On a Lifelong Journey to Learn my Place
Earlier this year, I stumbled upon a paper in an 1898 The Auk that reported on an ornithological trip made to Sitka in the summer of 1896 by Joseph Grinnell. I found it very interesting to read; mostly because it gave me some insight into the birds that were here over 100 years ago (and … Read more
I braved another cold, clear day to look for Redpolls on Alice Island. On the way over it was chilly, but what I didn’t realize was that the trip over was mostly with the wind. That realization was made clear on the rather uncomfortable scooter ride back an hour or so later. Weather: There was … Read more
A local birder reported seeing several Common Redpolls over on Alice Island yesterday. I did not have time to go over there after reading about it, but I did take advantage of some available time this morning to brave the cold weather and look for them. I parked by the school and walked along the … Read more
As far as I know, Snowy Owls do not occur in the Sitka area every winter, but they do seem to occur with some regularity either around town or an outlying area (Kruzof Island or upland muskegs behind town). Last year there had been one spotted on Japonski Island in various locations and, despite several … Read more
We took the birding class over to Alice Island this morning in hopes of finding the Snowy Owl that was seen there yesterday. I went back two other times later in the day, once with Rowan and Connor, the other time by myself a little before sunset. Weather: Clear skies prevailed last night and temperatures … Read more
I’m still working on getting rid of a cold, so I was not too inclined to go for a substantial walk today. Weather: Skies cleared throughout the day. Temperatures in the low 30s. Birds: There were lots of Ravens and a few Eagles around this morning. When I came out of Fraser at one point … Read more