Over the past 24 hours many spring migrants seem to have moved in. I got reports of good numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds at both Totem Park and Starrigavan. Two Osprey were seen at Heart and Thimbleberry Lake, and a Northern Harrier and Merlin at Starrigavan.
Osprey is one of only a handful of species I’ve seen but not photographed in Alaska, so I decided to make a quick trip out to Thimbleberry Lake early this evening.
I only had a limited amount of time, and the weather was not conducive to good viewing, with low clouds and drizzle. I did not find the Osprey (which I have only seen once in Alaska, and not yet photographed), but was impressed at how loaded some of the blueberry bushes were with flowers.
It was quiet while I was there, though I did see several Hermit Thrushes, my first of the year. I also saw a couple of Rufous Hummingbirds (which I had heard but not yet seen this year).
This evening there was a talk about pests on spruce trees, and I saw someone who had gotten photos of two Osprey at Thimbleberry and Heart Lake earlier in the day, so they may have been over at Heart Lake when I was checking Thimbleberry, or perhaps they had already left.
I drove by Starrigavan and saw Marbled Godwits, Black-bellied Plovers, and dowitchers, along with quite a few waterfowl, but I didn’t have time to stay long.
Weather was heavy overcast with occasional rain and calm winds. This evening the clouds were breaking up from the west, and the forecast for tomorrow is mostly sunny. The high temperature was only in the mid-40s, but it felt fairly warm to me when I was outside. Perhaps this was due to the 100% humidity and lack of wind.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
