May 19, 2013 - Tiglax sails and other birdy stuff

Date: May 19, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Homer, AK Weather: brilliant sunshine Temperature: start 36º High 51º Wildlife count: Sea Otters (100+), One Moose Year List: 227 Birds: Wandering Tattler, Rock Dove, Lesser Scaup, Bonaparte’s Gull, Western, & Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Dowitcher, Brant’s Geese, Greater Yellowlegs, Northern Pintail, Canada Geese, Mallard, Magpie, Greater White-fronted Geese, Trumpeter Swan, Horned & Red-necked Grebe, Northern Shoveler, Tree Swallow, Pacific & American Golden-Plover, American Robin (yea –spring is here!),...

May 18, 2013 - First day of work at the Visitor's Center

Date: May 18, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Homer, AK Weather: snow, sunny later in the day Temperature: start 37º High 42º Wildlife count: Sea Otters (100+) Year List: 224 Birds: Lesser Scaup, Common Loon, Northwestern Crow, Bald Eagle, Common Raven, Black-legged Kittiwake, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Glaucous Gulls, Green-winged Teal, Surfbirds, Mew Gulls, Wandering Tattler, Dowitchers, Northern Shovelers, Black Scoter, Song Sparrow We were up and out at the harbor by 7:45am, watching for the Tiĝlax to leave. No one seemed to be aboard, so we...

May 17, 2013 - Earthquake!

Date: May 17, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Homer, AK Weather: am clouds, pm sun Temperature: start 41º High 46º Wildlife count: Year List:223 Birds: Bald Eagle, Crows, Ravens, Great White-fronted Geese, Whimbrel, American & Eurasian Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, When we got to bed last night, I accused John of kicking the bed. However, we soon realized that it was not John – we were experiencing an earthquake! It rattled for about 30 seconds. When we got up this morning, the earthquake site revealed that a 4.5 earthquake occurred at 9:24 pm last...

May 16, 2013 - We've adopted!

Finally it happened...Jeffrey and I adopted a 6 y/o male, handsome and strong, dark haired, furball named "Skeeter." Guess you may know already from the pix that he is a sled dog. Denali National Park is the only NP that has Canine Rangers! These rangers work very hard all winter mushing into the park to provide various services to researchers, resource monitoring and assorted projects. Then the summer arrives, and they get some vacation...tho they do provide fun and interesting sled dog demonstrations for the up to 500 visitors per day at...

May 16, 2013 - Orientation #2

Date: May 16, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Homer, AK Weather: cloudy, rain showers Temperature: start 41º High 46º Wildlife count: Moose, Sea Otters Year List: 223 Birds: Bald Eagle, Crows, Ravens, Magpies, Scaup, Today was our second day of orientation, covering interpretation, the sights of Homer, front desk operation and the Kachemak Bay Estuarine Research Reserve, which is housed in the Visitor’s Center with the Refuge. It was an interesting day. After filling our propane bottle, we are home for the evening. Dinner was pork/cheese...

May 15, 2013 - Alaska Party Time and Orientation #1

Date: May 15, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Homer, AK Weather: partly cloudy Temperature: start 36º High 46º Wildlife count: Moose, Sea Otters Year List: 223; Life List: 357 Birds: Lapland Longspur, Cackling Geese, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Dowitchers, Mallard, Northwestern Crows, Common Ravens, Bald Eagles, Song Sparrow, Scaup, Common Loon, Northern Pintail, Dunlins, Western Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers Before our orientation began this morning, we took a walk to our beach in front of the campground, and then Beluga...

May 14, 2013 - A beautiful day in Homer

Date: May 14, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Homer, AK Weather: brilliant sunshine Temperature: start 40º High 49º Wildlife count: Moose Year List: 221 Birds: Pigeon Guillemot, White-winged Scoter, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dowitchers (35), American Wigeon, Cackling Geese, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Raven, Bald Eagles, Scaup, Swans, Glaucous, Glaucous-winged & Mew Gulls, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Pelagic Cormorants, Common Loons, Robin, Gadwall, Bufflehead The sun was shining beautifully this morning when we got up, so we took a walk...

May 13, 2013 - Finally - in our permanent site for the summer!

Date: May 13, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Homer, AK Weather: mostly cloudy, drizzle Temperature: start 41º High 47º Wildlife count: Moose, in our backyard; Huge raft of Sea Otters Year List: 221; Life List: 355 Birds: (25) Bald Eagles, Black-legged Kittiwake, Pelagic Cormorant, Surfbirds (50), Northwestern Crow, Common Ravens, Glaucous, Glaucous-winged & Mew Gulls, Lesser Scaup, Sandhill Cranes, Dunlin, Green-winged Teel, Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintail, Short-billed Dowitchers, Common Murre (100s) Whoohoo! We moved to our permanent site...

May 12, 2013 - Hiking the Anchor River Delta

Date: May 12, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Homer, AK Weather: mostly cloudy, a few brief showers Temperature: start 44º High 52º Wildlife count: Sea Otter Year List: 220; Life List: 354 Birds: Common Merganser, Sandhill Crane, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Savannah Sparrow, Bald Eagle, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs, Rock Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Least & Western Sandpiper, Merlin, Belted Kingfisher, Magpie, American Pipit, Northern Harrier, Black Turnstone, Horned Lark, Black-bellied...

May 11, 2013 - Festival Work Day

Date: May 12, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Homer, AK Weather: mostly cloudy, drizzle Temperature: start 44º High 48º Wildlife count: Moose, Sea Otters, Year List: 218; Life List: 353 Birds: Hermit Thrush, Ring-necked Pheasant, Hudsonian Godwit, Western Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Dunlins, Black-bellied Plover, Sandhill Cranes, Greater Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitchers, We began the morning with breakfast at the Methodist Church, served by the Alaska State Park rangers and UM Men. We were at work at the Chamber office by 8am for...

May 10, 2013 - "Well it 'IS' Alaska..."

May 12th Happy Mother's Day! Week one for work is complete for Mary Ann, and Jeffrey starts his first week tomorrow. Are we in the groove yet, no way. This is the shoulder season and that mean 'dry camping' for most of the employees and locals. Translation - there is NO running water except in select locations only. All of us are carrying water to our digs and showering in central locations. For us that means walking to a building adjacent to our trailer area to fill us pitchers, water bottles, Powerade bottle and the like. Some of my...

May 10, 2013 - Moving forward.

I got what I wanted! I now have the bike as I ordered it and am very satisfied. The over all appearance of the bike is very nice. The Jesse bags are a plus also. They are a bit beefier than the ones I had on my 2007. I am very happy with my choices. Now, all that needs to happen in my finalized commitment to the trip. I am sitting on the fence at present. The weather patterns are less than perfect here in Alaska and the lower 48 has had the worse April weather in ten years. So, I have moved my leaving date forward to about June 9th or so. I...