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.
