Thanks to everyone who joined us for community bird walks over the past few weeks. We hosted walks at Kincaid Park, on the Coastal Trail, and at Point Woronzof. We saw a lot of birds, hung out with friends, and met new people from Anchorage, Palmer, King Salmon, Florida, and Illinois. Great to see you all!

September Events

Native Planting at Valley of the Moon Park: Wednesday, September 2nd, 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Help the Anchorage Soil and Water Conservation District with a project to restore native plant species to the Valley of the Moon Park area. Volunteers will help prepare the site for planting, dig holes, learn how to transplant Alaska native plants, and water new plants. No prior gardening experience is necessary. Meet at the Valley of the Moon parking lot and dress for gardening outside. Contact ashley@anchorageswcd.org for more information.

Fall and Winter Evening Programs

Are you interested in giving a talk or do you know someone who has a great bird presentation? We are looking for speakers for January through March. Let us know by sending an email to info@anchorageaudubon.org

September Evening Program: Thursday, September 17th at 6:00 pm

Dr. Megan Milligan with the Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Megan will speak about "What is Driving the Population Trends of Alaska Breeding Birds." Megan is a wildlife biologist and has worked with birds across western North America and internationally, in Kenya, New Zealand, and Australia. She currently studies a variety of topics across Alaska and elsewhere on birds and large mammals. Megan will share photos and stories of the wild places she has worked, give an update on how she is learning about what may be causing changes in Alaska bird populations, and discuss how this information is being used.

We will also share some general updates, have a raffle for cool prizes, and of course, there will be cookies!

September Field Trips

All programs and field trips are also listed on the Anchorage Audubon website here

Wednesday Walks at Westchester are Back! Wednesday, September 2nd, 16th, 23rd and 30th from 6:30 to 7:30 PM (Note: This event will not take place on Wednesday, September 9th)

Meet at the viewing platform at Westchester Lagoon near the small boat launch. We will start off with a scan of the lagoon, looking for post-breeding species like scaup, and red-necked grebes, but also migrating species, like white-winged scoters. We’ll then walk a short distance out to the coast to scan the mudflats and Kink Arm. Hope to see you there! John Pearce is the coordinator for this event.

Potter Marsh: Saturday, September 12th at 9:00 am

Meet at the entrance to the main boardwalk area. Come and see what birds are still in the area as we move into fall. Cathy Foerster and Joanna Hubbard are the coordinators for this event.

Anchorage Audubon’s Hannah Brewster recently created some pocket-sized field guides for common birds of Anchorage parks and trails. These guides introduce common birds to Anchorage residents and visitors and provide resources for learning how to identify and learn about other birds in the area. We are planning to create more of these guides for other popular park and trail areas in Anchorage and make these freely available at the Anchorage Visitor Center and Alaska Public Lands Information Center for next summer.

Audubon Alaska Blog – Shorebird News from Upper Cook Inlet

Check out this recent blog post on the Audubon Alaska website. The post provides an update on long-term research on Hudsonian Godwits, Short-billed Dowitchers and Lesser Yellowlegs on both sides of Knik Arm and discusses changes to important bog habitats for breeding birds.

Bird Window Collisions

September is here and that’s typically a time to get our yards ready for winter, including the placement of bird feeders. A growing body of research is finding that millions of birds are being killed by window collisions every year. Window collisions are ranked second in the list of human-caused sources of bird mortality (predation by cats is first). So, here are some things to do when setting up bird feeders for winter:

• Wait until fall migration is over. One study found that bird window collisions were highest during spring and fall migration. So, in Anchorage, wait until late September before putting out bird feeders.

• Move feeders at least 30 feet from windows. A recent citizen science study by the FeederWatch Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, involving approximately 600 participants and 2,500 windows, found that most collisions occurred when feeders were 3 to 30 feet from windows. See image below.

• Install visible deterrents on windows near feeders to further reduce the chance of collisions. More information on window deterrents and what to do if a bird strikes a window is available at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

• Anchorage Audubon will have a display of window stickers at our September 17th evening program. Come check them out!

Pipits are on the Move

It’s migration season, and similar to many other birds the American Pipit is flocking up and moving through a variety of habitats in Anchorage this time of year. Although they nest in open, alpine tundra in the Chugach and other regions, they can occur in lowland habitats as they migrate south. Listen for their short, high-pitched calls if you are out blueberry picking this fall or just out for a walk. You might see small flocks of birds foraging in rocky and lichen covered landscapes or just hear them overhead. They often bob and wag their tails when walking or standing, and if you are really still, they might walk right up to you!

Enjoy the birds!