm also getting about 20 common redpolls at my feeder, which is also unusual because the birds usually don't stay flocked up on normal years. Went out the Richardson Highway today and had an Arctic Tern, one lesser yellowlegs, ospreys, lots of waterfowl, two semipalmated plovers and a crapload of wood frogs at a set of ponds/lakes off the highway. I also most likely had a gray-cheeked thrush, but I only heard it calling and never got a look at it. Beautiful day today! It's feeling like summer! Bird on, Nick HajdukovichSubject: Varied Thrush, Fox Sparrow, etc From: "sethbeaudreault" <sethbeaudreault AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 07 May 2008 16:27:57 -0000 Yesterday the Hammond's flycatchers, yellow-rumped warblers, and American robins were very vocal around the UAF potato fields throughout the day. Last night a fox sparrow was popping off near Rosie Creek Rd off of Chena Pump. And finally, this morning, two varied thrushes were doing their "soccer game halftime whistle" near my cabin off of Gold Hill Rd. Bird up, Seth BeaudreaultSubject: Today was a great day for birding! From: "Barbara Logan" <dlogan AT alaska.net> Date: Wed, 07 May 2008 05:22:45 -0000 I headed first to Lakeview Terrace - saw 100's of MEW GULLS. Some doing courting. The off to the South Cushman area - saw a dozen or so AMERICAN WIDGEONS. Also heard, then saw a pair of HARLAN'S RED-TAILED HAWKS circling. Would never have seen them if I hadn't had my car window down, as I heard them before I saw them. It was that classic "Western movie" hawk scream - it was great! Then off to behind the Airport where I saw a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE. Also saw and heard at both places, the Wood Frogs are out and croaking!! (SMILE) Then over to Creamer's Field where I saw my first of season SANDHILL CRANES. At least one was banded - a yellow band that read "X30." I saw six in the front viewing field. There are still some CANADA GEESE, MALLARDS and PINTAILS, and three CANVASBACKS. I didn't see the CANVASBACKS there until I looked at my photos at home - one sleeping drake and a couple of hens were among the PINTAILS. I can hardly wait for the Warblers, Robins and Juncos to return to my house! (SMILE) BarbaraSubject: Please Report Color-flagged Hudsonian Godwits and Whimbrels From: Ken_Russell AT fws.gov Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 11:58:50 -0800 This was on the Anchorage listserve ----- Forwarded by Ken Russell/R7/FWS/DOI on 05/06/2008 11:15 AM ----- "Jim Johnson"Subject: Yellow-rumped warbler, etc. From: "sethbeaudreault" <sethbeaudreault AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 05 May 2008 23:23:33 -0000 At 3:00 PM there was a yellow-rumped warbler singing away near the BLM building on University Ave. At 2:00 PM there was one pair each of mew gulls and Bonaparte's gulls loudly chasing eachother around Smith Lake. A few minutes later, a vocalizing merlin flew overhead. Seth BeaudreaultSubject: Hammond's Flycatcher From: "sethbeaudreault" <sethbeaudreault AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 05 May 2008 21:00:30 -0000 There was a Hammond's flycatcher calling from the UAF potato fields, at about 11:30 AM this morning. Also present were a singing ruby-crowned kinglet and a flyover solitary sandpiper. Bird's the word. Seth BeaudreaultSubject: Gadwall From: Luke DeCicco <akswallow AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 4 May 2008 23:39:12 -0800 Hello, Nick and I found a Gadwall at the Airport Front Ponds this afternoon. Not much else around, a few Boneparte's at the Front Ponds and at Lake View Terrace. Nothing else unusual though. Bird on, Luke DeCicco _________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch when you're away with Windows Live Messenger. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_messenger_052008Subject: Swans From: "rosyfinch2u" <survina AT msn.com> Date: Mon, 05 May 2008 05:06:53 -0000 Twenty mi. east of Tok today we saw a flock of about 110 swans flying west, then turning north. We were in a burn area at the time and also saw 6 robins, 2 of them singing, 2 juncos, a female Hairy Wodpecker, and a bald eagle. Also, we again saw 2 swans on Tetlin lake, which is still frozen. About 5 miles east of Tok, there was an immature Goshawk perched on a spruce top. A gray jay was vigorously harrassing the hawk, but the hawk didn't move an inch. Here in Tok, we heard a spruce grouse drumming Thursday morning; for 2 days we've heard juncos singing. It sure is good to hear those familiar songs. Sally UrvinaSubject: Robin From: "Christine" <damselfly AT mosquitonet.com> Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 09:23:44 -0800 Hello, I saw my first Robin this AM! And heard at least two more in my neighborhood. We also have a pair of chickadees nesting in our back yard again. They are using a nest box we got from ABO last year. We live near the Chena River by the airport. christineSubject: Heard a Robin! From: "annette_buenau" <buenau AT gci.net> Date: Fri, 02 May 2008 16:57:16 -0000 We were down at Quartz Lake fishing and camping this past week. We woke up Wednesday morning to 4 inches of snow with more coming down. We saw a Northern Hawk Owl perched in a tall tree by the boat ramp. While we were fishing the snow was still coming down (sideways), so we couldn't see much, but we heard a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, an American Tree Sparrow, Juncos and our first Robin! There were long V's of geese and some swans flying over.Subject: Little Birds From: "Nancy DeWitt" <arct1c_warbler AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:09:22 -0000 Woke up to the big song of a little Ruby-crowned Kinglet this morning, singing away despite the wet snow falling. A Boreal Owl has been singing (incessantly!) near our next box for the past three nights. Will somebody please send a female owl his way? :) Nancy DeWitt FairbanksSubject: Glaucous, Glaucous-winged and Hybrid gulls From: Luke DeCicco <akswallow AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:05:43 -0800 Hello, Nick, Seth and I spent the evening watching the gull flock come in to Creamer's refuge last night (28 April). There were approximately 800-1000 gulls by the end of the night, starting at around 9:30 and we left by 10:45. The majority were Herring Gulls, with less than 10 Mew Gulls. We saw the following gulls of note: hybrid Glaucous-wingedXHerring (3), 2nd year Glaucous Gull (1), and Glaucous-winged Gull (6). Very few geese were around, but the Snow Goose came back around 10:00pm. Three minima cackling geese were present, one of which was banded with a color band and federal band. I have submitted this record to the bird banding lab and will inform this list of where this bird was banded when I find out. I also saw a single Glaucous-winged Gull at Lake View Terrace in the afternoon. Bird on, Luke DeCicco _________________________________________________________________ In a rush? Get real-time answers with Windows Live Messenger. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_realtime_042008Subject: Osprey From: "cnye009" <chrisn AT alaska.net> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:47:32 -0000 I saw what I'm pretty sure was an osprey by the SE corner of the airport around 1pm. I didn't get to see it for very long, but got a clear look at the white/black & black elbows on the underside of the wings as it flew over, and the "m" shaped profile of the wings as it flew away towards the NE. By the size, I thought I was going to get a look at an eagle, but it definitely wasn't. I'm very familiar with osprey from the coast of Maine, Chesapeake Bay, etc., but can't recall seeing one around Fairbanks before.Subject: Delta Report and Creamer's (Snow Goose, Hybrids, and Glauc Gull) From: Luke DeCicco <akswallow AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:52:45 -0800 Good evening, Jim, Seth and I drove down to Delta Junction this morning around 7:45AM. Very quiet in Delta with few migrants. We did a loop of Sawmill Creek Road and Barley Way. The following birds were seen: Rough-legged Hawk (1), Harlen's Hawk (4), Trumpeter Swan (8), Tundra Swan (11), Sharp-tailed Grouse (1, male), Northern Hawk Owl (1, heard), Dark-eyed Junco (20+) and American Tree Sparrow (6). We birded off of Meadows Road and saw next to nothing, appart from a couple buteo spp. and ravens. At Clearwater Lake the follow species of interest were seen: Common Goldeneye (6-8), Bufflehead (4), Northern Shoveler (1), and a couple thousand Canada Geese. At Creamer's Field in the afternoon the following birds of interest were seen: Snow Goose (1, still present!), Cackling Goose (minima ssp, 4), and hybrid goose (2, likely SnowXGreater White-fronted, paired together!). In the evening (10:30PM) I saw at least 500+ gulls roosting in two locations around creamer's, including one Glaucous Gull. They were very hard to scope at this hour, an earlier start will be needed tomorrow! Bird on, Luke DeCicco Fairbanks _________________________________________________________________ Spell a grand slam in this game where word skill meets World Series. Get in the game. http://club.live.com/word_slugger.aspx?icid=word_slugger_wlhm_admod_april08Subject: summary of eagle nest obs. From: "cnye009" <chrisn AT alaska.net> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:52:30 -0000 These observations all pertain to a single bald eagle nest off the SW end of the airport, just upstream from where the Chena comes in to the Tanana. It's in plain view along a popular dog-walking trail. March 30. Two eagles, one bringing sticks to the nest, the other tucking and placing and doing general maintenance. April 7. Two eagles sitting quietly on branches in the nesting tree, but not on the nest. (Looked like they were waiting... anthropomorphizing - I know) April 13, 18, 20, 27. Single eagle sitting down in the nest with just the head showing above the rim. (Incubating?) I'm guessing that egg(s) were laid some time between April 7 and 13. Does that make sense to any of you that actually know something about eagle reproduction? I saw two fuzzy-headed chicks on this nest last June 17 - no adults around at the time I walked by. Starting at mid-June and counting back ~4 weeks brood time and 35 days incubation gets back to mid-April. Do you folks all know this nest? It's well under 1/4 mile from where you would park, and a fair number of dog-walkers already use this area. Also, there are at least a couple pairs of magpies in the area. They were pretty noisy and curious in March, but for the past few weeks I've heard them mostly from a distance -- they clam up when I get close. They're always in the same area.Subject: American Tree Sparrow & correction From: Andrea Swingley <andrea AT outdoor-exposures.com> Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:35:56 -0800 In addition to the increasing numbers of juncos, I just watched a spiffy American Tree Sparrow in the yard. Also, we've seen the hawk around our yard more since I previously posted. It's probably a dark morph Red-tailed Hawk and not a Harlan's Hawk after all. And there are TWO of them. Cheers, Andrea -- Andrea Swingley Off Miller Hill Road in Fairbanks andrea AT outdoor-exposures.comSubject: Re: Junco From: Andrea Swingley <andrea AT outdoor-exposures.com> Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 07:21:53 -0800 Nancy DeWitt wrote: > Finally--a junco singing out by our feeders! And we had one singing nearby yesterday too. This morning a junco was chipping, possibly because there's been a Harlan's Hawk hanging around since last night. Cheers, Andrea -- Andrea Swingley Fairbanks andrea AT outdoor-exposures.comSubject: N. Shoveler From: "Nick Hajdukovich" <upupa_epops200 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:19:38 -0000 Hey all, Had a Northern Shoveler at my house yesterday. I live in Hamilton Acres on the Chena River. I've also had Canada Geese, Common Goldeneyes, 1 Bufflehead, 6 American Wigeon, N. Pintails and Trumpeter Swans.... Nick HajdukovichSubject: Re: Junco From: Derek & Beth <ice_jaeger AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:58:09 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Spring Birds... From: "Sandra" <pfwbone AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:04:45 -0000 The Redpolls seem to have moved on from my feeders too. I have been hearing a woodpecker being very busy, but have not been able to ID it. I am still hearing The Great Horned Owl that lives in my woods. Mostly I am hearing it in the early morning as the day begins to show. There has been a hawk on the lightposts around Sheep Creek extension for several days now. I am not sure of which type it is, but if you are driving around that area look up on the light posts, or the tall spruce over there. I often see a fox over there too (on the ground of course) It makes me think the vole/shrew hunting there must be great as the large animal research station probably has lots of extra leftover type goodies for them to discover. There is a letter to the Editor of the local newspaper that is reminding folks to keep their cats indoors or tethered. I was glad she pointed out that the cat is not a natural predator of Alaska..and it is not right for them to be out there hunting our Songbirds who have traveled so far to raise their families. How exciting the cranes are back! I sure enjoy hearing them. Happy Spring Days and Happy Birdwatching and Listening to us all!Subject: sandhill cranes From: "Christine" <damselfly AT mosquitonet.com> Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:13:19 -0800 Hi, I saw 4 sandhill cranes fly over our house thursday morning. First ones I have seen this season. We live by the Chena River/riverboat discovery.Subject: Junco From: "Nancy DeWitt" <arct1c_warbler AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:09:49 -0000 Finally--a junco singing out by our feeders! We're down to one female Ruffed Grouse visiting our feeder every morning and evening. The redpolls disappeared with the warm weather but some are back after last night's snow. Nancy DeWitt FairbanksSubject: GW and G Gulls From: "Nick Hajdukovich" <upupa_epops200 AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 07:35:24 -0000 Hey all, Spent my evening (9:25-10:30pm) out at Creamer's tonight. There was a gigantic flock of gulls, probably containing over 600-800 birds. Almost all of them were Herring Gulls, however I was able to pick out at least 3 Glaucous-winged Gulls and 1 Glaucous Gull. There may have been more and it was hard to get a really possitive count, but I'm confident I had at least these four birds that were not Herring Gulls. Other then all the gulls that kept piling in, there was the usual number of Canada Geese...I would estimate about 700-800 geese. I also found the Snow Goose, one pair of Cackling Geese (subspecies minima), about 6 Greater White-fronted Geese, 12 Trumpeter Swans (maybe more), 20-25 Northern Pintails, and 30-35 Mallards. All in all, a great night at Creamers.... the gull spectacle was amazing. Bird on, Nick HajdukovichSubject: RBA Fairbanks Alaska April 18 From: Ken_Russell AT fws.gov Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:47:21 -0800 hotline: Fairbanks and Interior Alaska date: April 18, 2008 number: (907) 451-9213 to report: (907) 451-9213 coverage: Fairbanks and vicinity transcriber: Ken Russell Birds Mentioned Northern Pintail American Wigeon Common Merganser Common Goldeneye Mallard Herring Gull Trumpeter Swan Red-Tailed Hawk Canada Geese American Robin Red-Breasted Nuthatch Welcome to the Birding Hotline for interior Alaska as of April 18. The following species were seen on the Chena River near the Carlson Center on April 16: MALLARDS, 6 COMMON GOLDENEYES, 5 COMMON MERGANSERS, 3 AMERICAN WIGEON and 2 NORTHERN PINTAILS. Three HERRING GULLS were seen along the Chena River near Pioneer Park on April 15. Three TRUMPETER SWANS flew over the Creamer's Refuge farm house on April 14. Two CANADA GEESE briefly touched down at Creamer's Refuge on April 13. Also on April 13, dark phase HARLAN'S RED-TAILE HAWK was seen flying from Smith Lake toward Chena ridge carrying nesting materials. An AMERICAN ROBIN was seen in a yard on Teal Avenue on April 12. The RED-BRESTED NUTHATCHES that spent the winter at that location are still being seen Upcoming events include: Birds of the Boreal III- Identifying those Little Birds (Passerines), will be presented by Susan Sharbaugh on April 23 from 7-9 PM at the ABO Center for Education & Research. The cost is $12/person; $10/ABO members (Or $60/$50 for the whole series) Tundra to Tropics: Connecting Birds, Habitats, & People, A photographic presentation in celebration of International Migratory Bird Day will be shown on April 24 at 7:00 PM at the Alaska Bird Observatory. The Fairbanks Spring Migration Celebration will take place from 12-4 PM at Creamer's Field & Farmhouse. There will be activities, games, bird watching, and fun to celebrate spring migration and International Migratory Bird Day. If you plan to record a bird sighting, please include the date and place where the bird was seen along with your name and phone number. If you wish to become a member of the Arctic Audubon Society please call Mary Zalar at 479-4547. Thanks for calling the birding hotline. -End Transcript Visit Arctic Audubon Society's website: http://www.arcticaudubon.org/ Site includes information on birding locations in Interior Alaska as well As a calendar of Arctic Audubon programs. Also visit Alaska Bird Observatory's website: http://www.alaskabird.org/ Directions to the sites mentioned in the report can found in 'A Birder's Guide to Alaska' by George C. West; American Birding Association; 2002 ISBN 1-878788-19-1 Ken Russell and Laurel Devaney PO Box 71462 Fairbanks, Alaska 99707Subject: Creamer's From: "Nick Hajdukovich" <upupa_epops200 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:31:35 -0000 Hey all, So after getting in from Delta Jim and Nancy DeWitt and myself headed to Creamer's Field. Being there two days before and seeing nothing but a bunch of snow, I wasn't expecting much. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find: a couple hundred Canada Geese, 3 Greater White-fronted Geese, 2 Cackling Geese (subspecies minima), and 29 Snow Buntings. Just before we left, a juvenile Goshawk cruised the field and scared everything up. Later in the day, at around 9:30pm I received a phone call from Luke DeCicco that he had a Snow Goose out at Creamer's. I quickly zoomed off, but made a quick stop at my friends house, which is on the Chena River in Island Homes. At his house I had about 200 Herring Gulls, 10 Canada Geese, 2 Northern Pintails, 3 Common Mergansers, and about 10 Mallards. I then got to Creamer's around 10pm. Just before I got there, Luke had found a Glaucous Gull in the midst of about 100 Herring Gulls. The flock took off just before I got there and never came back. Also at Creamer's, we relocated the two Cackling Geese, along with the Snow Goose, but other then that there was nothing new to report, except for a couple more White- fronted Geese. Luke had also seen the juvenile Goshawk cruise the front field just before I got there. Ok, well that's it for today! A great day of spring birding! Bird on, Nick HajdukovichSubject: Delta Birding Report From: "Nancy DeWitt" <arct1c_warbler AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:08:36 -0000 Nick Hajdukovich, Jim and I enjoyed a fine spring day birding around the Delta Junction area today. Between Fairbanks and Delta we saw a number of large V's of Canada Geese heading down the Tanana River, plus 12 Common Mergansers, one Bufflehead, two magpies, two Bald Eagles and several hawks and ravens. We were able to navigate Barley Way out in the agricultural fields before noon, but the road got too slimy for a second lap in our little front-wheel drive car by the afternoon. Out there we counted 19 Red-tailed Hawks (Harlan's), 12 Rough-legged Hawks, 33 Buteos (too far away to ID to species), 10 swans, a few Boreal Chickadees and Common Redpolls, and one each of Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Northern Hawk Owl, Great Horned Owl and Gray Jay. Surprisingly, the road into Clearwater Lake was decent, but I bet by tomorrow it will be too mushy for 2WD. Besides oodles of Canada Geese, we saw 12 Greater White-fronted Geese, 20 Trumpeter Swans, 6 Common Goldeneyes, 6 Common Mergansers, 2 Northern Pintails, 2 Bald Eagles, some ravens, a single Mew Gull and at least 50 Herring Gulls at the lake. We picked up two more Trumpeter Swans along Tanana Loop Road. Only a few gulls and Mallards were on the river at Rika's Roadhouse. All in all a fine day, capped off by a nice visit to Creamer's Refuge (I'll let Nick report on that). Nancy DeWitt P.S. Meadows Road was closed for military maneuvers.Subject: NOGO in the yard From: Andrea Swingley <andrea AT outdoor-exposures.com> Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:08:37 -0800 Hi Boreal Birders. We just had a Northern Goshawk in our "yard." Actually it was hunting along the banks of Goldstream Creek, but that's our yard. We're off of Miller Hill Rd. and somewhat close to the Skarland ski trails where goshawks have traditionally nested, but probably far enough that this *could* be a different bird. Nice bird to add to the yard list :) Cheers, Andrea -- Andrea Swingley Fairbanks, AK andrea AT outdoor-exposures.comSubject: Am. Wigeon, N. Pintail From: "Nick Hajdukovich" <upupa_epops200 AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:43:51 -0000 Hey all, Swung by the Chena River behind the Carlson Center and Pioneer Park today around 7pm. I had heard from one of my teachers at school that he was canoeing down the Chena on Tues and saw a flock of about 100 gulls behind the Carlson Center. Got there, and found three Herring Gulls, lots of Mallards, 6 Common Goldeneyes, 5 Common Mergansers, 3 American Wigeon and 2 Northern Pintails. I also walked all the way up to the power plant and only found some more mallards. Yesterday a friend told me he had 2 Trumpeter Swans in front of his house. He lives on the Chena off of Chena Pump Rd, close to where the Chena dumps into the Tanana. Ok, well that's all I got. I still haven't seen or heard a goose yet! Nick HajdukovichSubject: Herring Gulls From: "Nick Hajdukovich" <upupa_epops200 AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:00:04 -0000 Hey all, I had three Herring Gulls flying down, right along the Chena River near Pioneer Park yesterday. Didn't get real good looks at them but they weren't Mew Gulls, so probably Herring. Also, at UAF I had a Harlan's Hawk soaring around over the Aig Fields. I also saw another raptor near the aiport. Not sure what it was but it wasn't a Raven. Creamer's was completely empty when I checked. OK, bird on, Nick HajdukovichSubject: Raptors From: "Nancy DeWitt" <arct1c_warbler AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:12:28 -0000 While on my way to Skiland today, I was happy to see my first Buteo of the year soaring above the top of Summit Drive. Despite owning something like 7 pairs of binoculars, none were in the car (bad husband!) so I couldn't tell if it was of the rough-legged or red-tailed persuasion. I could tell that it was being badgered by a sharp-shinned hawk, though. The bad husband later saw a red-tailed hawk soar over our house, and while skiing the Skarland trails this afternoon he saw a pair of northern goshawks. The latter were seen in the Arboretum across the road from the Large Animal Research Station, where a pair of NOGOs has traditionally nested for many years. Luke--that's good news about the geese! Nancy DeWitt Fairbanks P.S. I saw a northern hawk owl at the radio tower field along Farmer's Loop road again on Friday.Subject: Trumpeter Swans From: "rosyfinch2u" <survina AT msn.com> Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:58:37 -0000 At 4 this afternoon we were on the scenic overlook at mi.1290 on the Alaska Highway, across from Tetlin Lake. Standing on the middle of the lake were 2 adult swans, from their size i'd say they were Trumpeters. They stood next to each other, head-bobbing at one another. After several minutes they started to run then flew off to the West. Now i know it's Spring! but i wonder where they'll find open water and food. Also, yesterday afternoon, there was an adult No. Shrike perched on an aspen outside our window in Tok. He was only there about 30 seconds, then flew off. We didn't see the chickadees or the redpolls again until 9 this morning. Sally UrvinaSubject: Canada Geese! From: Luke DeCicco <akswallow AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:28:10 -0800 Hello again, Just was in town and swung by Creamer's, there were 4 Canada Geese there around 3:00PM. That's all for now, Luke DeCicco Fairbanks _________________________________________________________________ More immediate than e-mail? Get instant access with Windows Live Messenger. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_instantaccess_042008Subject: Standard Creek Owls From: Luke DeCicco <akswallow AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:01:33 -0800 Nick Hajdukovich and I went out owling along Standard Creek Road, off the Old Nenana HWY, which itself is off of the Parks HWY, last night (12 April). We started at 11:20PM, weather was calm, clear, and cold. We heard 4 Boreal Owls and 4 Great Horned Owls, overall a decent night. Bird on, Luke DeCicco .......here's hoping for some spring arrivals, _________________________________________________________________ Pack up or back up–use SkyDrive to transfer files or keep extra copies. Learn how. hthttp://www.windowslive.com/skydrive/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_skydrive_packup_042008Subject: Re: More Buntings From: Barbara & Don Logan <dlogan AT alaska.net> Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:07:32 -0800 I saw Snow Buntings yesterday afternoon at Creamer's Field. I was there while Eric Engman of the News-miner was taking his photos that were in the paper this morning. Lots of people were stopping to ask if the Geese were back yet. No "Goose Watch" on the radio this year though. There was a good sized flock of maybe 30 or more Snow Buntings. Also heard a Great Horned Owl at the ABO yesterday around 1 pm. BarbaraSubject: Re:RBA Fairbanks April 10 2008 From: Terry Tedor <ttedor AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:37:02 -0700 (PDT) Do Red-breasted Nuthatches fall into the category of "rare"? __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.comSubject: More Buntings From: "Nancy DeWitt" <arct1c_warbler AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 01:30:03 -0000 I saw about 10 Snow Buntings in the front field at Creamer's Refuge today around 3 pm. No geese were there yet. Nancy DeWittSubject: Re:Hawk Owl From: Buenau <buenau AT gci.net> Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:06:22 -0800 I saw what I thought was a hawk owl a few days ago, flying across the open area by the towers. Because of the traffic I couldn't stop right then, but I'm glad to hear that there is one in the area. I'll keep an eye out for it. Also, we walked on the Granite Tors trail on Tuesday ( to about 1 1/2 mile) and saw the black-backed woodpeckers several times. We saw at least two different females and a male plus another one drumming a ways off. They seemed to like to fly down the trail ahead of us and didn't mind us walking fairly close to go by them. Annette BuenauSubject: Hawk Owl From: "Nancy DeWitt" <arct1c_warbler AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:27:45 -0000 There was a Northern Hawk Owl sitting in a small tree along Farmer's Loop Road at 11:40 AM, 1 mile from the Steese Hwy end at the radio tower field on the north/east side of the road. A pair of hawk owls nested near here several years ago, and hopefully I'll be seeing more of these little guys here this spring (assuming spring ever arrives...). NancySubject: Buntings, Etc. From: "Nancy DeWitt" <arct1c_warbler AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:31:02 -0000 Carol McIntyre reported seeing several large flocks of Snow Buntings along the Elliot Highway north of Mile 30 and south of Mile 92 on April 2 & 6. There was a pair of Northern Hawk Owls and several pairs of Three-toed Woodpeckers near Tolovana Hot Springs. Lorrie Hawkins saw a hawk owl near Anne's Greenhouse yesterday. This is at least the second hawk owl sighting here this spring (this species has nested near Anne's Greenhouse in years past). The psycho Ruffed Grouse that I reported from the Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary last year has amazingly survived the winter. He is back to his aggressive antics, pecking the feet of my trail crew and attacking an extremely large piece of heavy equipment (even beating the windshield with his wings). What a guy. NancySubject: RBA Fairbanks April 10 2008 From: Ken_Russell AT fws.gov Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2008 17:19:31 -0800 hotline: Fairbanks and Interior Alaska date: April 10, 2008 number: (907) 451-9213 to report: (907) 451-9213 coverage: Fairbanks and vicinity transcriber: Ken Russell Birds Mentioned Red-Tailed Hawk Northern Hawk Owl Three-Toed Woodpecker Black-Backed Woodpecker Peregrine Falcon Northern Shrike Bald Eagle Rough-Legged Hawk Sharp-Shinned Hawk Welcome to the Birding Hotline for interior Alaska as of April 10. Even though the conditions are still wintry, spring migration has started. A HARLAN'S RED-TAILED HAWK was seen sitting on a power pole along the Alaska Highway, just east of Delta, on April 8. A NORTHERN HAWK OWL was seen at the Musher's Hall on Farmer's Loop on April 6. Another NORTHERN HAWK OWL was seen along the pipeline corridor south of Love Road (3.8 miles Chena Hotsprings Road) on March 31. Also on April 6, a THREE-TOED and BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER were seen about 1 mile up the Granit Tors trail. A PEREGRINE FALCON was seen flying over downtown Fairbanks carrying a rock dove on April 4. Two NORTHERN SHRIKES were calling to each other from the hedgerows at Creamer's refuge on April 3. A BALD EAGLE was seen hunting along the Chena River at the Power plant on April 2. A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen at the Chena River Flood Control Project on March 28. A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK was hunting at a feeder on the Old Steese Highway about 1 mile north of Curry's Corner Store on March 25. Upcoming events include: Birds of the Boreal III- Identifying those Little Birds (Passerines), will be presented by Susan Sharbaugh on April 23 from 7-9 PM at the ABO Center for Education & Research. The cost is $12/person; $10/ABO members (Or $60/$50 for the whole series) Tundra to Tropics: Connecting Birds, Habitats, & People, A photographic presentation in celebration of International Migratory Bird Day will be shown on April 24 at 7:00 PM at the Alaska Bird Observatory. The Fairbanks Spring Migration Celebration will take place from 12-4 PM at Creamer's Field & Farmhouse. There will be activities, games, bird watching, and fun to celebrate spring migration and International Migratory Bird Day. If you plan to record a bird sighting, please include the date and place where the bird was seen along with your name and phone number. If you wish to become a member of the Arctic Audubon Society please call Mary Zalar at 479-4547. Thanks for calling the birding hotline. -End Transcript Visit Arctic Audubon Society's website: http://www.arcticaudubon.org/ Site includes information on birding locations in Interior Alaska as well As a calendar of Arctic Audubon programs. Also visit Alaska Bird Observatory's website: http://www.alaskabird.org/ Directions to the sites mentioned in the report can found in 'A Birder's Guide to Alaska' by George C. West; American Birding Association; 2002 ISBN 1-878788-19-1 Ken Russell and Laurel Devaney PO Box 71462 Fairbanks, Alaska 99707Subject: Harlan's hawk in Delta From: "Steve DuBois" <steve_dubois AT fishgame.state.ak.us> Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:04:31 -0000 I saw a Harlan's hawk yesterday sitting on a powerline pole along the Alaska Highway yesterday, just east of Delta.Subject: Boreal Birds at UAF's North Campus From: "alaskabirder" <akbirder AT eagle.ptialaska.net> Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:30:18 -0000 Greetings Boreal Birders, Judy and I decided to leave the car at home today and walked down to College Road to run some errands. On the way home we chose to take the UAF "walking" trail along the north boarder of the UAF's North Campus. This straight trail parallels Yankovitch Road south of the road and ends at the Dalton Trail Extension. Along the way we were pleasantly surprised to hear a Red-breasted Nuthatch. This is the first one that we have heard since our feeding station was visited by a pair of birds this past fall. Continuing along the walking path near Dalton Trail Extension we found an American Three-toed Woodpecker actively excavating a nest cavity? I have seen this bird several times this winter in the same general vicinity. There were several sets of grouse tracks in the freshly fallen snow, probably from Spruce Grouse based on the spruce habitat. Upon exiting the dense White Spruce thicket we observed about 1/2 dozen Boreal Chickadees working the forest edge near a feeding station at the southeast corner of Yankovitch Road and Dalton Trail. Great Birds, and no fossil fuel required! Cheers, Ed Clark co-moderator Alaska Rare Bird Listserv akbirder AT eagle.ptialaska.net https://list.uaf.edu:8025/mailman/listinfo/alaskabirds-lSubject: geese at creamers?? From: "damselfly40" <damselfly AT mosquitonet.com> Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:31:46 -0000 yesterday (wed the 2nd) I was driving down college road and glanced at Creamers and I saw two geese! I was so excited, I called my husband at work and told him. I pulled into the parking lot there in front, got out of my truck to get a better look. WELL...someone put out two geese decoys. I was fooled!Subject: Juvenile Northern Goshawk near Tenth & Lathrop Streets in Fairbanks From: "Barbara Logan" <dlogan AT alaska.net> Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:49:30 -0000 A nice surprise today - I just happened to glance outside while making dinner and saw a Juvenile Northern Goshawk in my neighbor's yard eating a pigeon. There were feathers flying everywhere! It's not the first time I have seen it in the neighborhood, as I have mentioned in previous messages. It ate on that pigeon for quite a while; then flew to a fence and cleaned its beak. Finally it flew up to a tree in my yard (totally ignoring a flock of Redpolls and Chickadees it had upset0 and finally flew away to a distant tree. Its crop was SO FULL it was bulging! I hope that pigeon will keep it sated for a long time. My husband says it is welcome to come get the rest of those pigeons, anytime! (SMILE) It was a beautiful Goshawk. I posted a picture at the link below. http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/BorealBirder/photos/view/e9b6?b=44 Barbara LoganSubject: Common Crane From: "Nancy DeWitt" <arct1c_warbler AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:28:43 -0000 No, this isn't an April Fool's joke--BUT I'm not reporting a Common Crane sighting in Alaska. Rather, one was seen in Nebraska March 6-9 hanging out with Sandhill Cranes. It or a different Common Crane was photographed on March 23 in Kansas, about 200 miles south of the Nebraska sighting. It was also in the company of Sandhill Cranes. Maybe this will be our lucky year and we'll spot this Old World species in Fairbanks or Delta during migration. It's happened before, so be watching! Nancy DeWitt P.S. We still have a Townsend's Solitaire visiting our feeder, so I'm guessing there are at least two in town.Subject: Birds From: "Nick Hajdukovich" <upupa_epops200 AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:42:45 -0000 Hey all, Went out birding went birding on Sunday (3/30) around town. At UAF I had a Townsend's Solitaire. It was hanging out in some crab apple bushes near the College Road entry to UAF...by the big electronic temp and time sign. By the airport I had a shrike fly over the car. Then I checked the river and had about 300 mallards (some of which have really weird plumages), and 1 Goldeneye spp. Other then that, not a lot else around. I couldn't find any buntings anywhere, but I guess their here somewhere. I did have a flock of about 150-200 Bohemian Waxwings in my neighborhood (Hamilton Acres). Today I got a report of about 20 Snow Buntings at the airport, on the west side (Pike's Landing) right near the FedEx building and the Bettle's Air building. Spring is in the air! Nick Hajdukovich |