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Updated on Monday, August 30 at 01:15 PM ET
The most recently received Mail is at the top.


Masked Shrike,©Jan Wilczur

30 Aug Fw: Still Seeing Hummingbirds? Please Let Us Know! []
30 Aug Re: Dead varied thrushes. []
29 Aug Re: Re:Dead varied thrushes. [Gwen Baluss ]
29 Aug Re:Dead varied thrushes. []
28 Aug Dead varied thrushes. ["spruceak" ]
27 Aug Brant at Lincoln island ["Toi" ]
26 Aug Lesser black-backed gull off Dike Trail [Paul Suchanek ]
26 Aug Upland sandpiper, Gustavus. ["spruceak" ]
25 Aug Surfbirds at Outer Point [Paul Suchanek ]
25 Aug Re: rufous hummer banded in Florida recaptured in Chenega Bay, Alaska [Linda Shaw ]
25 Aug Re: rufous hummer banded in Florida recaptured in Chenega Bay, Alaska [Gwen Baluss ]
24 Aug News [Steve Zimmerman ]
19 Aug Re: Too Close! ["Becky Carls" ]
19 Aug Too Close! [1 Attachment] [Steve Zimmerman ]
19 Aug Re: rufous hummer banded in Florida recaptured in Chenega Bay, Alaska [Linda Shaw ]
19 Aug rufous hummer banded in Florida recaptured in Chenega Bay, Alaska [Paul Suchanek ]
19 Aug Stilt sandpipers, Gustavus ["spruceak" ]
18 Aug unusual bird [Laurie Craig ]
11 Aug Eu. collared-dove hangout [Gwen Baluss ]
11 Aug morning high speed chase [Beth Peluso ]
11 Aug young goshawk [Gwen Baluss ]
5 Aug Vaux's swifts [Gwen Baluss ]
04 Aug Pied-billed Grebes ["Matt Goff" ]
04 Aug Pied-billed Grebes ["Matt Goff" ]
04 Aug Juneau Audubon next Saturday Wild Event - Lichens [Mark Schwan ]
3 Aug still black scoters [Beth Peluso ]
2 Aug Bird Name Changes [1 Attachment] [Gwen Baluss ]
02 Aug Long-tailed Jaeger near Kake 7/20 ["andersonmark142" ]
18 Jul Bar-tailed godwit at Mendenhall Wetlands - 7/18 [Paul Suchanek ]
13 Jul The Mystery of Snow- a lecture at UAS WED Jul 14 7pm ["bwright1208" ]
10 Jul Partial albino raven in Mountainside [Keeffe Laird ]
07 Jul FW: The BP Oil Spill and its Implications for Alaska 7/8 7pm UAS Egan Library ["Agler, Bev (DFG)" ]
06 Jul Saturday Wild, July 10 Alpine birds & flowers above Mt. Roberts Tram ["bwright1208" ]
04 Jul Update on banded Godwits ["andersonmark142" ]
29 Jun Re: Summer Canvasbacks [Steve Zimmerman ]
28 Jun Summer Canvasbacks [Mark Schwan ]
26 Jun Re: Banded Hudsonian Godwits - Juneau [Gwen Baluss ]
25 Jun Banded Hudsonian Godwits - Juneau ["andersonmark142" ]
21 Jun Eurasian Collared-Dove in Haines [Paul Suchanek ]
19 Jun Adult Sabine's gull at Eagle Beach - 6/19 [1 Attachment] [Paul Suchanek ]
18 Jun Cedar Waxwings - Thane Rd. ["andersonmark142" ]
17 Jun Satureday Wild ["Merrill" ]
14 Jun Juneau 3 Alder Flycatchers in one day ["andersonmark142" ]
13 Jun Petersburg. Collared-doves, etc. [Gwen Baluss ]
13 Jun Fw: Caspian Terns at Mendenhall lake [Gwen Baluss ]
12 Jun Gray Catbird ["Matt Goff" ]
12 Jun Gray Catbird ["Matt Goff" ]
12 Jun Skagway Birding Trip - 6/7-11 [Paul Suchanek ]
09 Jun Western Tanager ["paddlinda" ]
09 Jun OT: Canada's search for a national bird ["Bill Z" ]
08 Jun Eurasian collared-doves, Gustavus ["spruceak" ]
07 Jun Pied-billed Grebe ["Matt Goff" ]
07 Jun Pied-billed Grebe ["Matt Goff" ]
6 Jun Cinnamon teal near mouth of Mendenhall River - 6/06 [Paul Suchanek ]
6 Jun Alder Flycatcher [Karla Hart ]
05 Jun moose lake environs Audubon walk [Deanna MacPhail ]
05 Jun Some summer birds singing... AMRE WAVI COYE PSFL ["andersonmark142" ]
1 Jun Molting Eagle - not molting but.... []
31 May Molting Eagle? ["Toi" ]
31 May Western Tanager [Gwen Baluss ]
30 May Northern waterthrush [KIM TITUS AND DEB RUDIS ]
30 May birding websites [Deanna MacPhail ]
30 May Drama at Norton Lake []
29 May RE: ruddy duck at Norton Lake ["Agler, Bev (DFG)" ]
29 May Pioneer Marsh ["Laurie L." ]
29 May Redstarts are in! [Deanna MacPhail ]
28 May Bird 'walk' Saturday May 29th ["Laurie L." ]
26 May New group for Barrow & North Slope birds & birders ["alaskanaking" ]
24 May Loon Migration at Taku Inlet/Stephens Passage ["andersonmark142" ]
24 May Saturday May 22 Bird Walk Results [Gwen Baluss ]
24 May Last minute field help needed - Tongass Landbird Point Counts [Gwen Baluss ]
24 May a JNU sora []
24 May Golf course wetlands ["paddlinda" ]
23 May Golden eagle [Gwen Baluss ]
23 May Western tanager, Gustavus. ["spruceak" ]
23 May red-necked phalarope ["Agler, Bev (DFG)" ]

Subject: Fw: Still Seeing Hummingbirds? Please Let Us Know!
From: deborah_rudis AT fws.gov
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:00:28 -0800
This is a wonderful educational website -

-dr

----- Forwarded by Deborah Rudis/R7/FWS/DOI on 08/30/2010 09:59 AM -----
                                                                           
             Journey South                                                 
                                                               To 
             Sent by:                  jn-news AT learner.org                 
             jn-news-bounces AT l                                          cc 
             earner.org                                                    
                                                                   Subject 
                                       Week #2: Still Seeing Hummingbirds? 
             08/27/2010 05:14          Please Let Us Know!                 
             AM                                                            
                                                                           
                                                                           
             Please respond to                                             
             ballen AT journeynor                                             
              th.org; Please                                               
                respond to                                                 
             ehoward AT journeyno                                             
                  rth.org                                                  
                                                                           
                                                                           




*************************************************
Week #2: Still Seeing Hummingbirds? Please Let Us Know!
*************************************************
During the past week, 842 people from Alaska to Florida shared their
hummingbird observations. Thank you, citizen scientists! A picture of fall
migration across North America is beginning to emerge.

Please Report Weekly:
http://www.learner.org/cgi-bin/jnorth/jn-sightings
If you see hummingbirds any time, please let us know. Report frequently—but
at least once a week—as long as hummers are present.

Migration Map
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/humm_fall2010.html

*************************************************
Highlights from the Migration Trail

You can read all of the observations people have submitted at this link.
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/humm/DataReported.html

Here are some of the highlights:

1) Males are disappearing in the north:
"Our male has been gone a few days," noted an observer in Moretown, Vermont
on Thursday. "Lots of juveniles and a pot-bellied female remain."

2) Males are appearing in the south!
"A male hummingbird has taken over my yard! He has claimed both of my
feeders as his own and is chasing another hummer from my yard. This is the
same exact behavior I witnessed last August," wrote Mr. Fitzmaurice from
McKinney, Texas.

"We are once again seeing more males and we assume that many of these are
migrating birds," reported the McGuinness family from Fairfax, Virginia.

3) Hungry families are left behind:
Don't misjudge the male hummingbird as a poor father for leaving early.
After he's gone, the mothers and juveniles can feed without competing with
him for food. This is their time to get ready for migration.

4) Nobody is sharing!
Competition for food is serious. People saw "warfare," "combat,"
"dogfights," and "aerial ballet," as tiny hummingbirds fueled up for their
long journey.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their first-hand, backyard observations of
North America's favorite birds! Please continue to tell us what you see.

*************************************************
Image of the Week: Hummingbird Lure
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/humm/fall2010/cap082710_1.html
How do you attract more hummingbirds to your yard? Take a look!

*************************************************
Next week's "Have You Seen a Hummingbird?" reminder will be posted on
September 2nd.
************************************************************

Tell a Friend!
Journey North is a free citizen science project and all are welcome to
participate. Please forward this invitation to teachers, friends and
family.

Copyright 2010 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Journey North/Journey
South is presented by Annenberg Media. Please send all questions, comments,
and suggestions to our Feedback Form:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/contact/help_contact.html
Subject: Re: Dead varied thrushes.
From: deborah_rudis AT fws.gov
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:43:17 -0800
Are the carcasses easliy retrievable & fairly fresh?  If so we could send
them to our Nat'l Wildlife Health Lab in Madison, WI for necropsy.

-d
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deborah D. Rudis
Environmental Contaminants Biologist
US Fish & Wildlife Service
Ecological Services Field Office
3000 Vintage Blvd. #201
Juneau, Alaska  99801

907/780-1183   fax 907/586-7099
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the
rest of the world.'   John Muir


                                                                           
             "spruceak"                                                    
                                                                     To 
             Sent by:                  Eaglechat AT yahoogroups.com           
             Eaglechat AT yahoogr                                          cc 
             oups.com                                                      
                                                                   Subject 
                                       [Eaglechat] Dead varied thrushes.   
             08/28/2010 03:23                                              
             PM                                                            
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           







I've found several healthy looking thrushes in the past couple of weeks,
lying dead. They are eating berries this time of year. Does anyone know of
local berries that are poisonous to them? I've read that bane berries do
not harm birds and are propagated through them.



Subject: Re: Re:Dead varied thrushes.
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:57:56 -0700 (PDT)
I agree that's the most likely cause anytime you are around civilization. I 
have 

never heard of birds poisoning themselves on berries, even exotic ones. 



 ________________________________________________________________________________ 

 


"I am... hoping, that our future may be found in the past's fugitive moments of 

compassion rather than in its solid centuries of warfare."
---Howard Zinn (1922-2010) 




________________________________
From: "juneauart AT aol.com" 
To: Eaglechat AT yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sun, August 29, 2010 9:59:23 AM
Subject: [Eaglechat] Re:Dead varied thrushes.

  
Were the birds near a house or  window? Varied Thrushes often crash into 
windows 

because the sky reflects in them. They can appear to have no injury, but die 
from massive head trauma. 


Kathy Benner
Subject: Re:Dead varied thrushes.
From: juneauart AT aol.com
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:59:23 EDT
Were the birds near a house or  window? Varied Thrushes often crash  into 
windows because the sky reflects in them. They can appear to have no  injury, 
but die from massive head trauma. 
 
Kathy Benner
Subject: Dead varied thrushes.
From: "spruceak" <spruceak AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:22:47 -0000
I've found several healthy looking thrushes in the past couple of weeks, lying 
dead. They are eating berries this time of year. Does anyone know of local 
berries that are poisonous to them? I've read that bane berries do not harm 
birds and are propagated through them. 

Subject: Brant at Lincoln island
From: "Toi" <tazmans AT gci.net>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 03:41:19 -0000
I stopped by Little Island just north of Lincoln Island to watch the sea lions 
out there and I found a brant feeding in the kelp bed. I was able to get fairly 
close drifting in the current and got a couple of photos in. Looks like the 
fall migration might be starting. Click on the links to see the photos 


http://tazmans.smugmug.com/Other/Birds/Brant-0249/983953348_CaUNU-XL.jpg

http://tazmans.smugmug.com/Other/Birds/Brant-0255/983953433_2ajB8-XL.jpg

http://tazmans.smugmug.com/Other/Birds/Brant-0252/983953399_7tYrF-XL.jpg
Subject: Lesser black-backed gull off Dike Trail
From: Paul Suchanek <paulms AT gci.net>
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:37:25 -0800
The adult lesser black-backed gull which has called Juneau home for years has 
been easy to see of late. It was lounging around all morning just off the end 
of the airport runway and was very easy to see nicely. There also were up to 5 
stilt sandpipers hanging out at the small pond just past the Gazebo Pond. On 
the Gazebo Pond, there was a molting horned grebe - an unusual location for 
this common winter bird. 
Subject: Upland sandpiper, Gustavus.
From: "spruceak" <spruceak AT yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:09:20 -0000
On the Airport Beach uplands this morning, an upland sandpiper flushed from a 
dry meadow, called while doing a half-circle, then flew westward. This is the 
fourth individual of this species I've seen around Glacier Bay/Gustavus, all in 
grassy open areas. The species mostly uses the Central Flyway east of the 
Coastal Ranges. 


Also, there was a large increase in land birds overnight, with fox, 
white-crowned, and golden-crowned sparrows suddenly becoming plentiful; plus a 
male varied thrush apparently had eaten too many fermented berries and couldn't 
stand up or fly. 


Subject: Surfbirds at Outer Point
From: Paul Suchanek <paulms AT gci.net>
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:52:03 -0800
If anyone has a hankering to see a bunch of surfbirds, there was a huge (2500?) 
flock out near Outer Point this morning at low tide. Some of the flock was on 
the "causeway" out to Shaman Island while others were right at the mouth of the 
creek. Mixed in were some black turnstones also. Seemed to be mostly adult 
surfbirds but at least a few juveniles could be seen. Can't imagine there is 
enough food there to hold them for long. 
Subject: Re: rufous hummer banded in Florida recaptured in Chenega Bay, Alaska
From: Linda Shaw <linda.shaw AT noaa.gov>
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:27:25 -0800
Thank you for reporting this interesting information Gwen! Linda

Gwen Baluss wrote:
>
> There has been some RUHU banded in SE AK. Researcher Bill Calder came 
> up several summers and banded them in various locations. He also 
> banded in Colorado and other places. I have in my notes this 
> interesting record.
>
> "A RUHU banded in Colorado by Brenda Wiard (an assistant to the late 
> Bill Calder), was recovered at Yes Bay, AK on the Tongass by Mike 
> Brown in 1993." Its likely that our local birds make a loop, heading 
> up the pacific coast in the spring and then down the inter-mountain 
> west in late summer and on to Mexico. But this new SE US connection is 
> intriguing.
>
> I did some front porch banding around Juneau a few years ago to 
> contribute feathers to a genetics project. The idea was to identify 
> different sub-populations so that later migrants and winter residents 
> could be traced to a source population of summer breeders. I have not 
> yet seen the results but it could eventually give us a picture of 
> their movements beyond these rare recaptures.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Linda Shaw 
> *To:* Paul Suchanek 
> *Cc:* "Eaglechat AT yahoogroups.com" 
> *Sent:* Thu, August 19, 2010 1:58:03 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Eaglechat] rufous hummer banded in Florida recaptured 
> in Chenega Bay, Alaska
>
> Wow! Hey, we should start banding our hummers and see where they are
> going for the winter - or is anyone already doing this in Juneau?
>
> Thanks for sharing this amazing story!
>
> Paul Suchanek wrote:
> >
> > Long distance hummer movement:
> >
> > 
> 
http://ebird.org/content/ak/news/rufous-hummingbird-takes-the-snowbird-route-1 

> >
> >
> > For what it's worth, I walked the Auke Lake trail this morning (had
> > never been on it before) and didn't see any unusual birds, did hear a
> > singing brown creeper and saw another.
> >
> >
>
> -- 
>
> Linda Shaw
> Habitat Biologist
> Habitat Conservation Division
> National Marine Fisheries Service
> 709 West Ninth Street (physical address)
> P.O.Box 21668 (mailing address)
> Juneau, AK 99802-1668
> Phone: 907-586-7510
> Fax: 907-586-7358
> e-mail: linda.shaw AT noaa.gov 
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
> Eaglechat-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com 
> 
>
>
> 

-- 

Linda Shaw
Habitat Biologist
Habitat Conservation Division
National Marine Fisheries Service
709 West Ninth Street (physical address)
P.O.Box 21668 (mailing address)
Juneau, AK 99802-1668
Phone: 907-586-7510
Fax: 907-586-7358
e-mail: linda.shaw AT noaa.gov



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Subject: Re: rufous hummer banded in Florida recaptured in Chenega Bay, Alaska
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:23:34 -0700 (PDT)
There has been some RUHU banded in SE AK.Researcher Bill Caldercame up 
several 

summers and bandedthem in various locations. He also banded in Colorado and 
other places.I have in my notes this interesting record. 

"A RUHU banded in Colorado by Brenda Wiard (an assistant to the late Bill 
Calder), was recovered atYes Bay, AK on the Tongass by Mike Brown in 1993." 
Its likely that our local birds make a loop, heading up the pacific coast in 
the spring and then down the inter-mountain west in late summer and on to 
Mexico. But this new SE US connection is intriguing. 

I did some front porch banding around Juneau a few years ago to contribute 
feathers to a genetics project. The idea was to identify different 
sub-populations so that later migrants and winter residents could be traced to 
a 

source population of summer breeders. I have not yet seen the results but it 
could eventually give us a picture of their movements beyond these rare 
recaptures. 



________________________________
From: Linda Shaw 
To: Paul Suchanek 
Cc: "Eaglechat AT yahoogroups.com" 
Sent: Thu, August 19, 2010 1:58:03 PM
Subject: Re: [Eaglechat] rufous hummer banded in Florida recaptured in Chenega 
Bay, Alaska

Wow! Hey, we should start banding our hummers and see where they are 
going for the winter - or is anyone already doing this in Juneau?

Thanks for sharing this amazing story!

Paul Suchanek wrote:
>
> Long distance hummer movement:
>
> 
http://ebird.org/content/ak/news/rufous-hummingbird-takes-the-snowbird-route-1 

>
>
> For what it's worth, I walked the Auke Lake trail this morning (had 
> never been on it before) and didn't see any unusual birds, did hear a 
> singing brown creeper and saw another.
>
> 

-- 

Linda Shaw
Habitat Biologist
Habitat Conservation Division
National Marine Fisheries Service
709 West Ninth Street (physical address)
P.O.Box 21668 (mailing address)
Juneau, AK 99802-1668
Phone: 907-586-7510
Fax: 907-586-7358
e-mail: linda.shaw AT noaa.gov



------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links



  http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Subject: News
From: Steve Zimmerman <stevezimmerman AT gci.net>
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:48:51 -0800
On page 13 of the latest Winging It (the official newsletter of the 
American Birding Association) I found the following statement:  "On a 
recent trip to Texas, Bev Agler of Juneau , Alaska, saw her 650th bird 
in the ABA area, a Golden-cheeked Warbler.  The bird was seen at Neal's 
Lodge, Concan, Texas on 5 April, 2010."  Way to go, Bev!
Subject: Re: Too Close!
From: "Becky Carls" <carlsfam AT alaska.net>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:55:18 -0800 (AKDT)

That eagle is just trying to figure out what the heck you keep looking at 
through 

your scope! It does not appear to be very impressed.....
;)
Subject: Too Close! [1 Attachment]
From: Steve Zimmerman <stevezimmerman AT gci.net>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:42:50 -0800




Subject: Re: rufous hummer banded in Florida recaptured in Chenega
 Bay, Alaska
From: Linda Shaw <linda.shaw AT noaa.gov>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:58:03 -0800
Wow! Hey, we should start banding our hummers and see where they are 
going for the winter - or is anyone already doing this in Juneau?

Thanks for sharing this amazing story!

Paul Suchanek wrote:
>
> Long distance hummer movement:
>
> 
http://ebird.org/content/ak/news/rufous-hummingbird-takes-the-snowbird-route-1 

>
>
> For what it's worth, I walked the Auke Lake trail this morning (had 
> never been on it before) and didn't see any unusual birds, did hear a 
> singing brown creeper and saw another.
>
> 

-- 

Linda Shaw
Habitat Biologist
Habitat Conservation Division
National Marine Fisheries Service
709 West Ninth Street (physical address)
P.O.Box 21668 (mailing address)
Juneau, AK 99802-1668
Phone: 907-586-7510
Fax: 907-586-7358
e-mail: linda.shaw AT noaa.gov



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Subject: rufous hummer banded in Florida recaptured in Chenega Bay, Alaska
From: Paul Suchanek <paulms AT gci.net>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:27:21 -0800
Long distance hummer movement:
 
http://ebird.org/content/ak/news/rufous-hummingbird-takes-the-snowbird-route-1
 
 
For what it's worth, I walked the Auke Lake trail this morning (had never been 
on it before) and didn't see any unusual birds, did hear a singing brown 
creeper and saw another. 
Subject: Stilt sandpipers, Gustavus
From: "spruceak" <spruceak AT yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:12:43 -0000
At high tide this morning, a surge in the number of shorebirds was obvious. 
There were approx. 240 pectoral sandpipers, 400 least sandpipers, 15 western 
sandpipers, and 2 semipalmated plovers, as well as 3 juv. stilt sandpipers 
foraging at the mouth of Airport Creek. This was the first observation for the 
latter this year. 


Yesterday, there was a flock of about 20 cedar waxwings along Dolly Varden Lane 
feeding on elderberries, including many feeding fledged young. 



Subject: unusual bird
From: Laurie Craig <lauriecraig AT gci.net>
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:33:26 -0800
Okay, you birding sleuths,

Saw a pair of unusual birds at 10:30 this morning on the Auke Lake  
Trail (Glacier Highway end between the two floating bridges) that I  
cannot identify.

My first thought was flycatcher because of the slightly forked tail  
when perched, but the coloring was striking. Cinnamon color on the  
base of the tail and breast and possibly near the head. I did not get  
a very good look but one bird seemed brighter in color than the other.  
Male vs female?

A search of Sibley's gives me the possibility of a Say's Phoebe or a  
buff breasted but not that small.

Good luck!

Laurie Craig
Subject: Eu. collared-dove hangout
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:11:28 -0700 (PDT)
I recall there's been some reports near the University this summer, so for some 

this might be old news, but today at 1 PM I saw two doves cross Back Loop Rd 
near the UAS turn-off.Stopped and observed one coo-ing repeatedly up hill in 
a 

tree by the Americanflagged shack. 

________________________________________________________________________________ 




"I am... hoping, that our future may be found in the past's fugitive moments of 

compassion rather than in its solid centuries of warfare."
---Howard Zinn (1922-2010) 
Subject: morning high speed chase
From: Beth Peluso <bpeluso AT yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:03:33 -0700 (PDT)
I saw a bald eagle pursued by 2 ravens zip over the road by Merril Field this 
morning. It's the first time in the 6 months I've been in Anchorage I've seen a 

bald eagle that far from the Coastal Trail!

Beth Peluso
Anchorage


      
Subject: young goshawk
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:24:38 -0700 (PDT)
Saturday near Crystal lake I had a great view of anexceptionallybig and loud 
juvenile goshawk. This posting is a little late, butshelooked young enough 
to 

potentially be hanging around the area awhile longer so keep your ears outfor 
the "wail" call outthere. 


Lately in the Valleythere's beenmultiple foraging groupsof young warblers, 
kingletsand chickadees, especiallyTOWA. 


________________________________________________________________________________ 

 


"I am... hoping, that our future may be found in the past's fugitive moments of 

compassion rather than in its solid centuries of warfare."
---Howard Zinn (1922-2010) 
Subject: Vaux's swifts
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2010 16:25:54 -0700 (PDT)
I heard distinctive twitter-chitters andsawat least 8 swifts circling above 
Bartlett Hospitalthis afternoon. Perfect conditions out there for random 
insectivores. 



________________________________________________________________________________ 




"I am... hoping, that our future may be found in the past's fugitive moments of 

compassion rather than in its solid centuries of warfare."
---Howard Zinn (1922-2010) 
Subject: Pied-billed Grebes
From: "Matt Goff" <goff AT nawwal.org>
Date: Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:23:25 -0800
I photographed a family of Pied-billed Grebes on Swan Lake this morning in  
Sitka.

Pictures and a little more information can be seen here:
http://www.sitkanature.org/wordpress/2010/08/04/pied-billed-grebe-family/

Matt Goff
Sitka


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Subject: Pied-billed Grebes
From: "Matt Goff" <goff AT nawwal.org>
Date: Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:23:25 -0800
I photographed a family of Pied-billed Grebes on Swan Lake this morning in  
Sitka.

Pictures and a little more information can be seen here:
http://www.sitkanature.org/wordpress/2010/08/04/pied-billed-grebe-family/

Matt Goff
Sitka


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Subject: Juneau Audubon next Saturday Wild Event - Lichens
From: Mark Schwan <aukebay AT gci.net>
Date: Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:48:35 -0800
The birding has been really slow lately, but there are some organisms that are 
visibly all around us, however, they often go overlooked. I'm speaking of 
lichens! If you want to learn some basics about these fascinating life forms 
and find out how to identify the common lichens in our "backyard" then consider 
joining Juneau Audubon's next "Saturday Wild" event. Chiska Derr, who just 
published a book with Bob Armstrong on the lichens of the Mendenhall Glacier 
area, will lead an introductory lichen walk near Dredge Lake, in the Mendenhall 
Valley, this Saturday, August 7, from 10am to around noon. We will meet at the 
end of Dredge Lake Road, which is off the Back or Mendenhall Loop Rd, near the 
intersection of the Glacier Spur Road. Go to the end of the road where the 
trail begins close to Dredge Lake. Again, we will start at 10am. Please bring a 
hand lens or magnifying glass if you have one, and if you have an extra, bring 
that too, in case some folks don't have their own. That would be appreciated. 
Thank you and hope to see you there! If you have any questions, call me at 
789-9841. 


Mark Schwan
Juneau Audubon
Subject: still black scoters
From: Beth Peluso <bpeluso AT yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2010 14:52:50 -0700 (PDT)
I was following up on Gwen's post about bird name changes on the American 
Ornithologists' Union checklist, and I found this correction on the website:

Melanitta americana is treated as a separate species from the allopatric 
Melanitta nigra. The supplement erroneously states that the English name should 

be changed to American Scoter. Instead the English name should remain Black 
Scoter.

So I guess I don't have to change my list after all (at least for scoters). 
Thanks for passing this along Gwen!

Beth Peluso
Anchorage



      
Subject: Bird Name Changes [1 Attachment]
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 12:13:39 -0700 (PDT)
For those that follow such matters, the taxonomists have rearranged the birds 
again. Official AOU supplement attached.A few things of note locally:our 
Winter wrens are now Pacific wrens, and Black scoters should be American 
scoters. The new scientific for Orange-crowned warbler isOreothlypis celata.

Seems liketheperiodic splits and lumpswould begood opportunitiestogive 
the 

birds more descriptive and exciting names (Log-hopping wren? Wailing scoter?) 
but theyrarely do. 

________________________________________________________________________________ 




"I am... hoping, that our future may be found in the past's fugitive moments of 

compassion rather than in its solid centuries of warfare."
---Howard Zinn (1922-2010) 
Subject: Long-tailed Jaeger near Kake 7/20
From: "andersonmark142" <andersonmark1 AT gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:35:21 -0000
Andy and I took his boat around Admiralty Is. on a fishing trip. On the leg 
bewtween Kake and Baranof Warm Springs (Frederick Sound), we saw a brown bird 
flying fast on an intersecting path. As it got near the boat it dipped down to 
grab at something on the surface and showed off its long trailing tail 
feathers, black cap and white breast. I grabbed for the camera but it was long 
gone. 


We also saw Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorants, Common Murres and of course 
lots of Marbled Murrelets and gulls. Whalewise there were tons of Humpbacks in 
Stephen's Passage near Gambier Bay. We also saw harbor and Dahl's porpoise, 
Steller's sea lions and harbor seals. Great trip and we even caught some nice 
fish. 

Subject: Bar-tailed godwit at Mendenhall Wetlands - 7/18
From: Paul Suchanek <paulms AT gci.net>
Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:13:45 -0800
This morning there was a Bar-tailed Godwit on the mudflats out near the mouth 
of the Mendenhall River at high tide. There also were 10 Hudsonian godwits in 
breeding plumage. The bar-tailed appears to be a female in faded breeding 
plumage as illustrated in the newest National Geographic field guide. I think 
the last bar-tailed godwit to show up in Juneau was about 5 years ago. 

_________________________________________________________________
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Subject: The Mystery of Snow- a lecture at UAS WED Jul 14 7pm
From: "bwright1208" <bewright AT gci.net>
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 05:07:50 -0000
A graduate student, Jon Bower, will discuss his research on snow 
photochemistry. 

At the Egan lecture in UAS.
Jul 14 7pm
Subject: Partial albino raven in Mountainside
From: Keeffe Laird <keeffe_laird AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2010 22:25:26 -0700 (PDT)
Saw a common raven with a few white secondaries on its right wing, today, 
Saturday, at the intersection of Craig St. and Mountainside.  It also had a 
hooked beak like a raptor's.  Has anyone else seen this bird?  -Thomas



      
Subject: FW: The BP Oil Spill and its Implications for Alaska 7/8 7pm UAS Egan Library
From: "Agler, Bev (DFG)" <bev.agler AT alaska.gov>
Date: Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:08:44 -0800
FYI

 

Bev Agler

Thermal Mark Lab Supervisor

(907) 465-3498

 

><((((>`..`..`...><((((>
..`..><((((>`..`..`...><((((>

From: Gabrielle Hazelton [mailto:gdhazelton AT alaska.edu] 
Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2010 9:03 AM
Subject: The BP Oil Spill and its Implications for Alaska 7/8 7pm UAS 
EganLibrary 


 

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Warrenchuk, Jonathan 
Date: Tue, Jul 6, 2010 at 10:38 AM
Subject: The BP Oil Spill and its Implications for Alaska
 
The BP Oil Spill and its Implications for Alaska

Due to Alaska's own experience with oil spills and the state's continued 
economic dependence on fossil fuel extraction, many Alaskans are eager to learn 
about the causes of the BP oil spill and how to prevent similar crises from 
occurring in the future. 


Join us for a panel discussion on

Thursday, July 8, 2010

at 7 p.m.

in the Egan Library

University of Alaska

Southeast

Panelists will include:

 

Fran Ulmer, UAA Chancellor and member of the National Commission on the BP 
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill 


Jim Ayers, former Exxon Valdez Trustee Council Executive Director

Dr. Jeff Short, lead chemist for the United States and the State of Alaska on 
the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 


Nick Jans,   Alaskan  writer and 20-year Arctic resident 

For more information, contact Dr. Alexander Simon: atsimon AT uas.alaska.edu



Will Race | Pacific Administrative Assistant
____________________________________

OCEANA | Protecting the World's Oceans
    175 S. Franklin Street | Juneau, AK 99801

    T 907-586-3149| F 907-586-4944 

    E wrace AT oceana.org

 




-- 
***********************
Gabrielle Hazelton
Fisheries Division
School of Fisheries & Ocean Sciences
University of Alaska Fairbanks
17101 Point Lena Loop Road
Juneau, AK 99801 
907-796-5443 fax:  907-796-5447
http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/fishdiv/
><(((>..*`*...<)))><
The UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences conducts world-class marine and 
fisheries research, education and outreach across Alaska, the Arctic and 
Antarctic. 55 faculty scientists and 135 graduate students are engaged in 
building knowledge about Alaska and the world's coastal and marine ecosystems. 
SFOS is headquartered at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and serves the 
state from facilities located in Juneau, Seward, Anchorage and Kodiak. 

Subject: Saturday Wild, July 10 Alpine birds & flowers above Mt. Roberts Tram
From: "bwright1208" <bewright AT gci.net>
Date: Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:28:47 -0000
Hello birders,
> This Saturday, July 10, is the day we get to go up Mt Roberts for birds and 
> flowers and pay only $5.
> Please join us for a walk above treeline!

> The tram wants us to have a single person buy all our $5 tickets, so 
> we need to meet by 945am at the tram to get a head count to go up the 
> mountain at 10am.
> 
> I hope you can all come and please spread the word about the 
> opportunity.  Please dress for the weather.  All ages are welcome.
> 
>
> Brenda
> 
Subject: Update on banded Godwits
From: "andersonmark142" <andersonmark1 AT gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 04 Jul 2010 02:25:32 -0000
The two banded Hudsonian Godwits in the group I reported last week were banded 
on Isla Chiloe in Southern Chile in December 2008 per Jim Johnson at USFWS. 
Thanks to Gus and everyone for getting back to me. It's nice that we could send 
some info from Juneau. here's a link: 



http://ebird.org/plone/ebird/news/help-solve-the-mystery-of-hudsonian-godwit-migration?set_language=en 

 
Subject: Re: Summer Canvasbacks
From: Steve Zimmerman <stevezimmerman AT gci.net>
Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:57:09 -0800
I also had a flock of approximately 5 Cedar Waxwings at my house 
(Bayview Subdivision--North Douglas) late yesterday afternoon. They were 
moving around in trees so it was hard to get an exact count. Steve Zimmerman


Mark Schwan wrote:
>
> There were two male Canvasbacks at Pioneer Marsh yesterday afternoon; 
> I don't think we have many late June records here. Also, I had 5 Cedar 
> Waxwings out near Auke Bay. That's all.
> Mark Schwan
> Juneau
> 



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Subject: Summer Canvasbacks
From: Mark Schwan <aukebay AT gci.net>
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:47:34 -0800
There were two male Canvasbacks at Pioneer Marsh yesterday afternoon; I don't 
think we have many late June records here. Also, I had 5 Cedar Waxwings out 
near Auke Bay. That's all. 


Mark Schwan
Juneau
Subject: Re: Banded Hudsonian Godwits - Juneau
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 26 Jun 2010 20:40:17 -0700 (PDT)
 Thats really cool! Let me know if you need help tracking down the likely 
culprits (banders) if you havent figured it out in a few weeks. 


Shorebirds on the wetlands in June, you have to wonder, were they failed 
breeders? Seems a bit early for fall migration. It was barely over a month ago 
that we had the spring migrants pass through!  Could you tell if they were 
juvs or 
adults?________________________________________________________________________________ 



"I am... hoping, that our future may be found in the past's fugitive moments of 
compassion rather than in its solid centuries of warfare." 

---Howard Zinn (1922-2010) 




________________________________
From: andersonmark142 
To: Eaglechat AT yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, June 25, 2010 12:20:10 PM
Subject: [Eaglechat] Banded Hudsonian Godwits - Juneau

  
I saw 30 Hudsonian Godwits at the gazebo pond on the MWSGR at 10:00am today. 
Two were banded with orange and silver bands on the right leg and a flour. red 
band with a tab on the left leg. There were also a whole lot of Lesser and 
Greater Yellowlegs around. The Godwits were getting a lot of large black worms 
and a strong South wind is blowing so they may stay around for a little while. 


Subject: Banded Hudsonian Godwits - Juneau
From: "andersonmark142" <andersonmark1 AT gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:20:10 -0000
I saw 30 Hudsonian Godwits at the gazebo pond on the MWSGR at 10:00am today. 
Two were banded with orange and silver bands on the right leg and a flour. red 
band with a tab on the left leg. There were also a whole lot of Lesser and 
Greater Yellowlegs around. The Godwits were getting a lot of large black worms 
and a strong South wind is blowing so they may stay around for a little while. 

Subject: Eurasian Collared-Dove in Haines
From: Paul Suchanek <paulms AT gci.net>
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:28:54 -0800
Pam Randles reported that a Eurasian Collared-Dove was photographed near the 
Presbyterian Church in Haines yesterday (June 20). This sighting adds to the 
extensive list of Southeast Alaska communities where this species has been seen 
this year. 


 

This dove was first introduced to the Bahamas in the 1970's and then colonized 
Florida in the 1980's. Since then it has spread across North America amazingly 
quickly (although releases of captive birds have aided the spread). They are 
now very common in many areas of Texas and Arizona (although in some northern 
states like Minnesota they are still very rare). 


 

 
 		 	   		  
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Subject: Adult Sabine's gull at Eagle Beach - 6/19 [1 Attachment]
From: Paul Suchanek <paulms AT gci.net>
Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:18:47 -0800
Today, there was an adult Sabine's gull in the masses of immature Bonaparte's 
and mew gulls at Eagle Beach, although we found the bird by walking in from the 
Scout Camp side (there weren't any gulls at all on the picnic table side this 
morning after high tide). It was with the gulls in the roost furthest south 
(behind the huge sand dune). The bird is hard to pick out from the Bonaparte's 
but it is only one of the few gulls with an all dark head (slightly darker 
mantle also). There also were two California gulls in with the herring gulls. 

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Subject: Cedar Waxwings - Thane Rd.
From: "andersonmark142" <andersonmark1 AT gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:17:01 -0000
There were at least a dozen Cedar Waxwings feasting on salmonberries at the big 
slide area out Thane Rd. today. We also saw lots of robins, and Swainson's 
Thrush, Fox and Song Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, and heard an Alder Flycatcher. 

Subject: Satureday Wild
From: "Merrill" <glacierdawg55 AT yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:43:17 -0000
Saturday, June 19, 10:00 am at the Jensen-Olson Arboretum: Come to the 
Jensen-Olson Arboretum for Audubon's Saturday Wild. See the interface of the 
cultivated gardens with the natural forest and rocky beach of Pearl Harbor. 
Arboretum Manager Merrill Jensen will give a tour of the grounds as well as 
lead a short hike on the new Point Caroline trail to view native plants of the 
forest understory. Hope to see you there!! 

Subject: Juneau 3 Alder Flycatchers in one day
From: "andersonmark142" <andersonmark1 AT gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:52:06 -0000
This morning, I saw two singing Alder Flycatchers near the Golf Course. One was 
at the end of Industrial Blvd. and the other was further out the little trail. 
Also a Cliff Swallow. 


At the Brotherhood Bridge trail, I saw some nesting Bank Swallows and heard 
another Alder Flycather singing their raspy "Free Beer?" song. Also Yellow 
Warblers, a Red-breasted Sapsucker and the usual suspects. 

Mark
Subject: Petersburg. Collared-doves, etc.
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:08:41 -0700 (PDT)
I have not kept up on the latest on the Eurasian dove infiltration of SE AK, 
but in case Petersburg birders have not chimed in.. I observed there last night 
and this morning at least 6 doves and think there may have been more. Centered 
around the corner of Haugen and fifth. They were quite tame and randy 
withconstant coo-ing, bowing and other courtship antics. 


Also of interest, a flock of Cedar waxwings eating some just barely colored 
salmonberries. Seems a little early for them. 
Subject: Fw: Caspian Terns at Mendenhall lake
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:00:41 -0700 (PDT)

Reports of more invaders. See below. 

----- Forwarded by Gwen S Baluss/R10/USDAFS on 06/13/2010 02:11 PM ----- 

Doug Jones  
06/11/2010 09:06 AM  To Gwen S Baluss   
cc  
Subject Caspian Terns 
  
 


Gwen,

Quick update; we had two caspian terns visit the arctic tern colony two days 
ago. The arctic terns all went after them and eventually drove them off but I 
remember you saying to keep our eyes open for them. They are huge compared to 
the slender arctic terns, they looked like B52 bombers up there comparatively! 


Also, we have our first arctic tern chicks, I have seen three so far.

Thanks! 
Doug Jones
http://www.pbase.com/doug_jones
Subject: Gray Catbird
From: "Matt Goff" <goff AT nawwal.org>
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2010 20:19:16 -0800
Carrie Hisaoka found a Gray Catbird shortly past the gate at Herring Cove  
in while doing the Sitka BBS route Thursday, 10 June.  She and a friend  
re-found it later that night, but I do not know if it is still in the  
area.  As far as I know, this is a first record for Sitka.

Matt Goff
Sitka


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Subject: Gray Catbird
From: "Matt Goff" <goff AT nawwal.org>
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2010 20:19:16 -0800
Carrie Hisaoka found a Gray Catbird shortly past the gate at Herring Cove  
in while doing the Sitka BBS route Thursday, 10 June.  She and a friend  
re-found it later that night, but I do not know if it is still in the  
area.  As far as I know, this is a first record for Sitka.

Matt Goff
Sitka


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Subject: Skagway Birding Trip - 6/7-11
From: Paul Suchanek <paulms AT gci.net>
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2010 08:24:43 -0800
Went to Skagway and birded and hiked for a few days last week. I didn't find 
any real rarities but it was an interesting place to bird (although it didn't 
seem nearly as productive for birds as the Haines area). I thought the best 
birding was in the tall cottonwoods interspersed with Spruce and hemlock which 
extended through the Taiya River valley (although it was mostly an auditory 
experience as the birds are very tough to see). I heard warbling vireos, 
redstarts, Swainson's thrushes, northern waterthrush, red-breasted sapsuckers, 
and a Hammond's flycatcher and a western tanager from my campsite at the Dyea 
National Park Service Campground (also heard a very distant pygmy-owl one early 
morning). I hiked the first 5 miles of the Chilkoot trail which mostly also 
runs through this habitat and found these species along with a western 
wood-pewee and a pair of breeding rusty blackbirds which already had a 
fledgling. I also ran into a few MacGillvray's warblers in this habitat (first 
part of trail to Lost Lake from Slide Cemetary and also along road to bridge 
over West Creek). The grasslands and mudflats which extend oceanward past the 
Dyea townsite look productive (probably more so during migration) but only 
produced a yellowthroat, flicker, a couple of blue-winged teal, great blue 
herons, and a chipping sparrow or two. I also hiked around lower Dewey Lake and 
the lower half of the AB Trail but didn't find a whole lot although there was a 
hairy woodpecker nest near the far end of lower Dewey Lake. I also did a bit of 
hiking up near the top of the White Pass but it was very quiet and the only 
unusual birds up there were a pair of golden eagles and a willow ptarmigan. Saw 
a couple of wandering tattlers near the mouth of the Skagway River and also one 
at the mouth of the Taiya River (they must be waiting for the high country to 
thaw out). It was windy in the afternoon every day so early morning was by far 
the best time for birding. 


 

On the ferry trip to Skagway, it was fairly calm but I didn't see much except 
for a few loons, murres, and a Parasitic jaeger just north of Berners Bay. On 
the way back, it was very windy and I didn't watch much for birds. Glad I 
didn't camp last night! 

 		 	   		  
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Subject: Western Tanager
From: "paddlinda" <paddlin60 AT alaska.net>
Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 23:40:05 -0000
I saw a western tanager this morning by the gate to the golf course. He was 
singing sweetly in a willow tree. 


Linda Vallie
Subject: OT: Canada's search for a national bird
From: "Bill Z" <devilsadvacat AT hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 02:11:18 -0000
I'm very surprised that 27% of Canadians polled 
would want the Canadian goose as the national bird
and I wonder how that would affect Canadian goose 
control businesses if these geese were suddenly 
named the national bird ?

I will have to post this story to a couple of 
raptor groups.

Many newspapers in Canada have done stories about
this and some of the writers are proposing their 
own nominations.

www.canadianraptorconservancy.com
http://www.canadianraptorconservancy.com/index.php?page=online-form

WRZ

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GooseControl/


http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/05/14/goose-versus-hawk-canadas-search-for-a-national-bird/ 


Canada’s search for national identity is taking flight.

James Cowan, executive director of the Canadian Raptor 
Conservancy found it odd that Canada does not have a  
national bird. The United States has its powerful bald 
eagle, New Zealand has its kiwi and Mexico its crested 
caracara. Why not us?

So Mr. Cowan launched a campaign to get Canadians 
talking about what bird should be honoured here. 
So far, he’s gotten over 4,000 submissions.

“This is unbelievable,” Mr. Cowan said in an interview. 
“I can’t believe the support across Canada. It’s 
overwhelming.”

The Canada goose is the clear favourite with 27% of 
the vote. Geese have an impressive flight formation 
and mating for life shows a strong sense of loyalty, 
but there are drawbacks, too. First, bald eagles make 
a habit of eating them which doesn’t make for 
agreeable metaphors in terms of national identity. 
(Hello? The United States eating our great nation?)

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has weighed in with 
a draft pick. He and Mr. Cowan chose the red-tailed 
hawk which happens to be the current runner-up with 
23% of the vote so far. According to Mr. Cowan:

“They don’t have natural enemies so they don’t get 
picked on by anyone.”

Another big factor is the bird’s range: it extends 
across Canada and so it’s highly visible. They’re 
the birds perched stoically on industrial signs and 
telephone lines by the highway.

Mr. Cowan hopes to present a shortlist of favourites 
to his local MP and eventually see parliamentarians 
debating the issue in the House of Commons by 
Thanksgiving.

Mr. Cowan hopes people will research their choices 
and learn more about birds in Canada as they go. 
Of course, this bird should tell Canadians something 
about themselves. There are some guidelines if you 
decide to lend your opinion.

• A bird found in every Canadian provinces, or most 
of them

• A bird not already chosen as a Canadian provincial 
bird or another country’s national bird

• A bird that the general public will be able to 
identify and see on a regular basis in their daily 
activities

Once a decision has been reached, Cowan think’s 
it won’t take much for Canadians to embrace this 
new symbol.

“I would like it to grace a stamp to start,” he 
said. “But we don’t need to spend a lot of taxpayers’ 
money. I think that over time, history will 
immortalize it as a great symbol like the beaver 
or hockey.”

The top four rankings:

•Canada goose (27%)
•red-tailed hawk (23%)
•loon (19%)
•whiskey-jack or gray jay (7%)

Other Contenders include:

•The raven
•great blue heron
•snowy owl 
•short-billed crow
•snow goose
•tundra swan
The Raptor Conservancy has a form available to submit 
your choice for Canada’s national bird.

---------------  End Of Story  ---------------



http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/809525--why-canada-needs-a-national-bird 

Why Canada needs a national bird
Published On Fri May 14 2010
Stephen Marche
Special to the Star 
Canada, more than any other country in the world, 
ought to have a national bird. We need one. We 
deserve one. Unlike European countries, with their 
rich cultural legacies built up over centuries, 
there is not much Canadian culture to bring us 
together. Our great glory as a country is the 
wilderness that surrounds us and defines us. 
Divided by distance and language and general 
reticence, we need all the symbols we can get 
and it is amazing we haven’t found one yet in 
the sky. 

You know something’s wrong when the Israelis manage to 
agree on a national bird before we do. In 2008, after 
long debate, they settled on the hoopoe " a magnificent 
crested species that, according to legend, helped King 
Solomon to build the Temple in Jerusalem. The fierce 
debate over the national bird was resolved by compromise 
" unusual for the Middle East. Naturally the Israelis 
could choose neither a hawk nor a dove and several 
other choices were also politically unsuitable. A blue 
sunbird " just Israel’s colour " bore the name of 
Palestine sunbird. A yellow-vented bulbul, which was 
otherwise promising, has the bad habit of bullying 
other birds out of their nests.

We can all be thankful that our choice of a national 
bird will not be anywhere near as fraught as Israel’s. 
But we do have our own multicultural, bilingual, 
regionally divisive issues. Ideally, we could find a 
bird that speaks English and French, migrates from 
Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia, and lives 
happily in British Columbia, Nunavut and Newfoundland. 
Unfortunately, no such bird exists. 

The Canadian Raptor Conservancy, the avian rehabilitation organization which is 
spearheading the movement for 

a national bird, has selected a top-ten list from 
suggestions made online. The voting has just begun, 
but already a favourite has emerged, the red-tailed 
hawk, with 85 per cent of the vote. This is, to be 
frank, a terrible choice. The red-tail is a wonderful 
bird, relatively common, with the added advantage 
of living in cities as well as in the wild. You can 
see them hunting around the Legislature at Queen’s 
Park and in the west end of the city, where they 
perform the public service of massacring pigeons 
in fascinating public displays of cruelty. The 
red-tail is so popular, at least in part, because 
of Premier Dalton McGuinty’s advocacy. “I’m not 
going to support the blue-tailed hawk, nor will I 
be supporting the orange-tailed hawk,” he said this 
past week. “The red is thriving here in Ontario and 
I will be supporting the red-tailed hawk, thank you 
very much.” Of course, we should hold an association 
with comically challenged politicians against the 
buteo jamaicensis, but I don’t believe the red tail 
is a viable candidate anyway. I just don’t see the 
symbolism. Canada, the land of hockey, the beaver 
and the red-tailed hawk? Really? Are we, as a nation, 
inherently predatory? I don’t believe so, even if 
Stephen Harper is Prime Minister. 

The range of the red-tailed hawk is also problematic. 
The bird summers in Canada but lives year-round in 
the Continental United States. It’s really much 
more of an American bird. Several other birds on 
the Canadian Raptor Conservancy’s list might seem 
like logical picks until you consider where they 
spend most of their time. The common loon summers 
on our lakes, but to me, if you’ve never been in 
Canada during the winter, you’re not really a 
Canadian. I think the logic extends to the avian 
world: If a bird doesn’t winter in Canada, it can’t 
really be the Canadian bird. It doesn’t know what 
we suffer. So that rules out not only the red-tailed 
hawk but the Canada goose, the snow goose and the 
great blue heron. 

The common raven, also on the list, has many 
attractions. Ravens have always been magical birds, 
messengers between different worlds, between spirit 
and matter, between the living and the dead. Unlike 
the geese, ravens are tough. They live year round 
as far north as Ellesmere Island. The raven also 
plays a major role in Haida mythology, and the one 
great advantage of choosing it as a national symbol 
is that the raven has already been captured in a 
truly great work of art, Bill Reid’s magnificent 
The Raven and the First Men, a terrifying and 
profound piece of sculpture, which is, conveniently, 
already on the $20 bill. 

The downside of the raven is that it eats dead 
things. Don’t get me wrong: The consumption of 
carrion is an essential service to the natural 
world but I wonder if it says the right thing 
about Canada. Also, the raven is the official 
territorial bird of the Yukon, which means that 
it’s already spoken for. The same goes for the 
snowy owl, which would be perfect, as it 
symbolizes wisdom and the north, but is already 
Quebec’s provincial bird. Obviously, we don’t 
want our search for a national symbol to lead 
to federal-provincial antagonisms. That would 
defeat the whole purpose. 

Despite these various complications, there is 
a bird that will make a great national symbol, 
which I am now shamelessly going to promote. 
It’s the Canada jay, a.k.a. the gray jay, a.k.a. 
the whisky jack. The Canada jay lives in every 
Province and territory, and holds an important 
place in a story cycle of the Algonquin and 
Cree peoples, stories which deserve to be much 
better known than they are. Like the raven, 
whisky jack is a trickster who survives in a 
difficult world by cleverness, ruthlessness and 
a sense of fun. Anyone who has ever encountered 
the Canada jay at a campsite or a national park 
can easily understand how the bird morphed into 
such a hero. It is a gregarious, adaptable and 
curious species, and genuinely represents the 
better part of our nature. It’s also already 
called the Canada jay. 

You may disagree. You may even agree with McGuinty. 
The good news is that you have all summer to make 
up your mind. The Canadian Raptor Conservancy 
plans to take the winner of its online contest 
(you can vote at www.canadianraptorconservancy.com) 
to summer fairs and exhibitions, where they will 
attempt to gather the two hundred thousand 
signatures required to bring the petition to 
Parliament. Like any election, you only get to 
complain if you’ve voted. So, unless you cast 
a ballot, don’t whine when the Tories pick the 
turkey when you could have had the whisky jack 
on your money. 

Stephen Marche is a novelist and the culture 
columnist at Esquire magazine.


---------------  End Of Story  ---------------

Subject: Eurasian collared-doves, Gustavus
From: "spruceak" <spruceak AT yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 08 Jun 2010 05:41:52 -0000
There are at least two, perhaps three collared-doves at two Gustavus sites at 
the moment. We are watching for signs of nesting. 

Subject: Pied-billed Grebe
From: "Matt Goff" <goff AT nawwal.org>
Date: Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:31:45 -0800
There is a Pied-billed Grebe on Swan Lake in Sitka today.

I have posted some photos of it at:
http://www.sitkanature.org/wordpress/2010/06/07/pied-billed-grebe/

(Apologies to those of you who are on multiple lists and receive this  
message twice.)

Matt Goff
Sitka


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Subject: Pied-billed Grebe
From: "Matt Goff" <goff AT nawwal.org>
Date: Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:31:45 -0800
There is a Pied-billed Grebe on Swan Lake in Sitka today.

I have posted some photos of it at:
http://www.sitkanature.org/wordpress/2010/06/07/pied-billed-grebe/

(Apologies to those of you who are on multiple lists and receive this  
message twice.)

Matt Goff
Sitka


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Subject: Cinnamon teal near mouth of Mendenhall River - 6/06
From: Paul Suchanek <paulms AT gci.net>
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2010 13:33:58 -0800
Today, there was a male cinnamon teal hanging out with a good bunch of teal 
(including about a dozen blue-winged) and other ducks on the backside of the 
oxbow island in the Mendenhall River just downstream of the dike trail. I saw 
it from the dike trail side of the river but the birds would have been a lot 
closer by walking downstream along the road and then river from the end of 
Industrial Boulevard. I also saw a lingering white-fronted and cackling goose 
in with the normal contingent of Canada geese. I walked out on the mudflats but 
didn't see any shorebirds except a killdeer and a greater yellowlegs. 

_________________________________________________________________
The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox.

http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_3 
Subject: Alder Flycatcher
From: Karla Hart <AlaskaBirder AT gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2010 11:10:07 -0800
Just heard the alder flycatcher's call for "free beer" for the first  
time in the willow/alder thickets off Wren Drive. 
Subject: moose lake environs Audubon walk
From: Deanna MacPhail <bandmac AT gci.net>
Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2010 12:45:10 -0800
There was a good turnout this morning and the weather cooperated nicely.
The birds also went along with the idea that we needed to see one of these
and one of those.  The hoped-for but sometimes challenging birds appeared on
cue.

 

A visiting couple from San Diego had a life bird when we had close looks at
the Northern Waterthrush.  

The male Am. Redstart made himself available for reasonable viewing.
Warbling Vireo warbled from a distance and went unseen.

 

The usual:

Townsend's, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers

Kinglets, Juncos, Song & Lincoln's Sparrows

Am. Robins, Hermit & Varied Thrush

 

On Norton Lake:

Trumpeter Swan

Ring-necked Ducks

Hooded Mergansers

 

Rusty Blackbirds and Swainson's Thrush heard at a distance
Subject: Some summer birds singing... AMRE WAVI COYE PSFL
From: "andersonmark142" <andersonmark1 AT gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2010 20:28:11 -0000
This week, Andy and I found that some of our later songbirds have arrived. 
Tues. at N. Moose Lk. we got a great look at a singing American Redstart and we 
also heard a N. Waterthrush and a Warbling Vireo. We also heard Common 
Yellowthroats at the Comm. Gardens and Pioneer Pond. Thursday we heard a 
Pacific-slope Flycatcher out N. Douglas. 

Subject: Molting Eagle - not molting but....
From: deborah_rudis AT fws.gov
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2010 09:56:34 -0800
I may have seen this same bird at least 4 years ago in this area.  Will
have search my old photos when I am back.  Mike Jacobsen (retired
eaglebioogist) said it was an albanistic bird, not molting.

-Deb
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deborah D. Rudis
Environmental Contaminants Biologist
US Fish & Wildlife Service
Ecological Services Field Office
3000 Vintage Blvd. #201
Juneau, Alaska  99801

907/780-1183   fax 907/586-7099
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the
rest of the world.'   John Muir
Subject: Molting Eagle?
From: "Toi" <tazmans AT gci.net>
Date: Mon, 31 May 2010 20:35:10 -0000
I was running from Tracy Arm back to Juneau last week and just north of Taku 
harbor a wad of eagles were feeding on a school of herring. Not an uncommon 
site but one of the eagles stuck out like a sore thumb. From about a mile off 
shore I could see this all white bird and thought that maybe it was an osprey. 
When I got over closer it was a mature bald eagle. I guess its molting 
possibley but I have never seen this color pattern. Is this a molting phase? 
Kinda cool. 

Poor photos but hard to shoot out of a rocking boat.
Photos
http://sealaskaphotographicsociety.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=800
Subject: Western Tanager
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 31 May 2010 12:33:42 -0700 (PDT)

Well, thebright side of having to go to the (Back Loop Road) Forest Service 
office today was ansecond year male WETA singingpersistently near theBack 
parking lot/ Dredge Lk. trail-head. 

Also had a Brown creeper singing in the yard on Wren Drive. They have been 
eluding me this spring. 
Subject: Northern waterthrush
From: KIM TITUS AND DEB RUDIS <akwildlife AT gci.net>
Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 21:00:18 -0800
Heard one no. waterthrush on Sat am in Dredge Lakes and a number of them today 
near our yard. Must be moving through! 

-deb rudis
River Rd
Juneau
Subject: birding websites
From: Deanna MacPhail <bandmac AT gci.net>
Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 20:20:29 -0800
 

Some interesting, maybe helpful birding sites, list taken from spring issue
of "Birdscope" published by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

 

www.allaboutbirds.org

 

www.celebrateurbanbirds.org

 

www.ebird.org

 

www.macaulaylibrary.org

 

www.nestcams.org

 

www.camclickr.org

 

www.nestwatch.org

 

www.feederwatch.org

 

www.flickr.com/groups/birdshare

 

 
Subject: Drama at Norton Lake
From: linda.shaw AT noaa.gov
Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 10:58:37 -0800

Hi,

I headed out to seek Norton Lake this morning - wasn't sure where it 
was but luckily ran into Bev, Deanna, Laurie and Patty, who gave 
me "dry foot" directions.  Happily all the reported waterfowl were 
there, looking fabulous, so I watched them for awhile and was getting 
ready to head back when I heard a female mallard making a rucous.  I 
headed over to the other side of the lake and discovered two female 
mallards with their ducklings being strafed by a juvenile bald eagle.  
Both females were quacking furiously, flapping the water with their 
wings and swimming circles around the ducklings, who were also 
swimming erratically but all staying together in a group in the open 
water.  The juvenile eagle made about six low passes over them and 
then, on the last pass, kept flying, having had no luck.  The female 
mallards and their respective ducklings, a brood of nine and a brood 
of six, then separated and beelined it to the weedy shores.   I 
wondered if the ducks strategy confused the eagle, or the eagle was 
not experienced enough to make a grab - or both.   

Also saw a white-faced junco amongst a flock of "normal" looking 
ones.  Deanna and Patty said they have seen this color morph before 
but it is not in the bird book. 

Thanks again to Bev, Deanna, Laurie and Patty for the directions and 
info on the weird junco!

Linda 

Subject: RE: ruddy duck at Norton Lake
From: "Agler, Bev (DFG)" <bev.agler AT alaska.gov>
Date: Sat, 29 May 2010 17:22:27 -0800

Hi all,
There were two male ruddy ducks on Norton Lake at ~9 am this morning. 
They were with
1 no shoveler
3 gw teal
2 bw teal
3 ring necked ducks
2 hooded mergansers
1 trumpeter swan
1 mallard with 6 chicks
1 common yellowthroat
2 no waterthrush on trail on the way in
heard probable sora near waterthrush site

quite a morning!

Bev

-----Original Message-----
From: Eaglechat AT yahoogroups.com on behalf of Laurie L.
Sent: Fri 5/28/2010 8:30 PM
To: eaglechat AT yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Eaglechat] Bird 'walk' Saturday May 29th
 
Please share with any beginning birders who may be interested. Birders of all 
experience levels are welcome! 

May 29, Pioneers' Marsh, 10am to noon. Kevin O'Malley and Laurie Lamm will lead 
this outing and is aimed for young birders and families with an interest in 
learning about birds but who have little or no prior experience. The marsh is a 
perfect place to hold such an event as the access is very easy, requires no 
hiking to get to the site, and generally has a very nice mix of birds in easy 
view. Kevin and Laurie will provide binoculars and a scope will also be 
available. This viewing area is directly behind the Pioneers' Home and parking 
is limited, so please meet at the Western Auto parking lot and then the group 
can car pool over to the marsh. 

Laurie Lamm


      
Subject: Pioneer Marsh
From: "Laurie L." <llammak AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 29 May 2010 14:32:35 -0700 (PDT)
During today's bird 'walk' at the Pioneer Marsh we saw and/or heard the 
following:Bald EagleCommon RavenNorthwestern CrowSong SparrowYellow 
warblerAmerican robinRuby-crowned kingletRed-winged blackbirdMallards 
(including ducklings)Tree swallows (flying and hanging out on two nest 
boxes)Violet-green swallows 

This was a great chance to compare and contrast tree and violet-green swallows!
Laurie L.



      
Subject: Redstarts are in!
From: Deanna MacPhail <bandmac AT gci.net>
Date: Sat, 29 May 2010 08:35:01 -0800
Moose Lake, 5:30 am. Sat. saw my first of season American Redstart.  This
male sang and worked his way around the intersection at the nw end of Moose
Lake, clearly defining his territory.  At same place, saw Yellow-rumped,
Orange-crowned and Yellow Warblers and heard Townsend's.   Possibly another
redstart calling on east side of Moose.

deanna
Subject: Bird 'walk' Saturday May 29th
From: "Laurie L." <llammak AT yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 28 May 2010 21:30:07 -0700 (PDT)
Please share with any beginning birders who may be interested.  Birders of all 
experience levels are welcome!  

May 29, Pioneers’ Marsh, 10am to noon. Kevin O’Malley and Laurie Lamm will 
lead this outing and is aimed for young birders and families with an interest 
in learning about birds but who have little or no prior experience. The marsh 
is a perfect place to hold such an event as the access is very easy, requires 
no hiking to get to the site, and generally has a very nice mix of birds in 
easy view. Kevin and Laurie will provide binoculars and a scope will also be 
available. This viewing area is directly behind the Pioneers’ Home and 
parking is limited, so please meet at the Western Auto parking lot and then the 
group can car pool over to the marsh. 

Laurie Lamm


      
Subject: New group for Barrow & North Slope birds & birders
From: "alaskanaking" <ah AT GCI.NET>
Date: Wed, 26 May 2010 05:38:42 -0000
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BarrowBirds/
Subject: Loon Migration at Taku Inlet/Stephens Passage
From: "andersonmark142" <andersonmark1 AT gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 23:45:42 -0000
Saturday morning, I went King Salmon fishing with Andy and Art across Taku 
Inlet, at Doty Cove, etc. We identified a Yellow-billed Loon and more than 30 
Common & 25 Pacific loons in breeding plumage. Hundreds of loons were flying 
around the area and on the water. 


We saw many Marbled Murrelets, some Pigeon Guillemots, a few Common Murres and 
a Double-crested Cormorant. Lots of Eagles and Herring, Mew and Bonaparte's 
Gulls were zooming around and feeding along with a few Humbacks. Too bad the 
fishing... 


We also saw a baby harbor seal playing in the shallows next to the rocks. It 
was really small and looked all cute & cuddly. 

Subject: Saturday May 22 Bird Walk Results
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 11:33:13 -0700 (PDT)
We had a pleasant morning, nothing unusual to report.. except for the 
beautiful warm sunshine. The Pac-slope Flycatchersand Swainson's Thrushes I 
had hoped for were just not out in full force yet. But we did have some good 
warbler views, including the often-concealed Townsend's. 

Species list, with my best recollection of numbers estimates (of people and 
birds) generated by e-bird below. 





----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "do-not-reply AT ebird.org" 
To: gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com
Sent: Mon, May 24, 2010 10:26:40 AM
Subject: eBird Report - Sandy Beach Trail, Douglas Island , 5/22/10



Location:  Sandy Beach Trail, Douglas Island
Observation date:  5/22/10
Notes:  Juneau Audubon Society Bird Walk
Number of species:  24

Sooty Grouse  1  Booming heard upslope
Bald Eagle  3  Adult on nest -Mayflower Island
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-breasted Sapsucker  2
Pacific-slope Flycatcher  1  Single call heard at end of day from parking 
lot 

Steller's Jay  2
Northwestern Crow  2
Common Raven  2
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  2
Winter Wren  3
Golden-crowned Kinglet  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  5
Swainson's Thrush  1  Single bird heard calling only
Hermit Thrush  2
American Robin  5
Varied Thrush  5
Orange-crowned Warbler  6  Singing 
Yellow Warbler  4  Singing 
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  3  Singing 
Townsend's Warbler  7  Many singing 
Savannah Sparrow  1  single distant song from parking lot
Lincoln's Sparrow  2
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)  1  Singing
Pine Siskin  13  Flight display seen; spiral around tall conifer tree. 
Another observed carrying fluffy nest material. 


This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Subject: Last minute field help needed - Tongass Landbird Point Counts
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 10:48:01 -0700 (PDT)

If youthink it would be great to havean expense-paid trip to Petersburg and 
Zarembo Is. with an "expert" birder, are available June 9 - 13, and ready to do 
some hiking through the woods early in the morning, please contact me asap. 
Subject: a JNU sora
From: deborah_rudis AT fws.gov
Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 08:44:27 -0800
I believe I heard a sora calling from the marsh behind the community garden
on Sat. about 9 am.  Persisted for awhile.


-deb





                      
                      
                      


.
Subject: Golf course wetlands
From: "paddlinda" <valliel AT jsd.k12.ak.us>
Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 15:48:55 -0000
Walking the trail by the golf course wetlands Sunday morning, I saw several 
pintails, wigeons, and shovelers dabbling in the river. Farther out was a 
single snow goose with 2 canada geese as companions. The single swan that has 
been hanging around joined another group of canadas in the grass. Lots of 
warblers in the deciduous trees near the golf course, including a yellow 
warbler, yellow rumped, and orange crowned. 



Subject: Golden eagle
From: Gwen Baluss <gwenbaluss AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 23 May 2010 18:49:49 -0700 (PDT)
One of the marmot-hunting eagles on the sides of Mt. McGinnis today I believe 
was a Golden - very misty up there but I heard the distinctive "chicken cluck" 
call a number of times in addition to seeing a slightly different-looking 
silhouette. 
Subject: Western tanager, Gustavus.
From: "spruceak" <spruceak AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 23 May 2010 21:45:38 -0000
There was a female western tanager foraging along the water-edged willows at 
Gustavus Lake this morning. Also, my foy spotted sandpiper at Wilson's Ponds 
and my foy Swainson's thrush observed and heard singing on a tree top along the 
Fall Ck. Hydro Road. 


Bruce
Subject: red-necked phalarope
From: "Agler, Bev (DFG)" <bev.agler AT alaska.gov>
Date: Sun, 23 May 2010 08:03:40 -0800
Hi all, there has been a red-necked phalarope on the wetlands mudflats Friday 
and Saturday. Friday is was on the mud, but up near the short grass and with 
several sb dowitchers. Saturday it was out by the sand hills, but feeding in 
the thick rockweed. 


 

A few other scattered birds, some whimbrels, bb plover, semi plovers, pectoral 
sandpipers, ruddy turnstones.... 


 

Purple martin seen (not by me) along the dike and on the industrial side. Ask 
Gus van Vliet or Patty Rose for more info. I can't seem to find it myself... 


 

Bev.

 

Bev Agler

Thermal Mark Lab Supervisor

Mark, Tag, and Age Lab

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

10107 Bentwood Place

Juneau, Alaska 99801

(907) 465-3498

(907) 465-2765 fax

 

PLEASE NOTE NEW EMAIL

bev.agler AT alaska.gov

 

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>..`...><((((>.. ><((((>
>`..`.....`><((((>.`..`...><((((>.`..`...><((((>..`..`..
>.><((((>.. `..`....`..`...><((((>