Birding in Anchorage

June 1, 2013 - Anchorage, AK

I had the opportunity to bird with good friend Joe McLaughlin (left), who had just broken his nose kayaking, his partner Kim (center right), and their friend and renowned Alaskan birder Dave Sonneborn (right).  Ashley (center left), a birder from North Carolina, joined us.  I had met Dave on a pelagic trip out of Hatteras, North Carolina the previous spring and discovered he knew Joe.  On the choppy ride out to the Gulf Stream, we discussed all getting together to do some birding if I made it up to Anchorage.  It sounded too good to pass up so I started saving up Alaskan Airline mileage points. 

As one of the birds I was looking for was American Three-toed Woodpecker, we headed to Hillside Park straight from the airport.  After finding some nice local species - Olive-sided Flycatcher, Gray Jay, Townsend's Warbler, and a North American Porcupine, we decided to call it an evening.  Luckily for me, back at the cars Joe suggested one last loop around the trails.  Just a short distance from the parking lot we were startled by a loud drumming directly above us and looked up to great views of a male American Three-toed Woodpecker on territory.  

The next morning we woke up to light rain.  We had agreed to get back together for some more birding.  Dave had a special guest in town who happened to be looking to photograph a Three-toed Woodpecker.  Sandy Komito, 2-time big year record holder, was working on his photo life list - trying to photograph as many of the species of birds that occur in North America as possible.  Unfortunately, we could not reproduce the magic of the previous evening, but we enjoyed the company.  

Birding in the rain always reminds me of a Zen dialogue between a student and master I once read:

Student:  How is it when you are far, far on the one road [your life list]?
Master:  Not going [birding] while the sun is out, waiting for the rain to soak your head.