The Dewdrop World

Birds on the Big Island

On our last day in Hawaii, after sending the kids off to Oahu to stay with Scott and Anna, Chris and I had the great privilege of going birding with photographer and naturalist Jack Jeffries. Jack is a biologist with a long history working in the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge.

The Refuge is reachable down a partially unpaved and massively pothole plagued road... about an hour from the place where the summit road meets the saddle road on the Big Island. Off-limits to the general public, it was like entering a primeval garden. It is here where birders can find the six Hawaiian honeycreepers. 

But I was really there to see the Nenes and their babies!

I am a Nene lover. The Hawaiian goose is the sweetest cutest goose in the world.... well, I have to admit I was a bit surprised when Jack got too close to a pair protecting their goslings and the Papa Nene, assumed a dive bombing posture and rushed Jack hissing like a snake. That was very impressive and also adorable. I love them!

We also saw the Hawaii Elepaio, the Iiwe, the Hawaii Creeper, the Hawaii Amakihi, the Omao, and the Akiapolaau (aka the Aki). We mainly birded with our binos, so I didn't get many photos, but I think the big thrill was the Aki. We got fabulous pictures and really got to look at this endangered and rare bird. I am also a big fan of the I'iwe--the iconic bird of Hawaii--and was thrilled to finally see one in real life! We heard their song in Volcano National Park but never managed to catch a glimpse of one. Their song is described as "a couple of whistles, the sound of balls dropping in water, the rubbing of balloons together, and the squeaking of a rusty hinge."

Jack

Jack and photographer Gary L. Miller

We were at 6500 feet on the slopes of Mauna Kea--domes visible on snowy summit above.

Birding at the Huntington--Audubon

A truly lovely day out with Katie and the Audubon group at the Huntington library! I saw my first northern flicker although I didn’t get a very good picture. We just had a fabulous time--and three new lifers: Northern Flicker, Red-shouldered hawk and several yellow chevron parakeets.

Acorn Woody
You are not a bird!
Acorm Wood paradise
Red tailed hawk

Allen's Hummer
Chinese Garden
Red Crown Parrot
Cactus Garden

Red- shoulder hawk


Bandtail Pigeon




Bewick’s wren
Highlight: Wilson's Warbler!

Malibu Lagoon

We had such a fruitful birding weekend! Nine new birds--though several of those we had seen before but I neglected to count. 

The highlight of the weekend was the Sora at Malibu (below) But we loved seeing so many willets--like this guy above.

We also saw black-bellied plovers (above) and marbled godwits (below)--which looked so different from the birds we saw in the Kenai. 


The snowy plovers were healthy and happy-looking--as were the double crested cormarants.


We saw our first ruddy turnstones 

I also have never seen fish right in the lagoon literally jumping out of the water! They were huge. 

I had no idea what they were, but Makoto said they were mullets. He said that they are a lot like carp--kind of oily and with a strong smell. Of course, he immediately went out and bought some and cooked up the fish.

They had it as sashimi with soy sauce and also thick slices in sesame vinegar and miso. Finally he fried it. 

なんと魚屋さんにボラが売ってましたよ。

早速、食べてみました

　刺身　 厚切り わさび醤油で

あらい 薄切り 胡麻酢味噌で

和え物 角切り 胡麻油にんにく生姜で

揚げ物 厚切り オリーブ油で揚げました

Ψ(￣∇￣)Ψ

ボラは冬場に向けて脂がのって美味しいですね～♪昔は臭いがきつくて食べるの遠慮してたのですが臭いも全く無しでした

The lagoon was really mucky.
But we had so much fun with my mom--after birding we went out to Tony Taverna

The Sora

This was the highlight of the bird year! Not only was it a beautiful bird, with a haunting call--but it was so fun to stalk and track it. Tracey walked us through it. She sent a pin of where she saw it at Legacy Park in Malibu, and so we followed her instructions to the letter. Locating the southwest corner of the pond, we went off road and waited near the reeds--Chris at one spot and me in another. We both used call back and knew there were at least two birds in the reeds. It took patience but how wonderful after 45 minutes to see the Sora come out, hesitating... but then darting at full speed across the water--it looked like it was walking on water.

Birder pal Chris L. says: "Sora are very difficult to see. You might hear them but rarely see them. This is a real treat."

The sora (Porzana carolina) is a small waterbird of the family Rallidae, sometimes also referred to as the sora rail or sora crake. The genus name Porzana is derived from Venetian terms for small rails, and Carolina refers to the Carolina Colony. "Sora" is probably taken from a Native American language.

Legacy Park is a nice spot in Malibu along the highway. We saw a beautiful snowy egret munching on dragonflies, a group of mallards and a beautiful green teal.

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve (September 4, 2021)

A Great Egret

Reddish Egret

Snowy Egret

Long-billed Curlew

Marbled Godwit

Royal Terms (?) Lifer

Pie-Billed Grebe

Western Sandpiper (Lifer!)

Black Bellied Plover

Willet

Trip Out to Kenai Fjords National Park

Impossibly beautiful--this was the Alaska of my imagination. The trip begins out of Seward harbor. Resurrection Bay opens into the rugged Gulf of Alaska...

The Park is small by Alaska standards. And the only access to it is by boat. We stayed in the Park's only lodge which gave us three full days to explore the area by kayak and canoe. To get there, though, was part of the adventure.

Resurrection Bay is the gateway to the park and is the first place the boat slows down to look around. 

The Stellar Sea Lions were the most exciting sight-- an endangered animal. We also saw tufted puffins--so cute!

It was cold and raining.

We came to Alaska for Puffins and Arctic Terns!


But we left in love with Stellar Sea lions and Harbor Seals (bottom)

 

We saw plenty of Common Murres.


Alaska's ubiquitous mew gulls. 
We also saw a mountain goat.

Double Crested Cormorants were almost as common as Bald Eagles in Alaska. They looked so healthy!





This is a Rhinoceros Auk. Another thrill! The squat, grayish Rhinoceros Auklet is a close relative of puffins, although it doesn't sport quite such a fancy bill. Still, its name refers to the single vertical horn that sticks up from its orange bill—an odd accessory that turns out to be fluorescent and may be used for visual communication. These seabirds are fairly common along the Pacific Coast of North America, where they hunt close to shore for small schooling fish, pursuing them by "flying" underwater with strong wingbeats.

The colors were surreal in the Bay with algae and sea stars galore.

Leaving Resurrection Bay led to a mad dash across the Gulf of Alaska. The sea is extremely unpredictable there and the captains were silent and seemed to be trying to just get passed the Gulf as quickly as possible. People's return was postponed two days later from the lodge because of rough seas. It was absolutely terrifying when we made the return trip four days later. On way into the Park was clear and peaceful--except for the rain.




As soon as you enter the waters of the park, you find yourself in an icy world --Pederson Icefield feeds multiple large glaciers. 

Then coming into the beach where the lodge is located, we saw a whale and our first Black Oystercatchers

After disembarking, we met our guides for a mile walk up the black sand beach and through a very verdant forest to reach the lodge, which was set on two laggons, formed by a retreating glacier. 

We though the setting on the lagoon was stunning. There is an upper lagoon that you visit using the canoe and then hiking back into the country.

Barrows Goldeneyes on the move!

My favorite harbor seals!!

Time to find our cabin... to be continued.

Trip Out to Kenai Fjords National Park

Impossibly beautiful--this was the Alaska of my imagination. The trip begins out of Seward harbor. Resurrection Bay opens into the rugged Gulf of Alaska...

The Park is small by Alaska standards. And the only access to it is by boat. We stayed in the Park's only lodge which gave us three full days to explore the area by kayak and canoe. To get there, though, was part of the adventure.

Resurrection Bay is the gateway to the park and is the first place the boat slows down to look around. 

The Stellar Sea Lions were the most exciting sight-- an endangered animal. We also saw tufted puffins--so cute!

It was cold and raining.

We came to Alaska for Puffins and Arctic Terns!


But we left in love with Stellar Sea lions and Harbor Seals (bottom)

 

We saw plenty of Common Murres.


Alaska's ubiquitous mew gulls. 
We also saw a mountain goat.

Double Crested Cormorants were almost as common as Bald Eagles in Alaska. They looked so healthy!





This is a Rhinoceros Auk. Another thrill! The squat, grayish Rhinoceros Auklet is a close relative of puffins, although it doesn't sport quite such a fancy bill. Still, its name refers to the single vertical horn that sticks up from its orange bill—an odd accessory that turns out to be fluorescent and may be used for visual communication. These seabirds are fairly common along the Pacific Coast of North America, where they hunt close to shore for small schooling fish, pursuing them by "flying" underwater with strong wingbeats.

The colors were surreal in the Bay with algae and sea stars galore.

Leaving Resurrection Bay led to a mad dash across the Gulf of Alaska. The sea is extremely unpredictable there and the captains were silent and seemed to be trying to just get passed the Gulf as quickly as possible. People's return was postponed two days later from the lodge because of rough seas. It was absolutely terrifying when we made the return trip four days later. On way into the Park was clear and peaceful--except for the rain.




As soon as you enter the waters of the park, you find yourself in an icy world --Pederson Icefield feeds multiple large glaciers. 

Then coming into the beach where the lodge is located, we saw a whale and our first Black Oystercatchers

After disembarking, we met our guides for a mile walk up the black sand beach and through a very verdant forest to reach the lodge, which was set on two laggons, formed by a retreating glacier. 

We though the setting on the lagoon was stunning. There is an upper lagoon that you visit using the canoe and then hiking back into the country.

Barrows Goldeneyes on the move!

My favorite harbor seals!!

Time to find our cabin... to be continued.

Birds in Anchorage

As soon as we arrived, we drove down the gorgeous Turnagain Arm--a scenic drive that hugs the side of the mountain --nearly flush to the water. I think it is the most beautiful drive I've ever been on, rivaling my other two drives, the River Road in West Texas and the scenic drive from San Sepolchro to Urbino. Within minutes we saw the two representative Anchorage birds, the Black-Capped Chickadee and the Mew Gull. 

The next day we met bird guide Sulli Gibson at Anchorage's famous Potter's Marsh. The marshy estuary is just filed with beautiful birds. My favorites were pintail ducks, green teals, Alder Flycatchers, redpolls, Canada geese babies, so many yellowlegs, American widgeons, and Wilson's snipes....and mew and herring gulls galore. 

We also drove back down the Turnagain Arm to chase after the Orange-Crowned Warbler (beautiful song) and Golden-Crowned Sparrow.

 

Alder Flycatcher

Wilson Snipe

Northern Pintail
Cana Goose
Yellowlegs
Mew Gull

Green-teal
Wilson Snipe

Dall Sheep

Orange-Crowned Warbler

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Common Redpoll

3 Top Birding sites in Alaska

On Sully's recommendation, that afternoon Chris went running on the Terry Knowles trail... he took me back later that night before we got pizza at Moose's Tooth, so I could see the Arctic Tern with my own eyes--world champion migrator and top 100 bird. 

We saw plenty of arctic terns, along with a gorgeous red-throated grebe and lots of Canada Geese. 

She was not happy with Chris taking her photo!

Awesome apricot pizza from Moose's Tooth, recommended by Sulli

Red-Throated Grebe



Our hotel

Download Girdwood

We also saw on our first day Cow Parnsip.... the wildflower that haunted our days. 

 

++

On our last day, we went birding with Sulli again--and that is when I saw my favorite bird of the trip, the Red-Throated Loon.

This bird was so sweet. He was loved airplanes and returns to the floatplane airport and calls out every time someone starts their plane... it was just incredible. By that time, I had fallen in love with the haunting call of the red-throated loons. 

The lagoon was situated against the international airport. We saw more Bonaparte's Gulls, which I love!

We also saw a rare Boreal Chickadee, Downy woodpecker, and a red-breasted nuthatch. 

Backyard Birding Summer 2021

The junco is two weeks behind last year's nesting. I hope everything is okay. She is used to my peering in and let me snap one photo today. 

Leaving for Alaska so sad to be missing the hatching. Hope all goes well!

Last shot is a California Towhee in flight.

Santa Clara Estuary, Ventura 2021

We spent the Fourth of July in Ventura. This was the last birding excursion before we leave for Alaska. 

A glorious misty morning, we saw Western Grebes (Lifer) and a solitary Willet (Lifer). It was magical watching the pelicans! I took these shots with my pocket camera... which says something of how close we got. 

Most shorebirds have headed to Alaska (we will follow them there).... there were a few snowy plovers and killdeer--and so many pelicans and western grebes out on the water (ocean and pond).

The junco laid three eggs. I am listening to a hawk fledging and her mother hunting outside (nest in oak tree behind our house?) They nest there every year. The junco nest was over two weeks late this year, compared to last year--sad that we will miss all the action when we are in Alaska.