Dark-eyed Juncos in the North

Many of you may call this little bird a snowbird, but here in Alaska it is a bird of summer. The Junco that visits us is the slated-colored subspecies. There are some places where the Junco is a year-round bird, but those that migrate fly up into Canada and Alaska to breed. They have just arrived in town and I saw the first one on Sunday. Since then there have been many in my yard, all busily feeding and gearing up for nest building.

This bird was busily cleaning up the seeds that were scattered on the ground by our resident Chickadees and Redpolls when they came to the feeders all winter. He seemed unconcerned that I was so close to him.

He was very hungry after his long flight north and had some catching up to do.

Another bird was busy in the trees at the back of the yard.

You can tell it's a Junco when you see the white feathers on his tail as he flies away.

Last summer I saw the Juncos flying under our deck quite a bit and I suspect they might have had a nest under there. There is about six inches of space between the deck and the ground, plenty enough for them to fly in and out. Last August I posted some shots of some young birds as they were getting ready to migrate south. You can see those by clicking here and here. The Junco is a fairly common bird, but I think it is a little beauty.

Swans & Cranes & Wigeons & .....

Yesterday I spent some time at Creamer's Field again. I stopped by the main fields in the afternoon and then again in the evening. There are still lots of Canada Geese, along with Greater White-fronted Geese, Northern Pintails and Mallards. There was a pair of swans there again, and they were joined by some Sandhill Cranes, American Wigeons, and what I believe are Canvasbacks. The Swans were near the front fence in the evening. By the way, iron-rich water often stains the heads of Swans, and that is the color you see on the head of the Swan in front.

Several of these photos are cropped quite a bit because the ponds are a ways out in the field. I liked the framing of the tiny Wigeons by the neck of the Swan in the photo below.

And another shot of the Wigeons and a Swan.

Here's a little closer view of the Wigeons. Again, this is a cropped image, so not as sharp as I would like. Our snowfall was very low this year and consequently there are less ponds at the Field. Last year there was a good-sized pond right next to the front fence, and I got some better shots of the Wigeons then. Click here to see those.

The shot below has several different birds in it. Of course Swans and Canada Geese, but there are also Wigeons, Mallards, and a Pintail. That is one of the most interesting things to see at Creamer's. A huge variety of waterfowl mingle together and wander around the field.

In the afternoon I also saw six Sandhill Cranes. They were a ways out in the field, so no closeup shots.

The photo below is of what I think are Canvasbacks. The pond is not close enough to the fence! My lens is not big enough! Even with my lens going up to 300mm, I wasn't able to get a clear shot.

More to come from Creamer's Field.

Sunday Walk at Creamer's Field

Sunday we went to Creamer's Field again. We were hoping to see some Sandhill Cranes. There were 11 reported at the Field on Friday morning, but when we there we didn't see any. We walked into the back fields on the Seasonal Wetland Trail. Spring snow melt forms ponds, but this year we had very low snowfall. The ponds were almost dry. The photo below is from the bridge that is along this trail.When we were walking back along the trail I took a photo of the old dairy barn from the back side. To the left you can see the old farmhouse.

We then took the Taiga Forest Trail that wanders through the woods. Quite a bit of the trail is on boardwalk because it is often very wet, especially in the spring.

Through the forest you can hear the little songbirds, and I managed to capture one of our resident Chickadees.

I also saw my first Junco of the year.

The trees are still bare, although buds are formed and preparing to pop open. The sun was shining brightly, and the bark of the birch trees was aglow with light.

A Raven or two flew overhead and birdsong was in the air, but there still wasn't much activity in the woods. Even so, it was a beautiful walk.

We went back to the front field and watched the activity there for a while. There were Mallards and one of my favorites, Greater White-fronted Geese. Their bright orange legs and beaks make them easy to identify.

There were quite a few of the lovely Northern Pintail.

Of course the Canada Goose was still the predominant bird. They are a common bird, but they are very entertaining to watch as they socialize in the field. There are often quite vocal and active discussions. There are many challenges.

But that's a story for another day. When we got home, there was a pair of Juncos in our backyard, and this morning we saw a pair of Robins and many more Juncos. They timed their arrival perfectly, because the insects also arrived this afternoon in big numbers. We are still waiting for things to green up, but Spring is here.

Trumpeter Swans, A Thing of Beauty

Creamer's Field has been getting very busy. There have been about 1000 Canada Geese hanging around the field, as well as Pintails, Mallards, White-fronted Geese, and Snow Geese. A few Sandhill Cranes have been reported, but so far I have not seen any. Wigeons and Shovelers have also been seen. Very noticeable now are several Trumpeter Swans. There is nothing quite as beautiful as a swan swimming around, unless it's two swans.They are also quite beautiful when they are flying. I was surprised the other night when a pair came in for a landing at the field. It sounded for all the world as if some kid was playing his trumpet. I had never been fortunate enough to see and hear a landing before, and they do not come in quietly.

Yesterday when I went back I saw a pair come in for a landing again. I don't know if it's the same pair or not. They circled around the barn before landing in the field.

The sun reflecting off their wings was quite beautiful.

As they came in close to the ground and put their feet down for the landing, they suddenly looked just a bit awkward.

They immediately began walking around the field and scooping up the grain that had been spread out, commenting occasionally with their trumpet-like voices.

They still looked beautiful, but there was not the grace that you see when they are in the water. They look huge compared to the Canada Geese that were all around them.

They made their way over to the pond, and did a little preening on the way.

Their wingspread is quite impressive.

They are the largest of North American waterfowl. Their wingspan is almost 80 inches. They can live for 24 years, and mate for life. They were hunted for their feathers to near extinction by the early 20th century, but they have made a comeback and are quite common now. You can hear their sound by clicking here. For a look at a post I did last year when the swans arrived at Creamer's Field, click here.

One Year Old

This week my granddaughter Sydney had her first birthday. Of course, she really didn't know what was going on, but we wanted her to have a special cake. Her opinion of cake is not too certain. I think she needs to think about it for a while. Her Auntie Teresa and I made the cake. When my kids were little I always made special cakes for them. This time Teresa took charge of the decorating, and I baked the cake and made the frosting. We started out to make a small Pooh Bear cake, but Teresa thought we needed to add Piglet.

Here's what we ended up with. Sydney liked Pooh Bear and wanted to touch him.

She poked and prodded and licked her fingers. Pooh finally fell over. I think she liked it.

We choose a bear for Sydney's cake because when her mama and her auntie were one-year-old I made them bear cakes. We have made bear cakes a couple of times since then to celebrate their birthdays. Below is Sydney's mom Kit and her auntie Teresa on their first birthday.

Their cakes were a larger size and different colors, but the same style. The photo of course is scanned and not as good a quality, but it still is a special photo for me. There is nothing quite as much fun as a baby's first birthday.

Today at Creamer's Field

Goose Color Variation

More and more birds are arriving at Creamer's Field every day. It is still predominantly Canada Geese, with 300+ resting at the Field. There are also a few Trumpeter Swans, Greater White-fronted Geese, and Canvasback. It is interesting to watch the gathering and social interactions. I mentioned previously that they reminded me of a crowd of people gathered at an airport, waiting for their flight. They wander around, feeding on the grain that has been spread out, splashing in the water, and making a great deal of noise. Every so often several birds will take off and fly around and then come in for a landing. The photo below looks like the goose on the left is speaking to a crowd of listeners. I wonder if they agree with what he has to say. Yesterday before I went to Creamer's I looked at the website of the Alaska Bird Observatory. They have a list of bird sightings and it showed that a leucistic Canada Goose had been sighted on the 12th. When I got to the Field I was pleased to see that the leucistic goose was still there. She was wandering around with her mate, and I was able to get several photos of her. Aren't Pearl and Edgar a handsome couple?

I did a little research on leucistic birds, and they are birds that have white pigmentation in areas that would normally be colored. They are not albino, and they can have areas with normal colors, as you can see with Pearl.

When she spread her wings, there was quite a bit more color showing.

The photo below shows another Canada Goose with its wings spread for a comparison. You can see its wings are quite a bit darker. There are normal color variations and some geese are lighter and some are darker, but Pearl really stood out in the field with all the other darker geese.

Canada Geese mate for life, and as they walk around the field you will see the majority of them paired off. I had to laugh when I looked at the series of photos when Pearl had spread her wings. As she folded her wings, another goose was behind her, looking like he was ogling her. Edgar had a bit to say, and it looked like "Back off, Buddy. She's mine!" Don't you just love the tongue action?

Edgar clearly was protecting his territory, and, after all, with her distinctive coloration Pearl was quite a catch. Who could blame that other goose, and it seemed that Pearl was flipping her wings a little flirtatiously.

The other goose moved on, and all was at peace once again, and Pearl and Edgar continued to puddle through the water, enjoying the nice day.

Over the next few weeks many more migratory birds will be passing through Fairbanks. Before I got my zoom lens, I really only noticed the Canada Geese and the Sandhill Cranes as they came through. However, there are many more birds to see, and I am learning more all the time about the different varieties. The Alaska Bird Observatory has a series of workshops on "Birds of the Boreal" that focus on the identification and natural history of birds that are commonly found in interior Alaska. I have signed up for the series, and the first is Wednesday. It will cover resident and early migrants. I'm sure I'll learn a lot!