Kite, kite, kite, kite, kite!

What a day.

2 Swallow-tailed Kites and 1 Mississippi Kite have been reported for over a week (Swallow-taileds) and a few days (Miss.) in Campbell County, 2 hours from where I live in Virginia.  They're both life birds I still need.

My dad and I went down today and arrived on site where other birders were including someone I know Brenda Tekin.  They told me exciting news, 2 Mississippi and 2 Swallow-tailed Kites were there.  I immediately saw the swallow-taileds - what a gorgeous bird!  It took a minute for me to find them but I soon saw the distant Mississippis.  After a little while, Broad-winged and Red-tailed Hawks were seen, and a THIRD Mississippi Kite joined the group of already-4 kites.  At one time I had 5 kites, 3 Mississippis and 2 Swallow-tails in the same binocular view!  A WOW moment!

Possible hurricane coming into the area next week.  Storm-blown vagrants??  Hopefully!

Until later

KestrelSwan

In the best shape possible

Here's an update on how I'm doing on my Junior Big Year:

P E R F E C T!  Before Alaska I would have said pretty good but not great.  I had got a few less year birds than hoped on the Ontario trip, and if Alaska and Arizona also were not great for year bird count I may not reach my goal of 375 at year's end but I thought I would.  In Alaska I got 38 year birds and my goal was 20-30 and my guess was 25.  Now I'm at 359 bird species for the year and 375 is going to be as easy as pie!  400 I would not say is my new "goal" (because if I don't get that I'm PERFECTLY HAPPY with just what I have now 359 given my original goal was 350) but it is a number that is my highest vision and that I'd work towards.  Anything between 375 and 400 is totally great with me though.

Tomorrow I make a 4 hour round trip to try and find a Swallow-tailed Kite that's been hanging around south of Lynchburg Virginia.  That would be a life raptor, super exciting bird number 360 for the year and raptors are undoubtly my favorite birds.

KestrelSwan

Denali Highway

I just got back to my home in Virginia so I can't do a detailed post but I can do a basic post and will post in more detail later.

For the last part of the great Alaska adventure, we spent a few days on the Denali Highway which is a dirt road runs 130 miles connecting 2 small towns, Cantwell and Paxson.  We stayed at Denali Highway Tours and Cabins, 42 miles from Paxson at a couple's place who are serious dog sledders.  They are building a house and I got to sit up on the hill in what will be either their living room or kitchen for hours and watch with my spotting scope moose and caribou.  It was amazing.  On the Denali Highway I added 3 life birds, Lapland Longspur, Gyrfalcon, and Glaucous Gull.  We got to spend 15 minutes watching the gyr hunt and pester other birds.  Amazing, more info to come.

South of Paxson on the way back to Anchorage not on the Denali Highway, I spotted several Swainson's Hawks, a life bird.

And I got home to exciting news - 2 Swallow-tailed Kites are hanging around just 2 hours from where I live!  Saturday I'll make the run for them.

KestrelSwan

Days twelve and and thirteen of Alaska trip - The Denali experience

We planned to take the bus into Denali National Park for three days, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Yesterday we went in 25 out of the 90 miles into the park and just got an idea of how the bus system works and get an idea on where to hike.  We were fortunate to be able to meet Alan, the park's bird expert.  I told him some of my target birds like Lapland Longspur, Rock Ptarmigan, and White-tailed Ptarmigan and he said the hike to do was Stony Dome.  For Long-tailed Jeager he said Sable Pass.  We did Sable Pass yesterday but no jeager, there was a nice Golden Eagle there though but not a year bird.

Today my dad and I hiked Stony Dome but it was too steep that we couldn't make it to the summit.  We made it about half way up and on that part of it we got terrific looks at one of my target life birds for the hike - Rock Ptarmigan.  We saw lots of awesome wildlife in Denali today - caribou with babies, grizzly bears (10), moose (bull and cow with calf), red foxes, dall sheep, and more.  This evening while hiking on this property I came across one of my most wanted life birds - the Pine Grosbeak.

Awesome day!

Day eleven of Alaska trip - Welcome to Denali, I would say!

Wow - what an amazing day today has been.  Grizzly Bear and cub, 2 Moose and what amazing birds...

We planned to hike a 5 mile loop called the Byers Lake Loop Trail in Denali State Park and we did the first part of the trail (the sign said a mile but it didn't seem like a mile, it seemed like 1.5 to 2 miles!) but then there was a bridge that was WAY too dicey to cross.  The hike was well worth it though even though we couldn't do the loop as on the way to the bridge we came across a pair of Willow Ptarmigan on the trail and got to have amazing encounter with them, following them down the trail.  Life bird!  We drove another approx. 50 miles on the way to our hotel near Denali National Park and we stopped to look for bears and I found a mother grizzly with a cub.  Just down the road from there my dad and I spotted a bird struggling along side of the road and my first thought just as we drove by was "maybe Saw-whet Owl".  I thought that only because it's the only smallish northern owl I am familiar with.  We pulled over and walked back.  It was a bitter/sweet thing because what we found was a Northern Hawk-Owl (a life bird for me) but unfortunately it had been hit and was unable to fly.  Fortunately only the wing appeared to be hurt and the bird was in overall good condition.  We thought about what to do but my dad and I saw that the only way the bird would have a chance it living is if we took it and tried to find a raptor rehabber.  We threw a pillow case over top of it and put it in my lap and we headed north with it.  Fortunately just a few miles up the road was Centwall, a small town where maybe a wildlife rehabber was.  We asked around but no luck except for a vet which wasn't there and in all odds would not take an owl.  30 miles up the road was the town of Denali and the entrance to the national park.  Perhaps there'd be a rehabber there.  We asked around and we came close several times but the only rehabber we could find out about was way back down in Anchorage, 4 hours away and a place we were not able to get to.  We were ready to let it go back into the wild and let it die and let nature take it's course.  But there was one more outdoor store to try.  Maybe there'd be a rehabber contact there.  BINGO!  The worker there was ever so helpful and there was a bird expert giving a bird talk in Cantwell that could take the bird.  Thrilled, rapped in our pillowcase we left the Northern Hawk-Owl with Darrin, the guy at the outdoor store and the bird expert's friend was going to come pick it up and it would be fed and cared for for a short while by her and by week's end would be taken to the bird rehab center in Anchorage.  YEAH!!!!!!!  YEAH!!!!!!!!

Happy that our owl was in good hands, we drove 20 more miles to our cabin where we are now.  Guess what?  While birding around the cabin I saw some warblers in a tree and got terrific looks at ARCTIC WARBLERS (2)! One of my most wanted Denali life birds.

What a way to be welcomed to Denali...

KestrelSwan

Off to Denali

This morning I'm heading north form Anchorage to the Denali area for a week so I may or may not be able to blog until I'm back here in Anchorage.

Day ten of Alaska trip - 350!

Drum roll, drum roll, drum roll please!  Drum roll, drum roll!  Today I hit a major milestone for my big year - 350 species for the year!

I had heard of a Sabine's Gull hanging around near Homer so I went to look for it but the road was too rough we couldn't get to the location.  But near there I did spot an immature Northern Shrike - a year bird and a very exciting one, number 350!

Now that I've reached 350 it's time for an update on how I feel my Junior Big Year is going.  I say it couldn't be better!  I was right on track before I left for Alaska but needed things to keep clicking in order for me to get to 375, my goal at year's end as I was only at 321 species when I left for Alaska.  And boy oh boy - have things ever clicked!  My goal was 20-30 year birds for the whole trip I'm now at 29 year birds so far this trip, and I'm only half way through the trip!  Wow.  I WILL get 375 NO PROBLEM and will be pushing up on 400.

KestrelSwan