The BIG storm only really began after the Eagle River Count was
finished. We had heavy overcast and a light, constant snow nearly all
day. Currently, the snow is really coming down hard and heavy. Looks
like the weather people got this one right!
<http://www.alaska.net/~nwsfoanc/>

My day of birding started about 10 AM. The snow had already begun to
fall by this time. I spent 2 hours on snowshoe, 2 hours on
cross-country skies and 2 hours in and out of the car. For my efforts,
I was rewarded with sightings of the following species:

Downy Woodpecker-----------------------------3
Black-billed Magpie-------------------------17
Common Raven---------------------------------4
Black-capped Chickadee----------------------30
Boreal Chickadee-----------------------------4
Red-breasted Nuthatch------------------------4
Brown Creeper--------------------------------2
Golden-crowned Kinglet-----------------------1
Northern Shrike------------------------------1
Pine Grosbeaks------------------------------39
Common Redpoll------------------------------60

for a total species count of 11 and total individual count of 165.

Thats Alaska birding in the winter for ya! A bit low on the species but
high in beauty, grandeur and fulfillment! My adventure today took me
from snow shoeing on the frozen Eagle River to skiing high in the alpine
of Meadow Creek Valley. The ptarmigan never showed themselves to me.
They were either deep in their snowy blankets keeping out of the coming
storm or hiding from the lone wolf whose tracks we found meandering
through the willow brush.

I remember the days as a youth when I used to dream of adventuring in
Alaska. Today, a portion of those dreams came true.

Andy Sorensen
ajstudio at ptialaska.net
Anchorage, Alaska

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"If you're bored with birds, you're bored with life."
--- Roger Tory Peterson
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