Creamer's Field Barns and Birds

The snow is mostly melted at Creamer's Field, and every time you stop by you see something just a little different.  Across the field from the front viewing area you get a good view of the old dairy barns....

.....but an even better view if you zoom in a bit.

To really appreciate the structure of the old Iowa-style barns you need to get up closer.  This larger of the two barns was built in 1938 and the smaller in 1950.  They were designed by the Louden Machinery Company of Iowa.

Unless you walk around to the side you'll miss seeing the old log barn.  It was built about 1910.

Of course, when  it's springtime in Alaska the migrating waterfowl are the big attraction at Creamer's Field.  Although most of the Trumpeter Swans have already headed further north there are still a few hanging around.




There are hundreds of Canada Geese, but I love seeing the Greater White-fronted Geese with their bright orange legs and lovely feather patterns.

There are quite a few Northern Pintails and of course a lot of Mallards.  I was able to see one Snow Goose way out in the field, and there's also been some gulls.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Sandhill Cranes.  They should start showing up soon.

I'm linking up with Tom at The Barn Collective

and

Eileen's Saturday's Critters.

Migration Time

It's the time of year when the migrating birds start arriving in Fairbanks, most stopping over on their way further north but some staying in the area to nest.  At Creamer's Field on Tuesday there were upwards of 15 or so Trumpeter Swans and at least as many Canada Geese.  I was able to to pick out at least one Northern Pintail.  Of course, there were many Mallards, although many of those had probably overwintered on the Chena River downstream from the power plant where there is open water all winter and feed spread by a few volunteers.  As usual, to begin with they all seem to hang out far back in the field.  That makes it hard to get good photos, at least without ginormous lenses, which I don't have.

Last week the field was plowed in anticipation of the large number of birds that will stop over at Creamer's Field.

We've had unusually warm temps, mostly in the 40s during the day.  Considerable melting has happened this week, creating quite a different scene, especially with the sun shining.

Grain was spread this weekend, and that's all the invitation the birds needed to begin arriving.

Of course, there are other things besides the birds to photograph.  The birch trees and the split rail fences always make for some nice photos.

I'm linking up with Good Fences

at the Run "A" Round Ranch Report.

I will get back to the ice sculptures.  There were some gorgeous Multi Block sculptures that are well worth waiting for.  They may be mostly melted now, but we can enjoy their beauty long after they are gone through the magic of photography.

Creamer's Field Variety

A few shots from the last few days..... 

I'm linking up with Good Fences

at the Run "A" Round Ranch Report.

An Evening at Creamer's Field

Yesterday evening was beautiful at Creamer's Field, even though there were threatening clouds over the hills.

More birds have arrived.  We saw Trumpeter Swans, Sandhill Cranes, Canada Geese, White-fronted Geese, Mallards, American Wigeons, and Northern Pintails.  The ponds close to the fences that were formed by the snow melt are drying out, but there are several ponds further away in the field.  Mostly the birds hang out at those, and even with my zoom lens they aren't as close as I would like.  Consequently I've had to do a bit of cropping.  Even at a distance the sight of a pair of Sandhill Cranes dancing is always exciting.

There was lots of eating, walking around, swimming, and dancing going on.  Oh, and a good deal of gossiping.

The Goose below appears to be amused by the Swan's bottoms-up.

One of the Swans displays its wings as a Northern Pintail walks by.  All the other birds are dwarfed by the Swans and Cranes.

There always seems to be a Canada Goose or two in flight.

I've got to say though that my favorites are the White-fronted Geese.  I love their bright orange legs and beaks.

You can see the relative sizes of the Trumpeter Swan, White-fronted Goose, and American Wigeon in the photo below.

The evening at the field was capped off by a rainbow.

We went to dinner and then on the way home we saw another rainbow, first one end, and then as we came over a hill we saw that it was a full rainbow stretching across the sky.  I'm thinking seeing two rainbows in an evening is lucky, especially when you see the full rainbow.  

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.