Eastward to Walla Walla
Last year, every bird was a life bird. By mid-February 2015 I had seen 77 new-to-me bird species. 77 lifers! I didn’t even know what a “lifer” was then. Over my first year birding, I saw 253 life birds. Not that I’m counting. But, yeah, I’m counting. So far this year I’ve seen 98 species (year birds), but only…
October-November yard birds
Who’s excited about Downy Woodpeckers in their yard? This gal! Confirmed male. And female. Pretty exciting news. I hope they stick around. And I hope they make little downy chicks in the spring for cuteness’ sake. This week has been all about gobs of Pine Siskins eating gobs of sunflower seeds. (and a House Finch…
Alaska By Land – Denali Part II
We saw five grizzly bears from the shuttle bus on the way towards our unit. Intimidating, much? We prepared for such encounters as best we could before setting off into the backcountry. Hiking in Denali has a few requirements. Contrary to Pacific Northwest training to walk single file along trails, Denali hikers are to spread out, preventing new trails…