A studio for bird study

Tag: arctic

July 22, 2013

Alaska Mosquitoes Are the Bane of All Existence, Even for the Willow Ptarmigan

by Bryce W. Robinson

IMG_7047 copy

What is the Alaska State Bird? Well, according to everyone I spoke to before my journey north, the Alaska state bird is the Mosquito. I’ll admit now, I understand their point. If there is no wind on the north slope, and temperatures are fair, the mosquitoes are intolerable. Luckily, one can prepare for the onslaught by bathing in carcinogenic 100% Deet and wearing cumbersome face nets.

One can prepare, if one is human. I saw first hand the other night that all blood carrying life here suffers from the miserable insects. I was watching a Sandhill Crane feeding in the short grass of the tundra. In an instant, the peaceful scene changed as two violent Willow Ptarmigan began a campaign to oust the crane from their area. I assume the behavior was due to the presence of a band of small young ptarmigans, hidden somewhere nearby.

After the crane wisely vacated the area, I took the opportunity to pair the striking summer plumage of the two ptarmigan with the golden evening sun for some spectacular photography. The Ptarmigan were cooperative. I set myself at an appropriate distance from the birds, and laid on the tundra to sit at their level. While I shot the birds, the Alaska state bird conducted its business on all of my vulnerable areas. It’s been three days, and I’m still itching.

What struck me most was the amount of mosquitoes on the head of the male Ptarmigan. The poor bird was constantly shaking the bastards off, but to no avail. He was being mercilessly bitten, and had no defense. I felt for the small feathered creature. In this instance we shared something; the misery of the mosquito, a fact of life in the north country.

IMG_7028 copy

 

4 Comments
July 19, 2013

Lost Gulls in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

by Bryce W. Robinson

 

Great Black-backed Gull- Larus marinus

Great Black-backed Gull- Larus marinus

If you’ve started to read, then I’m impressed. Gulls in the title is probably a big turn off for most birders. But in all purity, this is what birders love. VAGRANTS. 

Still, Gulls? It is my opinion that the average birder is bored when it comes to gulls. Bored not at the lack of challenge, for there certainly is a challenge, but bored at the birds general appearance and habits. These are simply assumptions on my part. I actually don’t know the reason for the lack of enthusiasm, but I bet the reasons for low numbers of “laruphiles”, or gull lovers, are numerous. Still, it is undeniable that it is widely understood that gulls are not the most exciting subjects when it comes to birding. I on the other hand, have felt an itch for paying attention to this highly successful bird group.

There are only two gulls that breed on the north slope of Alaska, being the Glaucous Gull, and the Sabine’s Gull. Both birds are rather distinctive. The Glaucous Gull differs from other large gulls by having a notably pale back, with entirely pure white remiges. This look is distinctive, even at a distance, allowing any oddballs to be easily recognizable.

The oil fields at Prudhoe Bay house a large number of people. With people comes trash, so it is no surprise that the oil fields have a dump. Dumps are gull magnets, and the dump at Prudhoe Bay is no different. Knowing that anything is possible in birding, I formed the habit of scanning the hundreds of gulls that hang around the dump from day to day. The habit finally paid off two weeks ago when I noticed a dark backed gull amongst the pale Glaucous Gulls.

I hurriedly snapped photos and analyzed the bird. To me, it resembled a Western Gull, but some aspects were a bit off. I also noticed that the bird was banded. Very exciting, given the ability to read the band. Reading bands is a complicated business, and as the gull was in an area that I was unable to enter, I couldn’t get close enough for a better photo, or a way to read the band myself. I wish I had explored my options further. This was the only time I saw the gull. So, no band number. 

I’m just learning the gull dilemma. It is a challenge. There is a lot to learn, and the differences between many species are slight. With this vagrant dark backed gull, I had to get some help. I emailed a friend in high places, and he soon got back to me with a consensus, along with the opinions of other authorities. The result was GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. A life bird for me, and a bird I hadn’t even considered. The back just didn’t seem dark enough. Still, after taking into consideration their input and analysis, I agreed. What a bird, so far from home.

In the following days I made my rounds by the dump, in hopes of finding the gull again to catch the band number. Last week, I thought I found the gull again, but actually, I had found something more exciting, a second dark backed gull. Immediatly I caught that this gull had no retained immature remiges, and had yellow legs. I knew the bird, even though it was another life bird; LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL!

 

Lesser Black-backed Gull- Larus fuscus

Lesser Black-backed Gull- Larus fuscus

Lesser Black-backed Gull- Larus fuscus

Lesser Black-backed Gull- Larus fuscus

Sometimes birding is a game of curve balls. I never knew I could get so excited over gulls, but it spoke true to one of the reasons I am a birder. I love to find birds far from home, on crazy journeys themselves. I love to wonder why, and what they’ve experienced, and simply recognize that they are here, and how strange or miraculous that is.

Birders find vagrants everyday, some, much more exciting than these gulls that passed through Prudhoe bay. Nonetheless, the gulls helped me remember; This is birding, to notice something spectacular, that is so often overlooked.

Lesser Black-backed Gull- Larus fuscus

Lesser Black-backed Gull- Larus fuscus

 

 

 

 

 

6 Comments
July 17, 2013

A Mid-summer Arctic Midnight with Yellow-billed Loons

by Bryce W. Robinson

For those that forget, it never gets dark in the arctic during summer. The result is a night full of spectacular light for photography, if the skies are clear.

A few days ago, my friend Heather found a pair of Yellow-billed Loons thirty miles south of Prudhoe Bay. I have been hoping for this particular loon ever since I arrived on the tundra, while keeping in mind that it was likely I would never see one. They prefer areas farther west, with more lakes and less oil workers. Like minds, I guess.

Lucky me, to have a friend like Heather, checking areas that I’ve been unable to make it to lately. I only have a week left here, so the loon’s timeliness cannot be overstated. My friends and I made some time last night to make a trip to the loons, hoping they stayed put for the day. In my mind, if I came away empty handed, the midnight sun would provide great photo opportunities with other birds as well.

Too bad the night was full of dramatic rain clouds, letting the sunlight through only in pieces. Too bad for photography, but not for my spirit. It was a perfect night, with near perfect temperatures, and loads of mosquitoes.

Anyway, the photography for the evening was a bust, but the loons were at the pond waiting for us! I’m not sure how to communicate my experience with the birds. Life birds, as birders term the first sight of a bird in their lifetime, can be the most incredible experience, but some leave you wanting. Some birds, for whatever reason, have been a bit anti-climactic for me. Not the Yellow-billed Loon. Perhaps the scenery contributed to the experience, but I must say that my first Yellow-billed Loons exceeded expectations.

The Yellow-billed Loon is in my top ten for the best life bird experiences I’ve had over my years of birding. The night smelled of tundra wildflowers and arctic rain. I laid myself on the edge of the pond for a spell of time, and filmed the birds. Today, my body itches from the hoards of mosquitoes that had their feast on my blood, but the experience was worth the itch. The birds forgot me, and soon drifted close, acting naturally, and providing me not only with some footage, but with a feeling of peace and joy in experiencing an emblematic life of the Arctic Coastal Plain.

Although the light was poor, I am very happy with the footage. I film these birds to share with those who love them as much as myself, but really I film them selfishly, to capture the moment so that I can watch them in years to come, and revisit the feeling of laying on the edge of a tundra pond, watching a pair of Yellow-billed Loons conduct their business.

 

10 Comments
July 13, 2013

Black-bellied Plover- Pluvialis squatarola

by Bryce W. Robinson

Black-bellied Plover- Pluvialis squatarola. Prismacolor on bristol board

Black-bellied Plover- Pluvialis squatarola. Prismacolor on bristol board

Often, I am impressed by the aesthetic of particular birds. The Black-bellied Plover has always been a visual delight for me, resulting in my ambition to illustrate the bird appropriately. In what little free time I have at the moment, I put together an illustration of a bird I see often, but always celebrate the sight.

Illustrating this bird provided me an opportunity at a study of the depth and texture of layered feathers. Paying attention to such detail really impresses me with the intricacy of each type of bird, and the adapted structure that directly relates to their life history. If you are unsure what I mean, perhaps it is something I need to elaborate upon with further illustrations and detailed description. Perhaps indeed… New project.

8 Comments