I am posting today some of yesterday’s pictures taken during my very enjoyable walk around Ward Lake in Ketchikan, including scenes, and pictures of a Red-breasted Sapsucker, Orange-crowned Warbler, Fox Sparrow, Pacific Wren, Hermit Thrush, White-fronted Goose, Common Merganser and Golden-crowned Sparrow.

This morning I started my lengthy flight back to Anchorage via Wrangell, Petersburg and Juneau arriving mid-afternoon after more than a 6-hour trip, which took about three times longer than the later scheduled flights that would have got me back to Anchorage late tonight. The scenery was beautiful below us, I got much reading done, and I made a first list of the photos and paintings that I hope to use in my new book. Now I’m looking forward to starting painting again, very soon!

My quick trip to Ketchikan is nearly over. I arrived this morning from an overnight in Juneau, and immediately went birding to Ward Lake and nearby areas. I will try to post photos tomorrow. There was nothing rare but everything shouted “spring!” – singing Townsend’s Warblers, blooming skunk cabbage, greenness. It was a great walk around the lake and a great drive on the road past the lake. I think my talk went well tonight -lots of people came. And I was treated out to dinner afterward. I need to come back and spend more time here, one of my favorite AK places.

 

To end my Texas trip, I birded in the Rockport (Texas) area April 21-22. Unfortunately, warblers were mostly missing as apparently they were in much of coastal Texas. The forecast was to bring more in after our scheduled departure the morning of April 23rd.

One of the most productive birdy places was the rapidly diminishing pond in the Shell Ridge Rd. area. Shorebirds there at the various times I went there included dowitchers (mostly Long-billed), a couple of Wilson’s Phalaropes (photo), Stilt Sandpiper (photo), Killdeer, Black-bellied, Wilson’s, Semipalmated and Piping Plovers, Baird’s and White-rumped Sandpipers, Black-necked Stilts, Dunlins, Marbled Godwits, plus there were Least Terns (photo; nest there), Tricolored Herons, Great and Snowy Egrets, and White Ibises.

At the Rockport Demo Garden I finally saw one of the Fulvous Whistling-Ducks that have been around.

We arrived back in Alaska near midnight last night. Almost all of the snow has melted around our house in Anchorage, and the exposed brown grass is beginning to change to green. There are even a few lilac buds. Possibly spring will happen.

Yesterday afternoon before my talk at Golden Triangle Audubon last night, and this morning, I birded one of my very favorite spots, Sabine Woods (Texas) and nearby areas.

Special birds seen but no photographs taken include Black-throated Blue Warbler (male), Cape May Warbler, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Blue Grosbeak. Bird photographs shown below are of a Boat-tailed Grackle (additional photo shown with Texas longhorns), a Dickcissel launching itself from a wire, a perched Common Nighthawk, Loggerhead Shrikes, a Swainson’s Warbler scratching in the leaves and very hard to see, a roadside Seaside Sparrow, a couple of the 20 or so Tree Swallows on the road (shot through front windshield), and a Least Bittern at McFaddin NWR.

Tomorrow Debra and I plan to bird the Rockport area, our last full day in Texas for this trip.

Debra Corpora and I birded in Port Aransas (Texas) today, including at the Birding Center, Paradise Pond, the 361 Wetlands, the Willows south of Port A, and Charlie’s Pasture.

The first highlight was the continuing Purple Gallinule at the Birding Center that appears to have zero fear of or even any awareness of humans. It approaches and walks by, grazing on the seeds of the guinea grass, sometimes climbing the branches of a mulberry so it is at grass-seed level and can munch the tops of the 2-3 foot high grass stalks.

Other highlights, as usual, included the multiple Least Bitterns and the Common Gallinule (Moorhen) nest also at the Birding Center.

At Paradise Pond a very close Roseate Spoonbill feeding in the shallow water was one of the highlights, as well as all the other close-up birds such as a Reddish Egret. At the end of this post is a video I took of the Spoonbill.

There was an American Redstart at Paradise Pond and another at the Willows.

At the big covered area at Charlie’s Pasture, Barn Swallows were building a nest.

Back at the Birding Center there was at least one Rose-breasted Grosbeak (not as brightly colored as some).

And back at Paradise Pond, the Spoonbill was still feeding.

A great day! Tomorrow I drive to Beaumont/Port Arthur to give my Alaska big year talk at Golden Triangle Audubon, and to bird of course!

Finally more than a handful of warbler were around yesterday. In the afternoon at Goose Island State Park, Debra Corpora and I (and the other gathered birders) saw Nashville, Black-throated Green, Yellow-throated, Tennessee, Blue-winged (we saw after Debra and I left the group) and Blackburnian (photos), all high above us in the live oaks. We also had Red-eyed, White-throated, Warbling and Blue-headed Vireos (photo) and some folks saw a Philadelphia Vireo. We also saw the most orange Baltimore Oriole anyone had ever seen (photo).

The day before I saw a Cerulean Warbler in Port Aransas, as well as other great birds, but no time to post more than that. Debra and I are going birding shortly.

I thought I’d try again to put a video in. This is yesterday’s Sora in Port Aransas.

I’m going to try another one. This is yesterday’s Least Bittern.

Tomorrow I’ll post more photos from my Rockport birding.

 

I wish to thank Ann Hoover who hosted me for the Fort Worth Audubon meeting and Debra Corpora my Rockport host.

I birded in Port Aransas and Rockport (Texas) today, and saw about 60 species, which is more than I’ve seen all year so far in Alaska. I was going share some of my videos of skulking and feeding birds but they took too long to load. Maybe when I’m back home I’ll try that again.

There was not much migrant activity today but since I had not been to Texas earlier this year, everything was new for my state year list. Highlights for me were numerous Sora rails and multiple Least Bitterns at the Birding Center, a continuing Magnificent Frigatebird at the pond across from the Post office and a Summer Tanager male at Paradise Pond.

In Rockport I went to see one of the Sooty Terns that was reported among the Laughing Gulls and Black Skimmers.

Tomorrow I plan to bird north of Rockport a bit.