It’s not what you might think – I did not add a chicken to my year list today. I went to Chicken, Alaska. But before this trip of about 200 miles each way from Delta Junction, I did some exploration to try to find an Upland Sandpiper. Following the advice of Jeff Mason for most of my birding today, I went south a few miles out of Delta Junction in the area where I had found Sharp-tailed Grouse earlier this year, and was delighted to hear the distinctive wolf-whistles of an UPLAND SANDPIPER! The sandpiper only called for about 15 minutes way out in the field and then was silent, and I was never able to see him.
About 8:30 I started the drive to Chicken where Jeff had seen a Mountain Bluebird a week or so ago. After about 125 miles heading east toward Canada, I drove 66 miles north-east to Chicken, a small tourist town based on its gold-panning and dredging history. The most obvious birds there were Cliff Swallows, which had built nests on and were swarming around various underparts of a big gold dredge. Finally I saw a pair of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS hanging around the gold dredge, and then I noticed one of them coming out of a pipe, most likely its nest spot.
On my way back to Delta Junction in the mid-afternoon, I drove Barley Way again hoping to see a Upland Sandpiper. Instead, I had a female Sharp-tailed Grouse on the roadside that was very unhappy with my presence.
After getting back to Delta Junction, I consulted again with Jeff about ideas for where I might look for some other birds, and tomorrow expect to drive to Fairbanks and explore.
274 species so far (see lynnbarber.com for detailed list of species seen so far)
Lynn Barber's Birding Blog 