CBC Flamingo

Conditions weren’t great for taking pictures on this Christmas Bird Count day. I ended up walking most of the neighborhoods between Halibut Point Road and Katlian Street (excluding only the Seward and Observatory Street neighborhoods along with downtown) in addition to Heart Lake to Thimbleberry Lake. My best sighting of the day was Lincoln’s Sparrows … Read more

No Thorofare Bay and More

Christmas Bird Count was held today in Sitka. After a quick morning trip through Totem Park, I was able to spend the bulk of the day birding by skiff in the bays south of town. Of particular note was my first trip into No Thorofare Bay – a body of water, which as the name implies, is difficult to access due to a very narrow opening. The relatively large opening behind the narrow entrance means a lot of water flows in and out with the tides, but we had good timing and had little trouble getting in and out just after high tide.

Highlights in the bay included 40 Red-breasted Mergansers and a Pied-billed Grebe. The water was exceptionally clear making it relatively easy to see the bottom below, especially in the shallower sections. It was fascinating to see the different looking marine flora and fauna that lives in the areas of high tidal currents.

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Daily Observations

Sunday (Photos) It was Christmas Bird Count day, so I hiked up Mt. Verstovia to Peak 2550, down into the bowl and finally into Indian River Valley. Weather: Light snow was falling when I started this morning, it continued through morning, but had stopped by the time I got down into the river valley. Graupel … Read more

Christmas Bird Count in Sitka

Christmas Bird Count Sitka Count Circle (Larger Version) The Sitka count circle was established for the 1975 count year (Winter of 1974-1975). With the exception of the 1980 and 1981 count years, there has been a count every year since that time. This will be my third year participating. The satellite image with count circle … Read more