| Field Trips and Events Calendar |
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Anchorage Audubon is very grateful to the wonderful field trip leaders who volunteer their time and share their extensive knowledge of birds and natural history. We could not offer these excellent field trips without you! Thank you to Chris Maack, Delesta Fox, John Wenger, Dianne Toebe, Mr. Whitekeys, Kenna Sue Trickey, Bob Dittrick, and Cecily Fritz! The calendar includes Audubon sponsored field trips, monthly membership meetings, and other events and trips that may be of interest to the members of the Chapter. Field trips are in blue text.
February 2010:
Monthly Meeting featuring Denali Park's Golden Eagles
Location: BP Energy Center Description: Carol McIntyre of the National Park Service will present a program on the Golden Eagles of the Denali Park area. Carol has been studying Golden Eagles for 23 years as a National Park Service biologist. As part of her studies on the ecology of Golden Eagles, Carol has used satellite telemetry to document the movements of juvenile and subadult eagles that were raised in Denali. Her findings are a treasure trove of avian knowledge. For years, many of us in the Anchorage area assumed that the Golden Eagles that flew through the Gunsight Mountain hawkwatch area fanned out into areas north and west of the Mat-Su Valley. Carol’s telemetry studies have shown that Golden Eagles raised in Denali usually migrate north of the Alaska Range, but that individual eagles show great diversity in their annual migration routes with some passing through the Mat-Su valley in autumn or spring. Note: This program will be held on the SECOND Thursday of the month to accommodate Carol’s schedule.
Seward Winter Birding Field Trip
Date and Time: Rescheduled for Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 10 a.m. March 2010:
Evening Owl Prowl and Program
Date and Time: Saturday, March 13, 7:30pm-10pm Monthly Meeting featuring The “How To Be A Better Birder” Forum
Date and Time: Thursday, March 25, 7:00 pm April 2010:
Annual Palmer Hayflats Bird Walk
Date and Time: Saturday April 10th at 9:00 am Monthly Meeting featuring Alaskan Raptor ID and Behavior
Date and Time: Thursday, April 15, 7:00pm Description: Our April program will feature Hawkwatcher Paul Fritz who will help us hone our Raptor ID skills for the weekend’s Gunsight Mountain Hawkwatch. The Glenn Highway field trip has become Alaska’s third largest annual birding event, and Paul has presided over the site’s migration monitoring for years. Paul Fritz can look six miles away at a speck in the sky and tell you the species, age, sex, and what the bird has just eaten for lunch! This raptor tune-up program will enhance your knowledge and enjoyment of one of our state’s most incredible migration spectacles. Gunsight Mountain Hawk Watch Weekend Date and Time: Saturday and Sunday, April 17 & 18Location: Glenn Highway, MP 119 Leaders: Paul Fritz and W. Keys Description: Celebrate the return of spring migrating raptors with this annual Anchorage Audubon first field trip of the spring. Migrating raptors that can be seen along the ridgeline near MP 119 include golden eagle, red-tailed hawk, rough-legged hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, northern goshawk, American kestrel, peregrine falcon and merlin. Swainson's hawk and osprey have also been seen migrating through this area. Bring warm clothing, binoculars, spotting scopes, lunch, snacks, and lawn chairs and sit back while you watch migrating raptors glide over the nearby ridge. Meet at 10:00 AM at the wayside at Milepost 119, Glenn Highway. A short raptor identification talk will take place at 10:30 AM. On Sunday, April 18, the Mat-Su Birders will host their annual Hawk Watch BBQ at the same location. For details on the Mat-Su Hawk Watch - www.matsubirders.org/html/calendar.html. May 2010: The Cordova Copper River Shorebird Festival
Date and Time: May 6-9, 2010 The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival
Date and Time: May 6-9, 2010 JUNE 2010: The Potter Marsh-A-Thon Birding Smackdown
Date and Time: Saturday, June 5, 7:30 AM Description: Join Anchorage Audubon Saturday, June 5 for Anchorage’s greatest Birding Smackdown. How many bird species can your team find within Potter Marsh between 8:00 am and Noon? How much food can you bring to the Potluck Picnic immediately following the contest period at Noon? Whose team has the best name? Fabulous Prizes will be awarded for most species seen. Teams may consist of 2-6 people. The team must remain within voice or sight contact and must fit into one vehicle. Species may only be counted if they are seen/heard by the entire team (Exceptions: 6-person teams may count birds seen by 5 members, and 5-person teams may count birds seen by 4 members.)Check-In is at 7:30 am in the parking lot at the north end of the marsh. Teams will be given a check list and a Potter Marsh map on which to log the location of each species seen. At the end of the contest, species locations will be plotted on a gigantic master map to allow all participants to re-locate desired species. Entry fee is $20.00 per team. Exact Change is required. The Official Smackdown ends precisely at Noon. Teams will be penalized one species per minute late. Birds may be counted Only if seen from designated roads and trails in the Potter Marsh area. No stopping or walking will be allowed on the West side of the New Seward Highway. Birds seen in non-designated areas may be counted if the observers are standing within a designated area. SPECIAL SAFETY RULES: No stopping is allowed on the New Seward Highway except in designated turn-outs on the East side of the highway, and pulling into the designated turn-outs is only allowed for vehicles travelling NORTH. Parking in a manner that blocks other teams from using a pull-out will result in a penalty of 15 species. Additional details will be posted here. Stay Tuned! Early Morning Bird Walk at the Eagle River Nature Center
Date and Time: Saturday, June 6, 8am Seward Pelagic Birding Field Trip Date and Time: Sunday, June 27, 2010 Description: Tour Resurrection Bay, The Chiswell Islands, and stunning areas of Kenai Fjords National Park with a boat full of Birding Eyes! We'll fill a Mariah Tours boat with Anchorage Audubon birders in search of Puffins, Guillemots, Common Murres, Thick-billed Murres, Marbled Murrelets, Kittlitz's Murrelet, Ancient Murrelets, Shearwaters, Storm-Petrels, Fulmars, Parakeet Auklets, Rhinoceros Auklets, and anything else we can find in nine hours on the water. Participants will be allowed to view Marine Mammals at their own risk. Tour leader Mr. Whitekeys promises to leave no Turnstone unturned. The Mariah will depart Seward at 8:30am and return to the dock at 5:30pm. Bad weather, which may draw in more Shearwaters and Storm-Petrels, will be considered an added bonus feature. A breakfast snack and bagel sandwich lunch are provided. (Vegetarian choice available on request.) Accomodations in Seward for those who wish to overnight, and transportation to and from Seward are the responsibility of each participant. We will attempt to arrange carpooling if desired. Cost to be announced. Sign-up will open on March 20. Stay tuned for further information.
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Anchorage Audubon field trips and events are open to the public unless stated otherwise in the field trip announcement! We welcome all ages and levels of birders and non-birders on our trips. Contact trip leader for more information about each field trip, or contact Field Trip Coordinator Sirena Brownlee, 929-8051. We strongly encourage carpooling on all our field trips if possible.
