Birding Alaska

Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus, Seaside Farm, Homer, 14 February 2010.

There have been quite a few reports of Saw-whet Owl from Homer this winter, many coming from Seaside Farm.  This bird was quietly sleeping in a spruce tree in the middle of the day.  Unlike the Saw-whets seen at Seaside Farm earlier in the winter, this bird was sitting in the open on the lower branches of the tree and we spotted it from a distance of 50 yards or more.

Emperor Goose Chen canagica, Homer, 1 January 2010.

Originally found on the Homer Christmas Bird Count (CBC) on 19 December 2009, this Emperor Goose was a dandy way to ring in the new year. It is of less than annual occurrence on the Kenai Peninsula.

Other Alaska CBC totals for Emperor Goose this year include: Adak–102; Unalaska/Dutch Harbor–1368; Kodiak–588; Narrow Cape/Kalsin Bay (on Kodiak Island)–114; and Homer–1.

Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus, two of three present at Seaside Farms, Homer, 12 December 2009.

The migratory habits of Northern Saw-whet Owls are far from understood.  A banding study in Homer this fall captured and banded 179 Saw-whets from one site!  It’s clear that many Saw-whets do move further south for the winter months, but it’s also clear that some do remain in southcentral Alaska throughout the winter.  However, during the mid-winter months these birds are most often silent and detecting their presence is not easy, usually requiring luck.  These owls were two of three at Mossy Kilcher’s Seaside Farm in Homer today.  Both birds were roosting quietly in dense spruce but were given away by the scolding calls of mobbing chickadees, nuthatches and others.

Townsend’s Solitaire Myadestes townsendi, Homer, 7 December 2009.

Townsend’s Solitaires are uncommon to rare breeders at treeline on the Kenai Peninsula.  They are rare and erratic winter visitors to Homer.  This individual has  been frequenting chokecherries and mountain ash trees on Fernwood since at least 3 December.

Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum, Seaside Farms, Homer, 5 December 2009.

This hatch-year Cedar Waxwing was one of two present at Mossy’s Seaside Farm on 5 December.  She’s seen up to six Cedars in her fruit trees, usually with a flock of American Robins, sporadically since mid-September.  Cedar Waxwings are relatively new arrivals to the Homer list.  The first reports for Homer came from the winter of 2004-2005; they have since occurred in small numbers nearly annually in the fall and winter.

Other frugivores currently in Homer include Homer’s first record of Mountain Bluebird present since 18 November and still present on 7 December, and hundreds of American Robins and Bohemian Waxwings.  What will be next?

Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides, Homer, 18 November 2009.

Perched alone on the top of a birch, I pulled over to take a look at what I was expecting to be an American Robin.  Instead, this Mountain Bluebird made for a big surprise on my way home from town today.   It moved around frequently, but finally settled down in a choke cherry on the west side of the Church of Christ, East End Road.  There is a lot of fruit on the trees in town right now so maybe it will stick around.