Juneau '24, Part VII

After a week of mildly heavy birding, I wanted a little time to just hang out with my friend, so for the last two full days of my stay, we stayed inside for the most part. We watched some movies, shows, pro CS, paintball, Melee, etc. But we did get out for some fresh air each day.

On the last day of May, we brought the dogs out for a walk on the Industrial Park side of the Mendenhall Wetlands where I added a few species of duck plus Savannah Sparrows to the trip list.

And on the first of June, we took a stroll through the woods around Moose/Dredge Lake.

Overall, it was a great trip. For birding, I tallied 65 species, including 7 lifers, in 24 checklists. It was cool to see a Rock Ptarmigan up close, get a pretty good look at a Sooty Grouse, see plenty of Pacific Loons, and make my second observation of American Pipit, among all the other wonderful birds of the trip. As this was my second time to Juneau and third time to Alaska, it is getting harder to find new birds, so there is a chance that my next visit to Alaska will be to another area.

But beyond seeing new birds, I got to experience some beautiful days and very cool places. Glissading down bits of Mount Roberts, jamming to new music, watching a wild Humpback Whale from the rocks of Point Bridget, and just hanging out with my best friend will be memories that excite me far more than adding a few species to my life list and are reminders to just enjoy life.

Juneau '24, Part VI

 Between fresh excitement and the usual discomfort of camping, sleep, while not terrible, wasn't great. When my friend and I rolled out of our sleeping bags for the day, we returned to the same rock as the night prior and sat for a little over two hours. It wouldn't be the same kind of crazy, but it was, again, a beautiful day out.

We put some food in our stomachs and hustled along the trail back to my friend's vehicle. On the way back to town, we swung by the Statter Harbor. Among some ridiculous boats, we got my first Arctic Terns for the trip.

Juneau '24, Part V

Point Bridget State Park was probably the spot I was most looking forward to. Months before my touchdown in Juneau, my friend reserved us the Blue Mussel Cabin for a night. The cabin is in the perfect spot for birdwatching off the point.

But before making the drive to Bridget on Wednesday (May 29), my friend had a bit of work to take care of down at the Auke Nu Cove. So, while my friend worked, I walked about the cove with my camera.

Windy conditions shortened the workday for my friend, and in the middle of the afternoon we drove up the highway to the Point Bridget Trailhead. With my camera zipped up in my back, we made the hike at a good pace and unloaded at the cabin. It was a little after seven o'clock when we got ourselves comfortable on the rocks of the point and set our sights on the water and gorgeously blue skies. It would be an awesome evening.

Our first Humpback Whale of the evening, a young Bald Eagle, a (lifer!) Common Murre, and my closest look at a Pacific Loon all within the first hour of sitting set the tone.

Other birds included loads of gulls, scoters, Pigeon Guillemots, a lone oystercatcher, and some Harlequin Ducks. There was also a Harbor Seal or two plus a Sea Lion.

But the real show began a little after nine.

For half an hour, this Humpback Whale dunked, slapped, fluked, and breached. Its first breach happened within a few hundred feet of my friend and I, and it was absolutely crazy. The noise of the whale hitting the water combined with the sight of such a huge animal propelling itself into the air--wow. Pictures and videos won't do the experience justice. The trip was a lot of fun. But this evening and this whale really stood out.

As the sun continued to set, we headed back to the cabin. My friend filtered water and cooked up the food, and we enjoyed the fresh air while we ate, then got ready for bed.

Growing Geese, Grackles, Garden

It's awesome to see birds in different places. It's also nice to see familiar feathery faces. Now that I'm back from Alaska, almost all of my birding for the next two months will be close to home. Each day I look outside, I see fledgling grackles, sparrows and more. The early flowers are also coming into color for the summer, bringing in some flies, bees, butterflies and other little pollinators.

I went down to the park this morning to see how the waterfowl are doing. The six families of Canada Geese ranged from downy, yellow fluffs to almost full-sized geese.

Juneau '24, Part IV

After the big day on Mount Roberts, my friend and I gave ourselves a relaxing morning, then hopped over the bridge to bird Douglas Island. We managed to hit a few nice spots and see some new birds for the trip while also conserving energy for the next few days where we would be staying the night at Point Bridget State Park.

Our first stop on Douglas was the Nine Mile Creek which, in the middle of the afternoon, was pretty underwhelming. I was hoping to spot my first Vaux's Swifts, but there were hardly any birds beyond some gulls.

Next, we paused at one of the scenic overlooks on the North Douglas Highway and scanned the shore for birds. Our luck was a lot better here. We saw Pacific Loons flying over the water. A pair of Harlequin Ducks basked on the rocks. A ways off the shore, there was a big pack of scoters. I took a few shots, seeing White-winged and Surf Scoters in the mix and wouldn't realize until I got back from Alaska that there were two (or more) Black Scoters--lifer! In the middle picture, the Black Scoter has the small, plain-black, rounded head and the solid-orange bill.

Just around the bend was the Rainforest Trail. No lifers, but the trail led us to my first Alaskan Red-winged Blackbird and Red-necked Grebe! We also saw and heard plenty of Red-breasted Sapsuckers.

Our last spot for the day was the Eaglecrest skiing area. Not a ton of birds around in the stretch that we walked, but we did we get some close looks at the Steller's Jays and juncos.

And then some dinner and relaxing.