Jaywatch, 2016, Pt. 2

My 2nd day at Buck Lake for the Jay Watch this year. Many known faces and a few new ones as we gathered for the group photo before heading out to our check points.



Once I settled in to my first point I took a bit of time to move up the trail during one of the in between call playing sessions. I was mainly looking at the trees but as I headed back to my starting point I gazed down and noticed a Black Bear paw print in the road! They looked fairly fresh. It rained last night so these prints were probably from not too long ago. They lead directly to...my check point flag and disappeared into the scrub. Gulp!



Along the road were a few flowers including a native pink spiderwort also called Roseling (Cuthbertia ornate).



At my next check point was was positioned to look back toward the rising Sun and to where I was not long ago. I began to play the call files and noticed several silhouettes approaching me. Could they be a family of Scrub Jays? No. A family of Eastern Towhee with two adults and several newly fledged young.



We passed this stalk of flowering Palmetto on the way back to our initial check points and I was glad we had a chance to come back by it again so I could get a photo.



I even got to walk past it as we headed toward the truck and get an even closer view. Never saw such a stalk before.



Our driver, Pete, did find our one Jay of the morning.



My next two stops were in areas not that common for the Jays so I always look for more flowers like the Loblolly Bay.



My final point had a good number of Asters blooming at the edge of the roadway.



A pretty scene for the end of the day. These areas are burned periodically to clear the way for a Jay friendly environment. Snags still stand above the lush new growth and tower into the sky.



Only one Scrub Jay in our transect. I recall many more in this area years ago so it is kind of sad. We will see how the data compiles later in the year. Hopefully, the birds are gaining ground in different areas.

Ketchikan

Ketchikan is a slightly larger town than our earlier stops and more obviously tourist-y. However, we were headed straight out to a stop around the coast to visit the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary.



The port is always busy with locals coming back to dock as other boats take tourists our on excursions while others head out by sea plane. The planes seemed to be taking off and landing continuously.



During our bus trip to the sanctuary we had Bald Eagles overhead from port to destination. The rainforest was beautiful and full of interesting plants. Once inside the canopy, the birds began to appear along the trail. I heard the guide behind us pointing out a sapsucker to her group so I tried for a shot. The bird flew toward our group and I could easily tell it was actually a Hairy Woodpecker.



When I caught up to our group they were bunched up at a turn and staring at the trees. Seemed they were watching a Bald Eagle right near the trail.



The eagle was cool and all but several of us started to wonder more about the shapes just below it. Turned out to be a mother Black Bear and two cubs resting in the branches! I could only get a clear view of one of the cubs.



We soon exited the forest out onto a boardwalk along the creek. It moves out across a beautiful marsh and I soon started hearing a slightly familiar song. Sure enough, up on a branch was a very loud Song Sparrow.



Swallows cruised the grasses and Bald Eagles were flying every where, including this 3rd year bird.



It was soon followed by a nice adult, all of them heading toward the bear tree.



Another part of the sanctuary experience, for some, is a series of zip lines that are strung all through the forest. The eagles seem to take the zipper in stride.



We exit the boardwalk and up to the reindeer pen where guests can feed the animals. Right after that we head into a rehab area and get looks at an injured eagle.



Nearby, a handler presented an injured Great-horned Owl for everyone to learn about.



Finally, we were passed through a shed where a carver was working on a totem pole and told of his experience about his art and then back to wait for the bus. We asked to be let off before the ship so we could explore Creek Street for a bit. We bought some gifts and on the way in we had a very brief visit from a Pine Siskin along the creek.



A fairly short walk back to the ship allowed some more photo ops, including a pose in front of "Thundering Wings" situated between the roadway and the water.



We got back to the ship and officially left Alaskan soil. I hope someday we can return to see more of this fantastic state. Maybe farther into the interior or the other islands. The weather turned out to be excellent for most of our trip. For now, we have a day of travel back to Vancouver.

Skagway

Day 4 takes us into port at Skagway, a town 5 blocks wide and 22 long, which was the next step in the long, dangerous trip toward the Yukon where gold-hungry would-be rich would unload their supplies before heading up into the mountains.



We arrived under cloudy skies and a light rain, but that would later clear up before we disembarked for our excursions. The cliffside of the harbor is covered with company logos and messages from previous cruise lines.



Even in this far-flung place, we cannot escape The Mouse!



I could see Arctic Terns by the airport but there was another tern right outside the boat that appeared smaller. More like a Least Tern. But they don't come this far North, do they?



But, after seeing this photo, I guess I have to stick with a small Arctic Tern. No other tern has that distinctive all-red bill. The bird was busy picking small crabs from the rocks instead of diving for fish.



Looking to the left of the tern you can see Skagway and the trains that would take us on trips into White Pass.



A wide angle shot of the Zuiderdam. I high-lighted our room up on the 6th promenade which provided us with great scenery look-outs all trip long. A HUGE thanks to the generosity of my in-laws for a fabulous trip!!!



We had a little time for browsing in town before our excursion. In the little park next to the trains were Stellar's Jay, Ravens, Violet-green Swallows and this accommodating Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon sub-species). This was with the short lens! Let me get right up close.



We hopped aboard the train and headed toward White Pass. Snaking down into the valley was a huge waterfall. The shear walls and evergreens were gorgeous.



The steep climb quickly takes us up the pass. This view shows some trestles where we will be shortly.



As we near the Canadian border the view changes to a more bleak landscape but just as beautiful as the greenery below.



The train stops in Fraser, British Columbia. We have to wait for Customs Officials to menace us for a few minutes but I am staring at the birds flying near the lake. We are suppose to jump right onto the bus back to Skagway but I have to try and ID them. A flock of Pine Siskin are there but something else flies closer. Turns out to be just a Chipping Sparrow.



Then back on the bus. The steep decent back to town is rather uneventful. A cool bridge, the railway across the gorge, another trip through customs. Then we near town and the driver spots it. A Vampire Bear! Well, really just a Black Bear eating Dandelions, but cool. Black Bear live all around us in Florida but this is the first sighting I have ever had.



After stopping for a little faux mining town and seeing a fun show, we pan for a few flakes of gold and head back to the ship. Not a lot of wildlife but good enough. Landscapes galore. This is not a landscape blog, though. Tomorrow should prove eventful. Glacier Bay!