avifauna

I think the most important quality in a birdwatcher is a willingness to stand quietly and see what comes. Our everyday lives obscure a truth about existence - that at the heart of everything there lies a stillness and a light. - Lynn Thomson

My husband and I spotted this Whimbrel over the weekend and excitedly watched as it repeatedly stuck its long bill into the mud along Knik Arm.  Their diet includes mollusks, crabs, worms and insects, and occassionally we saw it successfully pull something from the muck to consume.  We returned to the area this afternoon and were delighted to see three Whimbrels rummaging in the mud.  Lucky us!  

Sunday was our first ever sighting of a Whimbrel, and we also had first time sightings of Black-bellied Plovers and Bonaparte's Gulls that day.  Unfortunately, we didn't get any clear photos of these other birds, but we sure had fun spotting and identifying them.  We're quite blessed with avian life here in Anchorage.  Today we also watched an Arctic Tern fishing, a Mew Gull defending its nest from a Black-billed Magpie, a nesting Canada Goose, a foraging Sandhill Crane, and a wading pair of Wigeons among other birdie riches.  
  

view from the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail across Knick Arm to the Talkeetna Mountains