January 20, 2007
Quite a cold snap two weeks ago, with temperatures here at home hovering -25 to -33. Dogs were miserable, and we had multiple systems failure. But even worse, Fred’s ran out of Woodpecker Seed!!! We tried various substitutes, but the birds don’t like anything as well as their Woodpecker Seed. The Pine Grosbeaks ended up leaving, though I (Sine) saw five about 2 miles south on Old Nenana last week. Once we started getting the right seed again, the Grosbeaks returned. Now there are about three dozen small birds out there—a handful of Chickadees, Boreal and Black-Capped, and the rest seem to be Hoary and Common Redpolls. A male Hairy Woodpecker is an occasional sighting, though we suspect he is a daily regular while we’re at work.
The temp has warmed up and this week it has been around zero to ten above. Nice weather, snowing nearly all the time with fine, light flakes. The feeder needs to be filled once a day, but the birds only empty out ½ to 2/3 this last week. Just a few days ago they emptied it more than once a day, and we commonly filled it twice a day just to keep up. Must be the warmer weather so that they can find other food besides our feeder.
We have a very aggressive moose who ate my ice candles (booo!) and hissed at us once when she was standing in front of our door on the porch. She often is spotted sleeping and/or lying under the bird seed vacuuming up seeds. We have an occasional fox visitor, but we’ve slowed down leaving treats on the buffet table because of our moose issues.
We take the dogs for a walk every day, sometimes more than once a day. Borys is teething, and we have collected five baby teeth. Her appetite is affected, and her digestive system, and there are nights when Kayt (and me) have to get up 5-6 times in the night to let her out. We will be glad when she is an adult, but I know we will miss the exuberance of puppyhood once it’s done. Last Saturday Borealys learned how to fetch Frisbees, and lost another tooth in the process. All of a sudden she just seemed to “get it”, whereas in the past, she has watched Ursa, or even chased Ursa, but refused to put her mouth on the Frisbee. We’re pretty excited about having another good Frisbee dog, and Kayt is looking forward to showing her off at the Ester 4th of July picnic this summer.
Just got back from an hour-long walk in the valley with Borealys and Ursa. Borealys has never walked that far from home before, and Ursa was having a good time showing her how to be a trail dog. They would run far ahead of me, and then come charging back. At the beginning, Ursa was always the lead dog in the charge back to MamaSine, but near the end of our walk, Borealys was playing lead dog role. We had lots of fun, and Ursa and I are exhausted. Borys, though, is ready for more action.
February 25, 2007
Kayt is upstairs doing a job application, and I’ve been helping. It’s cold again. Been in the minus -20s and -30s here at our house, and even colder in town. Cecile says that it’s only -10 to -15 at her house; quite a difference even though we’re so close to her. About 3 dozen birds out at the feeder. We have both a male and female Hairy Woodpecker, and yesterday he fed on seeds while she fed on suet at the same time. He’s really plump or fluffed out, and Kayt was sure he was pregnant with eggs back before the light returned. Seems likely that he’s just fluffy, but he is much plumper looking than the female. Kayt counted 9 Pine Grosbeaks two weeks ago, and our fox has been a continual presence this weekend. Borys didn’t eat her breakfast yesterday, so Kayt took it out for the fox. We think she is the one who got it, because the buffet table was cleaned off about an hour later. We fill the feeder once a day now, and they empty it out before dusk.
April 7, 2007
Kayt is in Chicago at the MSS meetings presenting her Transforming Survival into Resistance Paper. Sine at home alone with the dogs. Yesterday, it warmed up significantly in the 50s, and the snow melted enough to scoop the deck. Borys was thrilled and couldn’t believe the sights and smells associated with spring. We sat outside for an hour in the sun, and then in the evening built a fire and mused, but she was afraid of the deck. But today, she loves going on and off the porch—on the right side nearest the ground, the steps are still scary. I read and worked on the porch for a few hours this afternoon, and she and Ursa grooved on the deck. Mostly Ursa and I grooved, and the puppy sniffed and scooped snow with her nose. She found an old frozen chew-chew and thought she was queen of the world. The redpolls seem to have disappeared; we lost them two weeks ago when Fred’s ran out of woodpecker seed. But our Hairy Woodpecker couple is still around, and lots of Chickadees and Boreal Chickadees and at least one Pine Grosbeak pair. We have two seed feeders, and fill them once a day or so. It’s light when we get up (5:30AM with the puppy) and light when we go to bed (11:00PM). We hear Great Horned Owls, mostly in the valley and to the north. Three squirrel regulars at the feeders.
August 2, 2007
Summer quickly slipped by. Borealys will be a year old on August 16. Shy, beautiful, mostly a good dog with a few quirks to be worked out. She got over her collar “thing”, and her car “thing”, and her leash “thing”. Now she has a “thing” about the truck, won’t ALWAYS come when called, though usually she will. She is afraid of deep water, but loves to wade and to chase Ursa chasing sticks in the water. Sits reliably, fetches balls inside, catches reliably inside or out. Has not yet figured out that to play Frisbee, one has to fetch it back to the person instead of chewing it to smithereens. We took the dogs to drive on Standard Creek Road last weekend for Kayt’s 55th birthday. The full adventure is best told by Kayt. Borealys seemed to learn to swim; she had only waded before, and got dunked and frightened by the water. But the next day she seemed to have forgotten. SA saw a Sandhill Crane where they were swimming a couple of days earlier. We all saw a snowshoe hare, gray summer colors, with HUGE feet. We have a male moose hanging out at in the neighborhood, and Wilson says he’s gonna be dinner if he’s still here come hunting season. Have not seen anything of the aggressive female moose of last year. Hopefully, she has moved on to other territory. Borealys rolled in moose poop, the slimy wet kind, and got a 10:00 PM bath the other night. SA is anxious to see stars and goes out every night as late as she can and scans the heavens. Still light most of the time, though twilight is getting deeper and longer. Put up a chickadee and woodpecker box. Thought they would be cruisable all winter, and then available for nesting in spring. Garden is doing well; lots of rain this summer. Moose fence seems to be holding! A squirrel broke the rope holding up the feeders, so we have not fed birds all summer. The chickadees are cruising them today, and have been munching on the old suet. Looks like it’s time to get the feeders back in operation. Melanie moved into Owl Cabin two weeks ago, and saw a moose her first night. Weather is cool, few mosquitoes but lots of no-see-ums, and rain most every day or so.
August 3, 2007
First star 12:20 AM this morning; this evening, two owls calling.
August 31, 2007
First aurora borealis. Didn’t look like much at 11:00, but as soon as Kayt got outside, it blossomed into quite the show.
September 2, 2007
Downy Woodpecker on the suet feeder! Looks like a male. Kayt spotted it. First we have seen here at Sunana.
September, 2007
So. Kayt and I were sitting in the living room in early evening, still light out, but getting towards dusk. Suddenly, there were two bull moose in our back yard, sparring. They were jostling their antlers, and strutting around rubbing their antlers on trees. Later, we saw huge scrape marks on the trees where they had been rubbing their antlers, and one of them pulled the bird box off the tree. The two boys were having quite the time, play charging, and stomping around, and clacking their antlers. One was quite a bit smaller than the other, and he finally left the party and slunk off into the woods to the west of the house. Big Pretty Boy realized he had won this fight, and strutted over past the garden and up the driveway. He was king of the woods, at the top of his game. He had won his big fight. He was something to see. We were taking videos of him as he strutted his stuff and cockwalked up the driveway to the road. A truck went by, and suddenly, sixty seconds later, two gunshots rang out through the woods. Big Pretty Boy strutted his last walk.
We have struggled with this, and we were pretty angry at our neighbor for killing the moose. We finally found some peace with this because Big Pretty Boy had been at the top of his game, had been King, when he passed from this life. And he went for a good cause—our neighbor is feeding many children, and it was an easy kill. But he was shooting in our direction, and all of us were out in the yard, and that was scary.
September 14, 2007
Downy Woodpecker at the feeder—suet is his favorite. Has a tiny red nape; Kayt thinks she has seen a female also. And definitely a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers. The puppy is now a year old (as of August 16), and it’s a lovely fall. Warm, with no frost yet. The leaves are falling like rain today, and it seems just last week that we saw the first hints of yellow in the trees.
October 6, 2007
One morning this past week a Hawk Owl visited our yard. It first perched somewhere need the feeder, then swooped past the window on its way to the garden to catch a vole. Then it landed on the garden fence and flapped its wings while holding the (dead) vole in its talon. After a minute or so, it flew to a top of a broken off tree and seemed to stash the vole there. As soon as it left on some errand, a Chickadee went over to see what had been stashed there! It came back, perched on the top of the woodpecker nest box, ate its vole and perched in a birch for a nap. Sine took the dogs for a walk, and when we came back, noticed the screeching and flapping of a pair of Gray Jays. As it turns out, they had spotted the nesting Hawk Owl and were dive-bombing it and mobbing it! No rest for the weary Owl! Today is our first real snow. About 2” so far, and still coming down. The feeders are busy with a female Hairy Woodpecker, male Downey Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadees, Gray Jays, Black-Capped Chickadees. A Dark-Eyed Junco is still here, flitting around and around. The puppy, now a little over a year old, thinks snow is wonderful.
October 7, 2007
A female Pine Grosbeak landed on the feeder bar, but didn’t dine. She flew off pretty quickly. There was a female fox under the feeder this morning, driving the dogs crazy. And us crazy, with the barking . A female Downy Woodpecker ate on the suet in the window, so for sure we have a pair. And Kayt thinks the Hairy Woodpecker that was out on the far feeder was a male, so looks like we still have that pair, too. Gray Jays galore, and what seems to be a solitary Raven. It snowed for about 36 hours, and our total accumulation looks like 2-3 inches. Still warm—just in the 20s—but the birds, fox, and squirrels are feasting up for winter! Last week we heard a flock of something flying overhead just at dusk. Spooked the puppy, who was on the deck with Sine. I called Kayt out, and we couldn’t exactly figure out what they were. Not Canada Geese, but not so sure they were Sandhill Cranes, either. They left several weeks ago. Different from what we thought were the Trumpeter Swans last year when Linda was visiting.
October 20, 2007
Got lots of snow the last day or so while Sine was down in Juneau giving her Evening at Eagan lecture (which I got to attend via webstreaming from the UAS cable TV & webstreaming programming! Sine and Nicole were great!) Last night driving home I saw a fox cross the road on Parks. Looked larger but not as plump and beautifully furred as the on that visits here under our bird feeder. A female downy woodpecker was out eating on the wooden (and now wire) suet feeder outside the window (only one suet out there, the other suet feeder outside the window was open again and the ones out between the trees had been eaten all up). The chickadees were on the porch flitting around on the tree roots we’ve got displayed out there and making lots of noise to let me know that their feeders were empty so I went out and filled up all of the feeders. Soon a female Hairy woodpecker came for lunch, and a trio of gray jays and lots of chickadees. Now there is a squirrel out there eating on the cedar and wire feeder. So far it doesn’t seem to be destroying anything so I’m going to keep an eye on it but let it eat. I want to see if it is the one that opens the other suet feeder. If it starts causing any trouble I will chase it off. Oh, now a gray jay is flying by close trying to intimidate the squirrel. So far the gray jay is having no luck. Ohhhh, glad I am still watching! A male grosbeak just showed up. It really looks beautiful up there in the snowy tree. Now it is down on the snow under the feeders picking up seeds that have fallen. The squirrel is still on the suet eating. Now it just jumped off and dive bombed into the window ledge right where Otto was watching. Quite the excitement. The dogs had to come over to woof and protect us all. Now the squirrel is back and Otto has quite the observation spot, right at the window. Otto doesn’t seem to get all excited and chatter like Sunny & Sadie. He is just watching. If Sine’s flight is on time she should be taking off from Juneau about now. Guess I’ll get online to see if Alaska Air is on time. The male downy woodpecker came to partake of the new suet. The squirrel is finally done eating for now, I believe. The grosbeak has made more visits. And now a boreal chickadee is out on the new suet I put out. Quite a carnival out there today. Now the female downy is back! On the new suet. The sun has come out and now there is a female downy on the wooden suet feeder (looks bigger than the other one, could it be that we have two female downy woodpeckers and at least one male?) and a couple of boreal chickadees on the springing suet feeder. After my bath I’m back bird watching. and see another downy on the springing feeder. Couldn’t tell if it was male or female though. Female grosbeak out in the tree now, and a boreal chickadee on the springing bird feeder.
October 30, 2007
Cool sightings today, a momentous day as it is Sine’s Peer Unit Promotion & Tenure Review day. Sine went in earlier than I, and I was still here at home so took the dogs for a walk and we’d just gotten back when I was looking out the kitchen window and saw the fox out under the bird feeders. Saw the fox come in and circle around the birdfeeders so that it was facing the house and the windows to eat. The fox was eating when a BIG bird flew over and landed in one of the trees beyond the bird feeder. I didn’t know what the bird was, except the it was BIG. I got out the binoculars so that I could see it better and realized that it was some sort of hawk. When I got out the binoculars Ursa realized something was up and went over to the window to see what I was looking at. Ursa and Borealys saw the fox then, so had to bark and bark, and bark. The hawk moved from tree to tree watching the fox, I think. Then, I think, got tired of all of the barking and flew further into the woods, and then away. I got enough time watching it to figure out that it was a Northern Goshawk. Pretty cool to see.
Really was striking looking, and more the blue gray and white colors that show up in the picture above with the goshawk flying. As I said, the Goshawk left, then after awhile the fox left too. I had to get to town to teach Ross’s class, so was getting ready to head in. The fox came back, but I couldn’t wait any longer to leave, so went right out with the fox there under the birdfeeder. The fox watched me while I unplugged the car and wrapped up the cord, then stepped back behind the birdfeeders and sat down and watched me leave. I imagine it went back to eating after I was out of the driveway.
Here is some more information about the Goshawk:
“The northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is the largest North American member of the genus Accipiter, or "true hawks." An adult goshawk is 21-26 inches long with a wing span of 40-46 inches. Females are usually larger than males. Its wings and back are blue-gray and its underparts are white with fine black barring. The undertail coverts are white and fluffy, and quite noticeable in the field. The top of its head, called the crown, is dark and separated from the blue-gray back by a white eyebrow that flares behind its deep red eye.”
November 2, 2007
Sine saw a big bird swoop past as she was sitting on the couch reading tonight. She figures it must have been an owl, since it is pitch black out there. Probably no other birds out flying this time of night.
December 26, 2007.
Sine got up in the morning and said, huh. Kayt, still upstairs, said what? And Sine said, oh, only two bull moose sparring in our yard! They heard us, and slipped away into the woods. Quite the sighting, as we have only rarely seen bulls, much less bulls sparring in our yard.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Wildlife sightings 2006
March 16
Mama moose and Hank (young male) ripped up birdfeeders and scared the bejesus out of Kayt and me. We took down what was left of the birdfeeders and purchased another tube feeder and suspended them in birches on the edge of the yard. The black-capped chickadees found the new location before we finished stringing it up, and the boreal chickadees also moved quickly. They swoop in and out from the suet, still in the window, and visit the feeders.
March 19
Kayt saw what she thinks may have been the female Hairy Woodpecker on the new feeder location. She’s been a frequent suet and seed feeder visitor this year. We’ve seen only three Redpolls this year—quite a contrast to the last two years when they were frequent large flocks of them this time of year.
March 26, 2006
Kayt spotted a male Pine Grosbeak on the ground under the feeder, and promptly went out to fill up the feeders and to spread sunflower seeds underneath. In the evenings these last few weeks we hear Boreal Owls and up to three Great Horned Owls. Two nights ago, we heard what we think is a juvenile Great Horned Owl, as it seemed to stutter in its answer to the two adults. All seemed located in a triangle, with us in the center.
April 1, 2006
Pine Grosbeak pair hanging out and eating under the feeder. They stayed under the feeder for quite a while, then went to the big tree root pile beyond (and between the two trees that the feeders are suspended from, from the view we've got out the livingroom window) and picked up little pieces of dirt (to help in digestion I found out when I read Stan's Wisconsin Bird Guide). They also took little baths in the snow covering some of the tree roots (also something Stan talks about). The Pine Grosbeaks sure are beautiful birds. So glad that they have come to feed under our feeders.
Oh, cool, a female Hairy Woodpecker is out eating under the feeders now. I heard a lot of talk out there, so looked out and there she was. I'm so glad that she announces herself so that we get good sightings of her. I love to see the birds that are distinguishable as male or female. Especially the Grosbeaks that are so very beautiful. A squirrel is out there now, trying to find something good left on the ground. Sunny is in the window watching.
Lots more bird and squirrel activity all day. Ravens calling, more visits from both Pine Grosbeaks and from just the male, some Gray Jays, and the usual chickadees.
The past few nights there has been lots of owl activity. In fact last night the boreal was so loud (must have been really close) we could hear it from inside the house. Boreal and Great Horned calling last night.
April 5, 2006
AM, about 8:00, seemed to be the signal for birds to come munch at the feeder. First the male, then the female Pine Grosbeak came to eat under the feeder. They were joined by two Gray Jays, multiple Black Capped Chickadees and Boreal Chickadees, the female Hairy Woodpecker, and at least three squirrels. Lots of activity out there! We haven’t heard owls at night for nearly a week; it’s really light even at 10:00 PM, so perhaps they just aren’t out yet.
April 8, 2006
We sat on the deck to enjoy the sunlight. Still about four feet of snow on the ground, and it will snow all week (we didn’t know that yet). It was cool, but quite comfortable on the porch in the snow with the house behind us. A butterfly came by—the next day Sine looked it up online, and we think it was a Hoary Comma. Since it has been cold and snowy since, we worry about what happened to it. But the online reference said that the adults over-winter, so perhaps it just found a nice place to hang out until the sun returns.
April 10, 2006
The Pine Grosbeak pair continues to hang out and eat under the feeders. The male seems protective of the female, and scouts out the site before she flits in to eat. Still lots of Chickadees of both persuasions, and the female Hairy Woodpecker is a daily visitor. It warmed up to 40 and 50, then has been snowing off an on for days, though it melts quickly. Still have quite a bit of snow on the ground. We saw a Red Fox at the pond in Ester last week. Watched it cross the road, really wary of both us and the road, it seemed. This evening, a male Junco appeared on the deck, and flew back and forth carrying on its business.
April 11, 2006
Ursa scared a flock of Spruce Grouse as they were picking up little pieces of gravel in the driveway this morning. No sign of Redpolls in days.
April 13, 2006
Most exciting sighting in years. Snow Buntings! Last evening, I sat on the porch for awhile and noticed the sweetest warbling among the trees. There seemed to be at least three of these new birdsongs, but I didn’t see the singers. Then tonight, when I arrived home, four of them were feasting on the ground around the log buffet table. They all moved to under the seed feeder until they flew away when I came out to put out more seed. They are stunningly beautiful—pure white with black backs and wing tips, and a bit of rust on their heads and breasts. Since there are four, I assume they are two pairs, but can’t tell them apart. Chubby little birds, definitely in their white stage. Still have loads of snow, and the ground is covered 100%.
April 14, 2006
Snow Buntings still here. One seems aggressive and chases the others, and they are wary of squirrels. Another male Junco is out there, bringing our total, it seems, to two. This evening when I brought Kayt home from the airport, the four Snow Buntings flew away from the buffet table, so she got to see them briefly. Then—another cool sighting—late evening, still quite light outside, Kayt saw a Red Fox in the back yard. It moved swiftly along the path just on the edge of the woods, slipped behind the buffet table and glided deep into the woods.
April 15, 2006
The Snow Buntings walk and hop to get around, more than they fly. They also seem to nestle into the snow and just sit for long periods. Grooving in the sun, it seems, as they face the sun while they are roosting. Sun-roosting, perhaps. Kayt worked outside digging the greenhouse out from about four feet of snow, and Ursa ran around with her Frisbee, yet Kayt reports that the Snow Buntings did not seem fearful nor did they fly away. No sign of the Pine Grosbeaks for three days now. Seems they have moved on for the season.
April 16, 2006
A fox ran through the back yard. Kayt saw it, then Sine, Kayt and Ursa all got to watch it go through the back yard and then off through the trees to the West. Snow Buntings are still here.
April 17, 2006
A BIG Hawk flew through the yard and perched somewhere near, as Sine saw it first, then 5 or 10 minutes later Sine, Kayt and Ursa saw it fly away through the trees behind the house (south). Sine saw the Snow Buntings flying to the south outta here right before the Hawk sighting. We are hoping that the Hawk didn’t get the Snow Buntings, or any of “our” birds or squirrels.
April 18, 2006
Not so much bird activity at the feeders today. At least there wasn’t so much seed gone today as there had been. We did see one Snow Bunting tonight after getting home. Watched The Sting on DVD upstairs, so didn’t spend a lot of time bird watching tonight.
April 19, 2006
Sine left for Hollywood this morning. Kayt and Ursa walked out to play Frisbee and flushed a Grouse who flew up on top of the house and was on the front peak of the roof for a long time. Wish we’d have had the camera so we could have taken a picture of our Grouse roof ornament. Pretty cool. A female (I think it was a female) Hairy Woodpecker was out pecking around under the bird feeders after Kayt and Ursa filled them up.
April 23, 2006
Snowed right smart this Sunday morning. Got a couple of inches. It might melt though, as the temp is right at the freezing mark, and the sun looks like it is coming out. The roof is dripping as are the trees. A group of Juncos were pecking around in the gravel under the truck (where the snow hadn’t covered the ground) and then they came around under the windows where the bird feeders used to be and were picking up bird seed that has surfaced under the windows as the snow has melted.
April 25, 2006
Kayt had mentioned seeing several Dark-Eyed Juncos this past weekend. Today there are easily a dozen of them scuffling through the leaves under the seed feeder and under where the feeder used to be here at the house. Also two Common Redpolls, which makes me think that this is a different flock than the one who flew in earlier in March. Three Hoary Comma butterflies were trapped in the north kitchen window, like last year (only one last year, though). I think a year or so ago a butterfly laid eggs, and they are now hatching. I loosened up half of the staples so I could get them. I laid them very carefully on the logs on the porch, and two of them remained upright. Unfortunately, one seemed not to have made it. It just lay on its side, showing no signs of life. An hour later, the other two had moved into the sun but it had not. I moved it into the sun, though it still just laid there motionless. Lo and behold! An hour later it was revived and also standing upright in the sun!
April 26, 2006
This morning all three Hoary Comma butterflies are sunning themselves, but remaining motionless. With their wings closed, they look absolutely like spruce bark, right down to the jagged edges and silvery streaks. By the time Sine got home, two had flown away. By late evening, the third one left. This evening, Sine sat on the deck for a couple of hours. There were at least a dozen Dark-Eyed Juncos—the dark slate color—and Chickadees flitting about, singing and twittering. Squirrels all around also, chattering and whirring. Lots of activity, the trees filled with it. Suddenly, all of the birds and the squirrels scrambled or flew for cover and the forest slid into immediate silence. So quiet, in fact, that I could clearly hear what they had heard! A hawk—immense and low flying—cruised the yard, its wings making a whooshing sound as it passed overhead. The forest was quiet for several minutes, and then, one-by-one, the birds returned, the squirrels crept out, and activity returned to its normal level. Quite an experience! Don’t know what kind of hawk it is, but it is very large. It must be the individual we saw last week, but I didn’t get enough of a sighting to be able to identify it. It seems to have a largish head—an eagle, owl, or harrier, perhaps? Long wings. The Northern Harrier, for example, though uncommon in the Interior (per Armstrong book), flies with the down-turned wings like this individual did, and has the largish head and smallish tail.
April 30, 2006
Kayt and I were picnicking on our porch for lunch in the sun (Kayt got credit for the most brilliant idea of the week), hanging out and enjoying the birds. We still have quite a bit of snow covering the ground. Suddenly, silence descended, and birds disappeared. A large gray bird that we at first thought was a Gray Jay flew into the feeder area and perched on a log. I commented how the silence was just like the time the Northern Harrier came through, and that the birds must have mistaken the Gray Jay for a Hawk. Then Kayt said, I don’t think it’s a Gray Jay. At that moment, it took off after a little bird that had been trying to hide at the feeder site and chased it into the woods. We saw brown bars under its wings, so we knew it wasn’t a Gray Jay! It chased another bird, then flew off. We think it may be a Sharp Shinned Hawk, but didn’t really get enough of a sighting to be able to conclusively identify it.
May 3, 2006
Ursa and I just saw the fox in our yard. This is the second time we’ve seen a fox in our yard this year. It's golden red, Dulce color (my beloved dog who was the color of fall grasses.) It came up the path from the South Woods like before, and was headed to the bird feeders on the West side of the house. It spotted us about the time it got to the log buffet table, and we all looked at each other for 15 seconds, and then Ursa couldn't help making noise even though I was holding her and telling her not to bark. But it didn't flee, just turned and sauntered off back into the woods. I think it must be a regular visitor. Jordan had one a few years ago who ate under her feeder, (seed, not birds), so I suppose ours does, too.
May 7, 2006
On Friday, I heard what I thought might have been a robin at UAF, and then heard a similar call at home while we sat on the porch. We could not see the singer. But then today, two days later, an American Robin is cruising our yard looking for bugs.
May 14, 2006
Worked outside, all three of us, Saturday and Sunday. Lovely days. Saw a swallow—not sure what kind, but it was iridescent on its back and circled over our new orchard many times. Flew right over our heads seeming not to care that we were present. Stan’s description of a Tree Swallow seems to fit, but we just can’t tell. Only saw the one—but heard a strange call. Robins sing all night, and it’s still quite light out at midnight.
May 23, 2006
Sine has been working outside for the last several days, putting in our first Alaska garden and planting perennials and fruiting trees and shrubs. Both of us saw the golden fox last week, late in the evening. Yesterday Sine saw a hawk with its prey dangling from its talons. A mouse or shrew, perhaps? Lots of robins in the woods who sing all night and all day. Juncos and the Hairy Woodpecker are the only regular feeder visitors. Well, and the red squirrels. Kayt saw lots of Sandhill Cranes behind her chiropractor’s office yesterday, and we see ducks often when we go near rivers and ponds.
June 19, 2006
On our walk this AM, we heard ravens cro-acking and squawking constantly near the Owl Cabin. We wondered what was going on, as it seemed to be quite the party. Then when Sine left for work, she saw a black bear in the power right-of-way. We wonder if the ravens were following the bear on its meanderings like they are said to do with wolf packs.
July 26, 2006
Kayt spotted what we think is black bear poop on the margin of the road just at the property lines between Owl and Sunana. It had lots of long ivory-colored hair, and what I think look like cherry pits (Kayt thinks there are some other seeds; we had just put out cherries on the log buffet table, so it is to our emotional advantage to think that the seeds in the poop are something other than what would have been in our yard). Looks like VERY LARGE dog poop, but with lots of hair clumped on one end, and the seeds on the other end.
August 15, 2006
Sine is at home working in the garden and yard. Early afternoon I heard what sounded like a hawk ki-ki-ki-ki on the north side of the garden—perhaps unrelated to the sighting. A few minutes later, I saw a very large dark bird. At first I thought it was a raven, but it’s a Great Horned Owl! It perched on a branch and has been there for several hours now. It seems completely unafraid of me or Ursa, and watches me intently. I was able to get very close to it and peer at it with the binoculars, and it just blinks and follows my gaze. It’s a bit unnerving to be the object of a raptor’s attention!! After Kayt got home, we examined the photo I took and we agree on its identity. I had heard a Great Horned Owl for the first time this summer two evenings ago, the night I saw the first star. Quite exciting! BTW—the picture of the Owl here is one I took.
August 20, 2006 – Sunday morning
Foggy (or Sunana in the clouds) this morning when I (Kayt) got up at 8:15 to feed dogs (Evie is here while Tim is away) and kitties. Ursa went back to bed after she ate. Evie stayed down here with me though and kept watch on the squirrel and bird action on the deck. LOTS of squirrels running back and forth, chickadees on the feeders, and a female junco, I believe, hopping across the deck. Evie had to go from the freedom doors to the windows to follow the squirrel action. She is quite a good watcher dog. Didn’t make a sound either, which was very good, as Sine is upstairs sleeping off a BAD cold/flu. While I was eating my breakfast the sun burned off the fog or clouds, and the gray jays were swooping back and forth outside as well. Then I heard what sounded to me like a ki-ki-ki-ki so I got up to see if I could see what it was. Out beyond the garden I saw something on top of a birch that is broken off about 15 feet high. I got out the binoculars and saw what I believe to be a hawk owl. The size, coloring, and markings seemed to match those of the hawk owls, and there were no ear tufts for sure. The owl perched there on the top of the broken birch for quite a while, seemingly surveying the garden and surrounding clearing, then flew up into the birch trees beyond the bird feeder. While the owl was out there the gray jays, squirrels and other birds seemed to take to the trees, perhaps in hiding. When the owl flew into the birch trees I saw some chickadees scatter and clear out of that area. I lost sight of the owl, haven’t heard anymore owl calls, and the chickadees are back, so I imagine the morning hawk owl visit has concluded.
September 23, 2006 – Saturday
Sine is in Anchorage speaking at the ACLU membership meeting so I’m here on solitary duty with cats, dogs and all assorted duties. [We got the new puppy a few days ago, on September 16]. Today when I was out filling/cleaning out the feeders I heard a woodpecker and a lot of tapping on the trees to the southwest of the feeder hander trees. I looked over and there were two woodpeckers following each other up those trees, especially the dead standing ones. I was so happy to see that our woodpecker has a mate. Interesting thing is though, I don’t think that there was any red on either of the woodpeckers. I think they are both female. I didn’t have the binoculars out there with me, so can’t say for sure. The woodpeckers were out there going up and down the trees for some time though, and flying around the area. I kept looking but didn’t see any red. On Old Nenana on my way into town to take Kali in to the vet for the yeast infection in her ears I saw a rabbit that was turning white. Its legs and a few other spots were white. I also saw a grouse with its tail all spread out like a turkey. This grouse was on Old Nenana too. I saw a couple of grouse on Old Ridge that seemed to be starting to turn white as well.
September 24, 2006 – Sunday morning
Sine is still in Anchorage. Called while I was writing this. She is started home now. Earlier Ursa saw Mama moose and her baby. Baby isn’t such a baby anymore. Really is growing. Probably 4 foot tall. Ursa had to woof and woof. Not too loud, just to let the moose know that she (Ursa) was guarding the house. Lots of squirrels chasing each other around out there. Simmy is sitting in the window watching the squirrels and gray jays. Tim reported seeing a lynx at Owl Cabin, but we assumed that he’s a city boy and wouldn’t know a lynx from a fox. But then, Kayt saw strange poop on the road near where the bear poop was earlier this year. She showed it to Sine, and we looked it up in the field guide. Sure does look like lynx poop to us, as it matches the book’s drawing. Makes us nervous to be out with the little puppy, who is just the size of a loaf of bread, and a lynx nearby.
September 30, 2006
Sine: On my home from Anchorage last week, it was a brilliantly clear fall day. I saw Denali several times, and took great pictures. First time I have ever seen Denali without clouds up so close. Sheer awe. A black bear crossed the road at a fast trot somewhere in the Matanuska Valley. I stopped at a stream to see what I could see, and found a set of what I think are caribou bones. The hips and several vertebrae. Brought them home for Kayt. Snowed last night for the first time—we got about 2 inches, but today it is melting. We harvested the last of the garden in the snow, and Kayt’s hands got so cold they turned red and were very painful. Still, I think it was worth the discomfort! We had broccoli soup last night made of the leaves, and we froze celery and fennel tops for this winter. Also pulled the beets and carrots; we were surprised at how many carrots there were, and how big they had gotten. but the beets were disappointing. It was a bad year for root crops I think because of the lack of sun and the chronic cool weather and rain. Borealys is 6 weeks old this weekend. Maybe today is her 6th week birthday. She’s a mellow puppy compared to Ursa and certainly to Aki!! She is afraid of the dark and gets cold really quickly. Still, all day today she has been good about going outside to potty.
November 19, 2006
It’s -20 these days and nights. Last night, we heard the Great Horned Owl every time we took Borealys out to potty. First time we’ve heard it since early fall when we saw it on the ridge and then heard it in the evening. Last week Borys learned to fetch, the week before that she learned to sit and once she scratched on the door to be let out. Training is going pretty well. She has a “thing” about collars, and sulks and hides whenever a collar is apparent. She is 14 weeks old this weekend. Kayt took out sweet potato leavings to the buffet table, and a Gray Jay is feasting on it. We have had several fox sightings. We think it’s a male because “someone” has pooped and peed on the buffet table—marking it, we think. He uses the same path as the fox who was our frequent visitor last year. Really pretty red fox, who comes early in the light and cruises the buffet table. If there is something interesting on it, he gets on top to snack. Apparently, if the buffet table doesn’t hold interesting snacks, he marks it with his dissatisfaction! This is quite like the fox at Bold Moon who would poop outside the doggie door to leave a message for the dogs. We have about 6” of snow, and it’s been very cold. Linda Hester was here in October, and we saw the Aurora Borealis her first and second nights. We also heard what we think was a flock of Sandhill Cranes, Trumpeter Swans, or maybe Snow Geese overhead migrating south in the dark. We couldn’t see them, but we could hear them clearly. They sounded most like trumpets, which is why I think they may be Trumpeter Swans. And earlier, when I was in the Matanuska Valley in September, I saw a pair on a river. It looks like we have a nesting pair of Hairy Woodpeckers. We have been seeing a couple of them at a time, and then yesterday we confirmed that the one feeding at the seed feeder had a red skullcap. This year is the first year we have seen a male at this house. This morning a Redpoll was taking a snow bath on the post on the back porch. There is a flock of other birds in the woods too far away for us to identify, but we think they are also Redpolls. Chickadees at the feeder for the last several weeks, and this past week we saw Boreal Chickadees.
November 22, 2006
It’s definitely a male Hairy Woodpecker! I (Sine) went out to feed the birds this morning about 9:30. It’s still dusk out and snowing a little. It’s been in the -20s for several days, but today it’s just below 0. I was able to get really close to the feeder before the woodpecker flew away—I was no further than 15 feet away so I could clearly see the bright red patch on his neck. He was contentedly feeding from the seed feeder, and had been for quite some time. We are having to fill the seed feeder about every other day now, as they are going through it fast. Looks like we have about a dozen Black-Capped Chickadees, a couple of Boreal Chickadees, and about a dozen Common Redpolls. Kayt noticed that the Redpolls here are more rusty than they are red. Regional variation? At work, there is a flock of Pine Grosbeaks that are hanging out in the courtyards around Gruening. I counted 30 of them this past week. They twitter and have such a sweet sound. The trees they roost in seem alive with sound.
November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving day. We are cooking and cleaning and preparing to have Susan and Lillian over for lunch. It’s -17, and cloudy. Kayt spotted a pair of Pine Grosbeaks at the feeder! The male was the first to be spotted—he’s whistling such a sweet tune. Stan calls it a rich sweet tone, and he’s right. The female is more olive than dull yellow, as Stan describes her. They are hanging out near the feeder, but not sure if they are feeding from it. The male woodpecker has been eating and eating, with a lot of hullabaloo going on around him, but he’s concentrating on his breakfast. Kayt counted well over a dozen Common Redpolls, and there are at least a dozen Black-Capped Chickadees and a handful of Boreal Chickadees. There are three or four squirrels who have quite the paths established to the ground under the feeder and to their various caches in the woods and shed. The feeder is busy today. We are filling it every day now. Had a moose hanging out in the yard for quite a while as we were cooking Thanksgiving dinner and cleaning this morning. Ursa saw her as she (the moose) was out checking to see what was on the buffet table. When the moose found nothing much on the buffet table she went over under the bird feeder and was eating there. Then the moose started nibbling on the hanging bird feeder so Kayt went out and told the moose that she could eat seeds off the ground but not out of the bird feeder. Then the moose came up on the porch and was checking out stuff on the porch so Sine went out and took some pictures. Then the moose went back out to the bird feeders (and had to be talked to again about not pulling down the birdfeeder) then went around the yard eating herbs and grass, etc. Finally when Kayt turned on the vacuum cleaner the moose didn’t seem to like that and moseyed down the trail in back of the house. Quite a long moose visit, and a moose we didn’t really recognize. She sure was BIG though.
December 10, 2006
Kayt fed the birds first thing this morning. We have to fill up the seed feeder every 24 hours to keep up with the demand. Looks like four Pine Grosbeaks, two girls and two boys, who have been here for at least a month. Lots of Black-Capped Chickadees, a handful of Boreal Chickadees, and Redpolls. It looks like we have at least two foxes; one seems cowed by the birds and ducks and cringes when it eats the seed on the ground. Another seems nonplussed. The foxes seem to enjoy the buffet table spread. Last night we slept in Stella and at 1:00 when we went to bed there was still some stuff on the table. But not when we got up! And Kayt said there were little pee spots around, so looks like the male got the feast. Borealys learned to fetch balls this week and does so rather reliably. We got the dogs red blinkers for their collars, and we are so much more comfortable taking them on walks in the dusk and during the dark. Which is nearly constant now. It’s either dusk or completely dark now. Haven’t seen the sun down here in our valley for a couple of weeks. It’s very mild weather—in the high 20s and even up to 30 last evening, which is why we slept in Stella.
December 16, 2006
Saturday noon, Sine left for the office a few minutes ago. There is a woodpecker out eating the new “no waste” feed from the tube feeder. Still lots of chickadees and redpolls all over out there, and a squirrel hanging out of one of the sticks out there , and going down to pick up good stuff off the ground. The new feed is a big hit.
During the half hour that we were on the first leg of our walk someone (don’t know who it was because we weren’t here to see) ate most of the bread, cake, etc. that we’d put out on the buffet table (left overs from the Education celebration). There are two gray jays out there eating now, so they must have been the ones to get the bounty from the School of Ed. Throngs of red polls and chickadees, and at least one squirrel are continuing to enjoy the new birdfeed in and under the feeders.
After the second leg of our walk, a half hour of walking to Owl Cabin and down the trail in back of Owl cabin and a half hour over with Evie, in the house and getting Evie out to potty, we came back to gray jays cleaning up what is left on the buffet table, and continued throngs of appreciative red polls and chickadees, and at least one squirrel. Ursa and Borealys cornered one squirrel (don’t know if it is the same one that has been enjoying the new bird seed) under the woodpile, then chased it over to the shed. Quite the exciting time with wildlife! Ursa is tired and taking a rest, Bory just laid down with her. I’m expecting some quiet after our walking frenzy.
Mama moose and Hank (young male) ripped up birdfeeders and scared the bejesus out of Kayt and me. We took down what was left of the birdfeeders and purchased another tube feeder and suspended them in birches on the edge of the yard. The black-capped chickadees found the new location before we finished stringing it up, and the boreal chickadees also moved quickly. They swoop in and out from the suet, still in the window, and visit the feeders.
March 19
Kayt saw what she thinks may have been the female Hairy Woodpecker on the new feeder location. She’s been a frequent suet and seed feeder visitor this year. We’ve seen only three Redpolls this year—quite a contrast to the last two years when they were frequent large flocks of them this time of year.
March 26, 2006
Kayt spotted a male Pine Grosbeak on the ground under the feeder, and promptly went out to fill up the feeders and to spread sunflower seeds underneath. In the evenings these last few weeks we hear Boreal Owls and up to three Great Horned Owls. Two nights ago, we heard what we think is a juvenile Great Horned Owl, as it seemed to stutter in its answer to the two adults. All seemed located in a triangle, with us in the center.
April 1, 2006
Pine Grosbeak pair hanging out and eating under the feeder. They stayed under the feeder for quite a while, then went to the big tree root pile beyond (and between the two trees that the feeders are suspended from, from the view we've got out the livingroom window) and picked up little pieces of dirt (to help in digestion I found out when I read Stan's Wisconsin Bird Guide). They also took little baths in the snow covering some of the tree roots (also something Stan talks about). The Pine Grosbeaks sure are beautiful birds. So glad that they have come to feed under our feeders.
Oh, cool, a female Hairy Woodpecker is out eating under the feeders now. I heard a lot of talk out there, so looked out and there she was. I'm so glad that she announces herself so that we get good sightings of her. I love to see the birds that are distinguishable as male or female. Especially the Grosbeaks that are so very beautiful. A squirrel is out there now, trying to find something good left on the ground. Sunny is in the window watching.
Lots more bird and squirrel activity all day. Ravens calling, more visits from both Pine Grosbeaks and from just the male, some Gray Jays, and the usual chickadees.
The past few nights there has been lots of owl activity. In fact last night the boreal was so loud (must have been really close) we could hear it from inside the house. Boreal and Great Horned calling last night.
April 5, 2006
AM, about 8:00, seemed to be the signal for birds to come munch at the feeder. First the male, then the female Pine Grosbeak came to eat under the feeder. They were joined by two Gray Jays, multiple Black Capped Chickadees and Boreal Chickadees, the female Hairy Woodpecker, and at least three squirrels. Lots of activity out there! We haven’t heard owls at night for nearly a week; it’s really light even at 10:00 PM, so perhaps they just aren’t out yet.
April 8, 2006
We sat on the deck to enjoy the sunlight. Still about four feet of snow on the ground, and it will snow all week (we didn’t know that yet). It was cool, but quite comfortable on the porch in the snow with the house behind us. A butterfly came by—the next day Sine looked it up online, and we think it was a Hoary Comma. Since it has been cold and snowy since, we worry about what happened to it. But the online reference said that the adults over-winter, so perhaps it just found a nice place to hang out until the sun returns.
April 10, 2006
The Pine Grosbeak pair continues to hang out and eat under the feeders. The male seems protective of the female, and scouts out the site before she flits in to eat. Still lots of Chickadees of both persuasions, and the female Hairy Woodpecker is a daily visitor. It warmed up to 40 and 50, then has been snowing off an on for days, though it melts quickly. Still have quite a bit of snow on the ground. We saw a Red Fox at the pond in Ester last week. Watched it cross the road, really wary of both us and the road, it seemed. This evening, a male Junco appeared on the deck, and flew back and forth carrying on its business.
April 11, 2006
Ursa scared a flock of Spruce Grouse as they were picking up little pieces of gravel in the driveway this morning. No sign of Redpolls in days.
April 13, 2006
Most exciting sighting in years. Snow Buntings! Last evening, I sat on the porch for awhile and noticed the sweetest warbling among the trees. There seemed to be at least three of these new birdsongs, but I didn’t see the singers. Then tonight, when I arrived home, four of them were feasting on the ground around the log buffet table. They all moved to under the seed feeder until they flew away when I came out to put out more seed. They are stunningly beautiful—pure white with black backs and wing tips, and a bit of rust on their heads and breasts. Since there are four, I assume they are two pairs, but can’t tell them apart. Chubby little birds, definitely in their white stage. Still have loads of snow, and the ground is covered 100%.
April 14, 2006
Snow Buntings still here. One seems aggressive and chases the others, and they are wary of squirrels. Another male Junco is out there, bringing our total, it seems, to two. This evening when I brought Kayt home from the airport, the four Snow Buntings flew away from the buffet table, so she got to see them briefly. Then—another cool sighting—late evening, still quite light outside, Kayt saw a Red Fox in the back yard. It moved swiftly along the path just on the edge of the woods, slipped behind the buffet table and glided deep into the woods.
April 15, 2006
The Snow Buntings walk and hop to get around, more than they fly. They also seem to nestle into the snow and just sit for long periods. Grooving in the sun, it seems, as they face the sun while they are roosting. Sun-roosting, perhaps. Kayt worked outside digging the greenhouse out from about four feet of snow, and Ursa ran around with her Frisbee, yet Kayt reports that the Snow Buntings did not seem fearful nor did they fly away. No sign of the Pine Grosbeaks for three days now. Seems they have moved on for the season.
April 16, 2006
A fox ran through the back yard. Kayt saw it, then Sine, Kayt and Ursa all got to watch it go through the back yard and then off through the trees to the West. Snow Buntings are still here.
April 17, 2006
A BIG Hawk flew through the yard and perched somewhere near, as Sine saw it first, then 5 or 10 minutes later Sine, Kayt and Ursa saw it fly away through the trees behind the house (south). Sine saw the Snow Buntings flying to the south outta here right before the Hawk sighting. We are hoping that the Hawk didn’t get the Snow Buntings, or any of “our” birds or squirrels.
April 18, 2006
Not so much bird activity at the feeders today. At least there wasn’t so much seed gone today as there had been. We did see one Snow Bunting tonight after getting home. Watched The Sting on DVD upstairs, so didn’t spend a lot of time bird watching tonight.
April 19, 2006
Sine left for Hollywood this morning. Kayt and Ursa walked out to play Frisbee and flushed a Grouse who flew up on top of the house and was on the front peak of the roof for a long time. Wish we’d have had the camera so we could have taken a picture of our Grouse roof ornament. Pretty cool. A female (I think it was a female) Hairy Woodpecker was out pecking around under the bird feeders after Kayt and Ursa filled them up.
April 23, 2006
Snowed right smart this Sunday morning. Got a couple of inches. It might melt though, as the temp is right at the freezing mark, and the sun looks like it is coming out. The roof is dripping as are the trees. A group of Juncos were pecking around in the gravel under the truck (where the snow hadn’t covered the ground) and then they came around under the windows where the bird feeders used to be and were picking up bird seed that has surfaced under the windows as the snow has melted.
April 25, 2006
Kayt had mentioned seeing several Dark-Eyed Juncos this past weekend. Today there are easily a dozen of them scuffling through the leaves under the seed feeder and under where the feeder used to be here at the house. Also two Common Redpolls, which makes me think that this is a different flock than the one who flew in earlier in March. Three Hoary Comma butterflies were trapped in the north kitchen window, like last year (only one last year, though). I think a year or so ago a butterfly laid eggs, and they are now hatching. I loosened up half of the staples so I could get them. I laid them very carefully on the logs on the porch, and two of them remained upright. Unfortunately, one seemed not to have made it. It just lay on its side, showing no signs of life. An hour later, the other two had moved into the sun but it had not. I moved it into the sun, though it still just laid there motionless. Lo and behold! An hour later it was revived and also standing upright in the sun!
April 26, 2006
This morning all three Hoary Comma butterflies are sunning themselves, but remaining motionless. With their wings closed, they look absolutely like spruce bark, right down to the jagged edges and silvery streaks. By the time Sine got home, two had flown away. By late evening, the third one left. This evening, Sine sat on the deck for a couple of hours. There were at least a dozen Dark-Eyed Juncos—the dark slate color—and Chickadees flitting about, singing and twittering. Squirrels all around also, chattering and whirring. Lots of activity, the trees filled with it. Suddenly, all of the birds and the squirrels scrambled or flew for cover and the forest slid into immediate silence. So quiet, in fact, that I could clearly hear what they had heard! A hawk—immense and low flying—cruised the yard, its wings making a whooshing sound as it passed overhead. The forest was quiet for several minutes, and then, one-by-one, the birds returned, the squirrels crept out, and activity returned to its normal level. Quite an experience! Don’t know what kind of hawk it is, but it is very large. It must be the individual we saw last week, but I didn’t get enough of a sighting to be able to identify it. It seems to have a largish head—an eagle, owl, or harrier, perhaps? Long wings. The Northern Harrier, for example, though uncommon in the Interior (per Armstrong book), flies with the down-turned wings like this individual did, and has the largish head and smallish tail.
April 30, 2006
Kayt and I were picnicking on our porch for lunch in the sun (Kayt got credit for the most brilliant idea of the week), hanging out and enjoying the birds. We still have quite a bit of snow covering the ground. Suddenly, silence descended, and birds disappeared. A large gray bird that we at first thought was a Gray Jay flew into the feeder area and perched on a log. I commented how the silence was just like the time the Northern Harrier came through, and that the birds must have mistaken the Gray Jay for a Hawk. Then Kayt said, I don’t think it’s a Gray Jay. At that moment, it took off after a little bird that had been trying to hide at the feeder site and chased it into the woods. We saw brown bars under its wings, so we knew it wasn’t a Gray Jay! It chased another bird, then flew off. We think it may be a Sharp Shinned Hawk, but didn’t really get enough of a sighting to be able to conclusively identify it.
May 3, 2006
Ursa and I just saw the fox in our yard. This is the second time we’ve seen a fox in our yard this year. It's golden red, Dulce color (my beloved dog who was the color of fall grasses.) It came up the path from the South Woods like before, and was headed to the bird feeders on the West side of the house. It spotted us about the time it got to the log buffet table, and we all looked at each other for 15 seconds, and then Ursa couldn't help making noise even though I was holding her and telling her not to bark. But it didn't flee, just turned and sauntered off back into the woods. I think it must be a regular visitor. Jordan had one a few years ago who ate under her feeder, (seed, not birds), so I suppose ours does, too.
May 7, 2006
On Friday, I heard what I thought might have been a robin at UAF, and then heard a similar call at home while we sat on the porch. We could not see the singer. But then today, two days later, an American Robin is cruising our yard looking for bugs.
May 14, 2006
Worked outside, all three of us, Saturday and Sunday. Lovely days. Saw a swallow—not sure what kind, but it was iridescent on its back and circled over our new orchard many times. Flew right over our heads seeming not to care that we were present. Stan’s description of a Tree Swallow seems to fit, but we just can’t tell. Only saw the one—but heard a strange call. Robins sing all night, and it’s still quite light out at midnight.
May 23, 2006
Sine has been working outside for the last several days, putting in our first Alaska garden and planting perennials and fruiting trees and shrubs. Both of us saw the golden fox last week, late in the evening. Yesterday Sine saw a hawk with its prey dangling from its talons. A mouse or shrew, perhaps? Lots of robins in the woods who sing all night and all day. Juncos and the Hairy Woodpecker are the only regular feeder visitors. Well, and the red squirrels. Kayt saw lots of Sandhill Cranes behind her chiropractor’s office yesterday, and we see ducks often when we go near rivers and ponds.
June 19, 2006
On our walk this AM, we heard ravens cro-acking and squawking constantly near the Owl Cabin. We wondered what was going on, as it seemed to be quite the party. Then when Sine left for work, she saw a black bear in the power right-of-way. We wonder if the ravens were following the bear on its meanderings like they are said to do with wolf packs.
July 26, 2006
Kayt spotted what we think is black bear poop on the margin of the road just at the property lines between Owl and Sunana. It had lots of long ivory-colored hair, and what I think look like cherry pits (Kayt thinks there are some other seeds; we had just put out cherries on the log buffet table, so it is to our emotional advantage to think that the seeds in the poop are something other than what would have been in our yard). Looks like VERY LARGE dog poop, but with lots of hair clumped on one end, and the seeds on the other end.
August 15, 2006
Sine is at home working in the garden and yard. Early afternoon I heard what sounded like a hawk ki-ki-ki-ki on the north side of the garden—perhaps unrelated to the sighting. A few minutes later, I saw a very large dark bird. At first I thought it was a raven, but it’s a Great Horned Owl! It perched on a branch and has been there for several hours now. It seems completely unafraid of me or Ursa, and watches me intently. I was able to get very close to it and peer at it with the binoculars, and it just blinks and follows my gaze. It’s a bit unnerving to be the object of a raptor’s attention!! After Kayt got home, we examined the photo I took and we agree on its identity. I had heard a Great Horned Owl for the first time this summer two evenings ago, the night I saw the first star. Quite exciting! BTW—the picture of the Owl here is one I took.
August 20, 2006 – Sunday morning
Foggy (or Sunana in the clouds) this morning when I (Kayt) got up at 8:15 to feed dogs (Evie is here while Tim is away) and kitties. Ursa went back to bed after she ate. Evie stayed down here with me though and kept watch on the squirrel and bird action on the deck. LOTS of squirrels running back and forth, chickadees on the feeders, and a female junco, I believe, hopping across the deck. Evie had to go from the freedom doors to the windows to follow the squirrel action. She is quite a good watcher dog. Didn’t make a sound either, which was very good, as Sine is upstairs sleeping off a BAD cold/flu. While I was eating my breakfast the sun burned off the fog or clouds, and the gray jays were swooping back and forth outside as well. Then I heard what sounded to me like a ki-ki-ki-ki so I got up to see if I could see what it was. Out beyond the garden I saw something on top of a birch that is broken off about 15 feet high. I got out the binoculars and saw what I believe to be a hawk owl. The size, coloring, and markings seemed to match those of the hawk owls, and there were no ear tufts for sure. The owl perched there on the top of the broken birch for quite a while, seemingly surveying the garden and surrounding clearing, then flew up into the birch trees beyond the bird feeder. While the owl was out there the gray jays, squirrels and other birds seemed to take to the trees, perhaps in hiding. When the owl flew into the birch trees I saw some chickadees scatter and clear out of that area. I lost sight of the owl, haven’t heard anymore owl calls, and the chickadees are back, so I imagine the morning hawk owl visit has concluded.
September 23, 2006 – Saturday
Sine is in Anchorage speaking at the ACLU membership meeting so I’m here on solitary duty with cats, dogs and all assorted duties. [We got the new puppy a few days ago, on September 16]. Today when I was out filling/cleaning out the feeders I heard a woodpecker and a lot of tapping on the trees to the southwest of the feeder hander trees. I looked over and there were two woodpeckers following each other up those trees, especially the dead standing ones. I was so happy to see that our woodpecker has a mate. Interesting thing is though, I don’t think that there was any red on either of the woodpeckers. I think they are both female. I didn’t have the binoculars out there with me, so can’t say for sure. The woodpeckers were out there going up and down the trees for some time though, and flying around the area. I kept looking but didn’t see any red. On Old Nenana on my way into town to take Kali in to the vet for the yeast infection in her ears I saw a rabbit that was turning white. Its legs and a few other spots were white. I also saw a grouse with its tail all spread out like a turkey. This grouse was on Old Nenana too. I saw a couple of grouse on Old Ridge that seemed to be starting to turn white as well.
September 24, 2006 – Sunday morning
Sine is still in Anchorage. Called while I was writing this. She is started home now. Earlier Ursa saw Mama moose and her baby. Baby isn’t such a baby anymore. Really is growing. Probably 4 foot tall. Ursa had to woof and woof. Not too loud, just to let the moose know that she (Ursa) was guarding the house. Lots of squirrels chasing each other around out there. Simmy is sitting in the window watching the squirrels and gray jays. Tim reported seeing a lynx at Owl Cabin, but we assumed that he’s a city boy and wouldn’t know a lynx from a fox. But then, Kayt saw strange poop on the road near where the bear poop was earlier this year. She showed it to Sine, and we looked it up in the field guide. Sure does look like lynx poop to us, as it matches the book’s drawing. Makes us nervous to be out with the little puppy, who is just the size of a loaf of bread, and a lynx nearby.
September 30, 2006
Sine: On my home from Anchorage last week, it was a brilliantly clear fall day. I saw Denali several times, and took great pictures. First time I have ever seen Denali without clouds up so close. Sheer awe. A black bear crossed the road at a fast trot somewhere in the Matanuska Valley. I stopped at a stream to see what I could see, and found a set of what I think are caribou bones. The hips and several vertebrae. Brought them home for Kayt. Snowed last night for the first time—we got about 2 inches, but today it is melting. We harvested the last of the garden in the snow, and Kayt’s hands got so cold they turned red and were very painful. Still, I think it was worth the discomfort! We had broccoli soup last night made of the leaves, and we froze celery and fennel tops for this winter. Also pulled the beets and carrots; we were surprised at how many carrots there were, and how big they had gotten. but the beets were disappointing. It was a bad year for root crops I think because of the lack of sun and the chronic cool weather and rain. Borealys is 6 weeks old this weekend. Maybe today is her 6th week birthday. She’s a mellow puppy compared to Ursa and certainly to Aki!! She is afraid of the dark and gets cold really quickly. Still, all day today she has been good about going outside to potty.
November 19, 2006
It’s -20 these days and nights. Last night, we heard the Great Horned Owl every time we took Borealys out to potty. First time we’ve heard it since early fall when we saw it on the ridge and then heard it in the evening. Last week Borys learned to fetch, the week before that she learned to sit and once she scratched on the door to be let out. Training is going pretty well. She has a “thing” about collars, and sulks and hides whenever a collar is apparent. She is 14 weeks old this weekend. Kayt took out sweet potato leavings to the buffet table, and a Gray Jay is feasting on it. We have had several fox sightings. We think it’s a male because “someone” has pooped and peed on the buffet table—marking it, we think. He uses the same path as the fox who was our frequent visitor last year. Really pretty red fox, who comes early in the light and cruises the buffet table. If there is something interesting on it, he gets on top to snack. Apparently, if the buffet table doesn’t hold interesting snacks, he marks it with his dissatisfaction! This is quite like the fox at Bold Moon who would poop outside the doggie door to leave a message for the dogs. We have about 6” of snow, and it’s been very cold. Linda Hester was here in October, and we saw the Aurora Borealis her first and second nights. We also heard what we think was a flock of Sandhill Cranes, Trumpeter Swans, or maybe Snow Geese overhead migrating south in the dark. We couldn’t see them, but we could hear them clearly. They sounded most like trumpets, which is why I think they may be Trumpeter Swans. And earlier, when I was in the Matanuska Valley in September, I saw a pair on a river. It looks like we have a nesting pair of Hairy Woodpeckers. We have been seeing a couple of them at a time, and then yesterday we confirmed that the one feeding at the seed feeder had a red skullcap. This year is the first year we have seen a male at this house. This morning a Redpoll was taking a snow bath on the post on the back porch. There is a flock of other birds in the woods too far away for us to identify, but we think they are also Redpolls. Chickadees at the feeder for the last several weeks, and this past week we saw Boreal Chickadees.
November 22, 2006
It’s definitely a male Hairy Woodpecker! I (Sine) went out to feed the birds this morning about 9:30. It’s still dusk out and snowing a little. It’s been in the -20s for several days, but today it’s just below 0. I was able to get really close to the feeder before the woodpecker flew away—I was no further than 15 feet away so I could clearly see the bright red patch on his neck. He was contentedly feeding from the seed feeder, and had been for quite some time. We are having to fill the seed feeder about every other day now, as they are going through it fast. Looks like we have about a dozen Black-Capped Chickadees, a couple of Boreal Chickadees, and about a dozen Common Redpolls. Kayt noticed that the Redpolls here are more rusty than they are red. Regional variation? At work, there is a flock of Pine Grosbeaks that are hanging out in the courtyards around Gruening. I counted 30 of them this past week. They twitter and have such a sweet sound. The trees they roost in seem alive with sound.
November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving day. We are cooking and cleaning and preparing to have Susan and Lillian over for lunch. It’s -17, and cloudy. Kayt spotted a pair of Pine Grosbeaks at the feeder! The male was the first to be spotted—he’s whistling such a sweet tune. Stan calls it a rich sweet tone, and he’s right. The female is more olive than dull yellow, as Stan describes her. They are hanging out near the feeder, but not sure if they are feeding from it. The male woodpecker has been eating and eating, with a lot of hullabaloo going on around him, but he’s concentrating on his breakfast. Kayt counted well over a dozen Common Redpolls, and there are at least a dozen Black-Capped Chickadees and a handful of Boreal Chickadees. There are three or four squirrels who have quite the paths established to the ground under the feeder and to their various caches in the woods and shed. The feeder is busy today. We are filling it every day now. Had a moose hanging out in the yard for quite a while as we were cooking Thanksgiving dinner and cleaning this morning. Ursa saw her as she (the moose) was out checking to see what was on the buffet table. When the moose found nothing much on the buffet table she went over under the bird feeder and was eating there. Then the moose started nibbling on the hanging bird feeder so Kayt went out and told the moose that she could eat seeds off the ground but not out of the bird feeder. Then the moose came up on the porch and was checking out stuff on the porch so Sine went out and took some pictures. Then the moose went back out to the bird feeders (and had to be talked to again about not pulling down the birdfeeder) then went around the yard eating herbs and grass, etc. Finally when Kayt turned on the vacuum cleaner the moose didn’t seem to like that and moseyed down the trail in back of the house. Quite a long moose visit, and a moose we didn’t really recognize. She sure was BIG though.
December 10, 2006
Kayt fed the birds first thing this morning. We have to fill up the seed feeder every 24 hours to keep up with the demand. Looks like four Pine Grosbeaks, two girls and two boys, who have been here for at least a month. Lots of Black-Capped Chickadees, a handful of Boreal Chickadees, and Redpolls. It looks like we have at least two foxes; one seems cowed by the birds and ducks and cringes when it eats the seed on the ground. Another seems nonplussed. The foxes seem to enjoy the buffet table spread. Last night we slept in Stella and at 1:00 when we went to bed there was still some stuff on the table. But not when we got up! And Kayt said there were little pee spots around, so looks like the male got the feast. Borealys learned to fetch balls this week and does so rather reliably. We got the dogs red blinkers for their collars, and we are so much more comfortable taking them on walks in the dusk and during the dark. Which is nearly constant now. It’s either dusk or completely dark now. Haven’t seen the sun down here in our valley for a couple of weeks. It’s very mild weather—in the high 20s and even up to 30 last evening, which is why we slept in Stella.
December 16, 2006
Saturday noon, Sine left for the office a few minutes ago. There is a woodpecker out eating the new “no waste” feed from the tube feeder. Still lots of chickadees and redpolls all over out there, and a squirrel hanging out of one of the sticks out there , and going down to pick up good stuff off the ground. The new feed is a big hit.
During the half hour that we were on the first leg of our walk someone (don’t know who it was because we weren’t here to see) ate most of the bread, cake, etc. that we’d put out on the buffet table (left overs from the Education celebration). There are two gray jays out there eating now, so they must have been the ones to get the bounty from the School of Ed. Throngs of red polls and chickadees, and at least one squirrel are continuing to enjoy the new birdfeed in and under the feeders.
After the second leg of our walk, a half hour of walking to Owl Cabin and down the trail in back of Owl cabin and a half hour over with Evie, in the house and getting Evie out to potty, we came back to gray jays cleaning up what is left on the buffet table, and continued throngs of appreciative red polls and chickadees, and at least one squirrel. Ursa and Borealys cornered one squirrel (don’t know if it is the same one that has been enjoying the new bird seed) under the woodpile, then chased it over to the shed. Quite the exciting time with wildlife! Ursa is tired and taking a rest, Bory just laid down with her. I’m expecting some quiet after our walking frenzy.
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Wildlife sightings 2004
March 14, 2004
Kayt brought the feeders from Kallenburg and put them up late last evening. First thing this AM, at 8:45ish, two black-capped chickadees discovered them and started eating. A pair of gray jays tried the seed feeder and the suet, but a nasty Sadie leap of doom scared them away. At 10:00 PM, Sine heard both a Great Horned Owl AND a Boreal Owl—first owls we have heard since coming to AK, and, of course, we have never heard a Boreal before. Way cool.
March 18, 2004
Flock of Common Red Polls at the feeder this morning. At least 12, I think. They seem to like the food in the glass feeder and in the tall plastic feeder. Sadie is growling at them. I think the red polls may have been here yesterday, as the lamp was turned over on the table. This red poll flock seems to be causing quite a bit of cat excitement, so imagine that was the precipitator on the lamp turn over. Heard a Great Horned Owl in the evening
March 19, 2004
Red polls continuing to flock and eat. A Gray Jay around in the yard.
March 20, 2004
Sine’s back.. Kayt had told me that she had seen Red Polls earlier, and now I got to see them! She’s right—there are at least a dozen flitting around. The Red Polls and the Black-capped Chickadees seem to be taking turns at the feeders. There is so much life in our woods now—there are birds flying to and from the feeders and just hanging around the border trees. It feels lively here, even though it’s still wintertime and -4.
April 3, 2004
Red polls continuing to flock, Chickadees too. Kayt saw a male Pine Grosbeak and then a female Pine Grosbeak while Sine was on the phone. Then Sine saw them, as they hung around and fed sporadically all day. Beautiful big birds. The female doesn’t look like the pictures in the Alaska birds book exactly, but does look like the Wisconsin “Stan’s” pictures. The Grosbeaks seem to like the sunflower seeds on the ground so we will make sure to put lots of sunflower seeds on the ground. Gray Jay hanging around on the deck in the afternoon. At night, Sine heard a Boreal Owl.
April 4, 2004
Looks like we have a solitary male House Finch today. Kayt thinks she saw him yesterday. The Alaska bird book says they are “casual visitors”, so casual, in fact, that they have no picture. But he looks like Stan’s book and the All the Birds of North America, so looks like him. All the Birds shows a map with the western variety touching the Canadian border on the west coast, so seems like he might have come on up here. Kayt raised the specter of global warming as a causal factor; seems scary but totally possible. Another new visitor! A Boreal Chickadee visited this morning! Then this evening, during Ursa’s last potty break, Sine heard a Great Horned Owl.
April 9, 2004
Daylight Savings time, lots of sunshine and the big meltdown. Female Hairy Woodpecker munched on the suet feeder this morning, and a reddish/gray squirrel is devouring sunflower seeds it is finding on the ground. Bird activity at the feeders virtually ceased in early April, with the redpolls disappearing first, followed by all of the others. Only occasional visits from black-capped chickadees now.
May 1
We went for a drive towards Circle, driving 85 miles up Steese Highway to 12-Mile Pass. We stopped to check out a melt-pond at Cripple Creek Campground and saw three different ducks in pairs: Northern Pintail, Bufflehead, and Mallard. Kayt spotted a porcupine in a tree, and we both saw one on the edge of Old Nenana. Also saw a hawk or eagle soaring when we were on Old Steese.
May 2, 2004
Male Dark-eyed Junco on the ground feeding under the feeders. Occasional visits from black-capped chickadees.
Kayt brought the feeders from Kallenburg and put them up late last evening. First thing this AM, at 8:45ish, two black-capped chickadees discovered them and started eating. A pair of gray jays tried the seed feeder and the suet, but a nasty Sadie leap of doom scared them away. At 10:00 PM, Sine heard both a Great Horned Owl AND a Boreal Owl—first owls we have heard since coming to AK, and, of course, we have never heard a Boreal before. Way cool.
March 18, 2004
Flock of Common Red Polls at the feeder this morning. At least 12, I think. They seem to like the food in the glass feeder and in the tall plastic feeder. Sadie is growling at them. I think the red polls may have been here yesterday, as the lamp was turned over on the table. This red poll flock seems to be causing quite a bit of cat excitement, so imagine that was the precipitator on the lamp turn over. Heard a Great Horned Owl in the evening
March 19, 2004
Red polls continuing to flock and eat. A Gray Jay around in the yard.
March 20, 2004
Sine’s back.. Kayt had told me that she had seen Red Polls earlier, and now I got to see them! She’s right—there are at least a dozen flitting around. The Red Polls and the Black-capped Chickadees seem to be taking turns at the feeders. There is so much life in our woods now—there are birds flying to and from the feeders and just hanging around the border trees. It feels lively here, even though it’s still wintertime and -4.
April 3, 2004
Red polls continuing to flock, Chickadees too. Kayt saw a male Pine Grosbeak and then a female Pine Grosbeak while Sine was on the phone. Then Sine saw them, as they hung around and fed sporadically all day. Beautiful big birds. The female doesn’t look like the pictures in the Alaska birds book exactly, but does look like the Wisconsin “Stan’s” pictures. The Grosbeaks seem to like the sunflower seeds on the ground so we will make sure to put lots of sunflower seeds on the ground. Gray Jay hanging around on the deck in the afternoon. At night, Sine heard a Boreal Owl.
April 4, 2004
Looks like we have a solitary male House Finch today. Kayt thinks she saw him yesterday. The Alaska bird book says they are “casual visitors”, so casual, in fact, that they have no picture. But he looks like Stan’s book and the All the Birds of North America, so looks like him. All the Birds shows a map with the western variety touching the Canadian border on the west coast, so seems like he might have come on up here. Kayt raised the specter of global warming as a causal factor; seems scary but totally possible. Another new visitor! A Boreal Chickadee visited this morning! Then this evening, during Ursa’s last potty break, Sine heard a Great Horned Owl.
April 9, 2004
Daylight Savings time, lots of sunshine and the big meltdown. Female Hairy Woodpecker munched on the suet feeder this morning, and a reddish/gray squirrel is devouring sunflower seeds it is finding on the ground. Bird activity at the feeders virtually ceased in early April, with the redpolls disappearing first, followed by all of the others. Only occasional visits from black-capped chickadees now.
May 1
We went for a drive towards Circle, driving 85 miles up Steese Highway to 12-Mile Pass. We stopped to check out a melt-pond at Cripple Creek Campground and saw three different ducks in pairs: Northern Pintail, Bufflehead, and Mallard. Kayt spotted a porcupine in a tree, and we both saw one on the edge of Old Nenana. Also saw a hawk or eagle soaring when we were on Old Steese.
May 2, 2004
Male Dark-eyed Junco on the ground feeding under the feeders. Occasional visits from black-capped chickadees.
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