After watching my yard birds such as the Hairy Woodpecker, and continuing my photo sorting from earlier this year to begin to prepare for next year’s talks on Alaska birding, I took a trip to Ship Creek north of downtown Anchorage.
I first checked out the area where the creek drains into the inlet, but the only bird that I saw there was a raven (not photographed).
I then went up toward the bridge area where a Bald Eagle was watching over everything.
After photographing the eagle, I wandered upstream a bit and immediately spotted first one and then two Killdeers, which I know had been previously reported.
It was also no surprise to see a couple of Mallards.
It was a surprise, however, to see a Wilson’s Snipe probing the icy mud along the icy bank. I’m not sure I’ve seen a snipe in the northern winter before.
The final bird of my trip was an American Dipper, which was actively diving and swimming around in the icy water. Brrrr.
My future birding plans are up in the air – I’m being drawn in at least two directions, and decisions must be made soon.
304 species so far
Lynn Barber's Birding Blog 