Birding Alaska

Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum, Portlock Drive, Homer, 1 December 2010.

Prior to 2004 Cedar Waxwings were considered casual fall and winter visitors to Southcoastal Alaska, with only a few reports from Seward, Anchorage, Kodiak, Valdez, and Middleton Island. The first reports of Cedar Waxwings in Homer came from the fall and winter of 2004-2005. At about this time regular reports from Southcoastal Alaska began to build and Cedars have since occurred in small numbers nearly every fall/winter since fall 2004. (The  fall and winter of 2008-2009 was the only winter they went unrecorded in Homer or anywhere in Southcoastal).

Instead of spending time with the related and more abundant wintering Bohemian Waxwings, in Homer they are more often seen in the company of American Robins. Fruiting mountain ash and bird cherry trees are excellent places to look. This Cedar Waxwing was one of two with a group of about 35 American Robins and fed in my neighbor’s mountain ash tree off of Portlock Drive. This is the third report of Cedar Waxwings on the Kenai Peninsula for the fall/winter 2010. It was previously reported this fall from Homer (nine on 8 November 2010) and Seward (four on 23 October 2010; Todd Eskelin pers. comm.)

I found these birds on a walk around the neighborhood and was even able to get in my yard–a new species for the growing yard list.

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?