Merlin’s Catch

Overcast and breezy with some occasional scattered rain over town, though it looked like rain was more consistent and heavy more to the west (based on the radar). The weather seemed much better than the forecast would have led me to believe. I don’t think it was wrong in general, it’s just that the rain … Read more

Recent Dark-mantled Gulls

I am someone who is interested in knowing and keeping track of what shows up in Sitka. Gulls can be abundant around town during some times of year. Thousands often loaf along the tide flats, work the salmon streams, or pick scraps from the fishing industry. The vast majority of gulls we see here are … Read more

Offshore Birding

Today was sunny and warm, but cooler than past couple of days. Perhaps this was due in part to the off and on marine layer. I was up early (for me) to get down to the harbor for a planned pelagic trip with A Whale’s Song Expeditions. The sun was shining over town, but I … Read more

Kiss of Death – A Halloween Birding Story

Fair warning – while there’s no blood and gore, these photos depict the darkly intimate, intense, and violent end to a Magnolia Warbler’s life in the talons of a Northern Pygmy-Owl. I thought about writing more of a narrative, but in the end have decided to let the photos tell most of the story. (For … Read more

Cooperative Creeper

After getting the report of a Virginia Rail at Swan Lake, I decided to take Connor and Rowan down there to look around.  We had the lake mostly to ourselvesas we walked to the upper end to check out the marshy area where the bird had been released (apparently unharmed) after being captured by a … Read more