Skua

Skua are one of the four commonly seen wildlife species around McMurdo Station, and almost certainly the least loved.  Residents of McMurdo learn quickly to hide their food from these birds since they have learned to recognize the blue cafeteria trays that contain easy meals.  It is not uncommon to see a unsuspecting victims tray be knocked out of their hands by a skua and then have the remains stolen from the ground.

Here a skua takes off with christmas dinner (lobster tail).

Skua are very territorial and hiking around McMurdos minimal trail system is at some point likely to put you face to face with an angry skua.  Skua are also very common at Cape Royds and nest along side the adelie penguin colony.  

This skua took exception to me having a walk on the Hut Point trail late one evening.  I was divebombed several times before I was able to move on and get out of the way.  

The skua at Cape Royds seemed to be even more aggressive still, but this is likely because they were protecting nests.  I captured two photos of this one (with a wide angle lens) as it came within just a few inches of my head while visiting the penguin colony.  

 Unlike most people at McMurdo, I find the skua an amazing bird.  They spend half of their time off the coast of North America as far north as the Aleutian Islands, and then head south to breed in Antarctica. They feed mostly on fish in the open ocean but take to scavenging fairly well.  They are the southernmost nesting bird in the world and one has even been seen at the South Pole Station.  I spent a little time watching some nesting birds.  There were five nests that I knew of around McMurdo Station. Three of the five produced young birds and the other two failed.  Skua have a reputation of eating their own young and preying on the young of other birds, but I did not see this type of behavior in them.

Here a mother sits with her chick in the nest.

I observed one nest in which the mother bird appeared to be sitting on eggs for many weeks.  Even after all the other nests had chicks running around, this one bird was still sitting on a nest.  I went back to the nest a few days later and got close enough to see that the mother had been sitting on a frozen egg and a dead chick.  I believe she had been sitting there for as long as a month, but would not leave her nest.  This is unusual behavior for any bird, especially one that has a reputation of eating its own young.  

It is important to note that my observations of these birds were done from a long way off and the photos of the birds attacking me were shot when working directly with science groups, or when walking on open trails near McMurdo Station.  As soon as the birds showed aggressive behavior I left the area immediately.  The photos of the nestling were shot with a telephoto lens and at no point did the parent bird react to my presence.   In other words:  No birds were harmed in the making of these photos.

Arctic Terns

I spent a few hours down at the Talkeetna River today shooting photos of arctic terns.  These incredible birds just arrived in Alaska in the last few weeks and are now feeding pretty much continuously.  Their migration is one of the longest of any animal on earth moving between the arctic and the antarctic each season.

Snowy Owls

After hearing all the reports of Snowy Owls wintering much further south that usual, I decided it was time to go find some.  Working on some good advice from a friend who saw some last weekend, I drove to see what I could find.  The weather was less than perfect with strong winds and heavy rain, but it made for good photos.

Golden Eagle Nest Work with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

For the second year in a row I spent some time working with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on a Golden Eagle project.  This work mostly consists of going to eagle nests just after the young birds have fledged and picking out all of the remains of prey that the birds have brought back to the young.  Golden Eagles nest mostly on cliffs and that is where I come in.  Most of the nests are accessed by rappelling from above down to the nest.  Occasionally there is no place to anchor above the nest or it is easier to climb to the nest.

Earlier this year we placed a trail camera on a nest with some young birds in it. The first part of this work was to retrieve that camera and collect any prey remains that were left in that nest.  Right when we got to the nest a juvenile bird flew over.  It is quite common for the juvenile birds to stay around the nest for a while after they fledge.

Juvenile Golden Eagle above nest near the Tieton River.

We collected prey remains and the camera and headed to the Wenas wildlife area to spend the night.  This area is one of the hidden gems of Washington.  I was amazed by the amount of birds in this area.   Unfortunately a very noisy great horned owl kept waking me up throughout the night.  I can't really complain since being woken up by an owl is a lot better than being woken up by my neighbors at home.

A night hawk at Wenas Wildlife area.

A house wren also at Wenas Wildlife area.

The next morning we headed the the next nest just south of Ellensburg.  This nest was in a beautiful area and despite a little bit of rain and a few ticks the half mile walk was very enjoyable.  There was no sign of the birds when we got close to the nest, but after rappelling to the nest it was clear it had been used that year.  The nest  contained several coyote legs and deer legs.  As we were driving the road out of the wildlife area we saw a juvenile golden eagle, but I was not able to get a shot of it.  I was able to get a shot of this deer that was a hundred yards down the road from where we saw the eagle.

We made one quick stop to shoot some osprey before we got to Ellensburg.

From there we headed to a nest south of Ellensburg close to Puget Sound Energy's wind farm (also known as bird killing area).  After what seemed like several hours of driving on must be Washington's single worst road we arrived at the most unique area of Washington I have been to so far.  The top of this high ridge was mostly rock and sand with the only vegetation being some desert plants and cactus that I did not know exist in Washington.

A horned lark on sagebrush on the way to the nest.

Pediocactus nigrispinus - Hedgehog Cactus

The young bird had still not left the nest, so we could not go to the nest to collect remains.  Instead we spent a few minutes shooting photos and then left.

On the way back down the "road from hell", we stopped to check out a coyote carcass and found another interesting Washington species...

A horned toad.

Driving past the windfarms I shot this photo.  I guess they haven't killed him yet.

Kestrel

From there we headed north to Wenatchee to return to a nest we did last year.  From a climbing standpoint this nest is probably the most interesting.  It  is located on a small basalt cliff that if you look at the wrong way might just collapse and kill you.  I think this cliff would win the medal for most unstable rock in Washington.  There are also not anchors above the cliff so rappelling to it is not an option.  I climbed along a small ledge and through a constriction (covered in mouse crap) to get to the nest.

Me in the nest last year.

From there we headed north to Twist and Winthrop to look at some more nests.  One of the nests was located up a very steep slope a long way from the road so we decided to skip it an continue on to the next.  At the next nest in the Metow Valley west of Winthrop  there was still a juvenile bird.  We were planning on tagging that bird the next day with a radio tracking device to gather more information on the movements of the birds.  On the way back we stopped at a tree nest in Entiat and collected some prey remains below the nest.  After that we headed back to Twisp for the night.

The following day we headed to the Cheif Joseph Damn to meet with some folks from the Army Corp of Engineers who would take us by boat to a nest just upstream on the Columbia River.  We visited a different nest from the same birds last year.  They biologist for the area had told us that he had not seen any birds since they had fledged a few weeks earlier.

Eastern Kingbird at the boat launch.

Me sitting in the nest collecting prey remains.

We found the carcass of the bird that had fledged in the bushes below the nest (apparently the victim of a coyote).  I found a second carcass of a very small bird on a ledge just below the nest.  That bird was likely pushed out of the nest by the other one.  For the second year in a row it appears this nest failed to produce any young.  The nest however had more prey remains than any other nest that we had been to so far.

The pile of prey remains from the nest.  Including lots of deer legs, coyote parts, a snake skeleton and the carcass of a small golden eagle.

The carcass of the other eagle.

We were supposed to capture and tag the eagle at the last remaining nest, but when we got there the bird had fledged and was nowhere to be seen. We collected the prey remains from the nest, and headed home.

Animals and Birds of Washington's Alpine Environments

I have been trying to photograph all of the wildlife I have seen in the Cascades for a while now.  Although my photo collection is far from complete, I do feel it is large enough for a blog post.  So here it is. wildlife of the Cascades Alpine areas.

Pika

The Pika is a small mammal in the lagomorphs family (rabbit and hare) found both below tree line and in the alpine regions.  It is rat sized and can often be seen and heard in scree and boulder fields.  Their call is best described as a loud squeak.  They are pretty hard to get close to so I don't really have many good photos of them.    Pika do not hibernate, they live under the snow all winter continuing to feed on the vegetation on the ground.  

Hoary Marmot

Marmots are common in alpine areas of Washington and I have spent many hours photographing them.  Their call is a loud whistle, which serves as communication and more importantly a warning to other marmots about predators.  

Cascade Fox
The Cascade fox is a common resident around Mt. Rainier as many of them are habituated to humans.

Deer Mouse
Any climber who has spent any time at a popular camp and did not clean up their food properly has paid for it with less sleep due to the constant nighttime movements of the deer mouse.

A deer mouse hiding the the bottom of my tent.

Bushy-tailed Woodrat
Any nighttime encounter with a deer mouse pales in comparison to the legendary bushy-tailed wood rat.  There may be no other animal quite as persistent and capable of ruining a night of sleep.  My encounters with this large rodent have always been memorable.  I once had a pair of socks stolen by one of these guys in the middle of the night.  We were in the Picket Range and I had not brought a second pair.  In another encounter I had some crawling all over my truck while I was trying to sleep in it while on a trip in Eastern Washington.  It was an evening of almost constant banging and loud scurrying.  These things certainly do not have much grace.
I dont have a photo of one of these alive, and I cant really bring myself to post a picture of a dead one.

You can find a photo here


Mountain Goat
One of the more lovable of our alpine dwelling friends.  It is rare that I do a trip to the Enchantments, Washington Pass or the Cache Col side of Cascade Pass without seeing some goats.

Black Bear
Yes they do spend time above tree line in the alpine areas of the Cascades.  No I don't have a good photo of one.

Grizzly Bear (Brown Bear)
It is now official that there are grizzly bears in the North Cascades.  The photo that confirmed them was shot on Sahale Arm near Cascade Pass.

Chipmunk
Found at most camps in the pacific Northwest at or below treeline.

Varied Thrush
Often heard, but rarely seen, the varied thrush is one of the most common birds that climbers will share the approach trail with.  They are about the size of and have similar shape as a robin (which is also a thrush).

Click here for a page at which you can hear its call.

Anna's Hummingbird

I am kind of lying here, because it is more common for climbers to see ruby-throated hummingbirds, but I don't have a picture of one.  Hummingbirds are very common in alpine areas of Washington.  

 American Crow

Crows are less common visitors to the alpine than ravens, but do occasionally make their way above tree line.  

Winter Wren

I am still working on getting a photo of a Winter Wren.  They do not tend to move above tree line, but are very common in sub-alpine forest.
This is another bird with a distinctive song that is often heard on approach hikes.  More information, a recording of the call, and a photo can be found here.

Hermit Thrush
The Hermit Thrush is another bird that is often heard but rarely seen.  Their call is one of the most beautiful and haunting of all the northwest birds.  A hike in the northwest would not be the same without the sound of this bird.  It is most often heard right at treeline in the mountain hemlock and sub-alpine fir.
Click here for a link to a page where you can hear its call.

I know this photo is terrible, but its a hermit thrush and they are hard to get close to.

Gray Jay

Known to many back country users as camp robbers.  Chances are if you have stopped for a snack on a popular trail you have had one of these birds land close to you.  

Pretty much the easiest bird to photograph.

Clark's Nutcraker
Similar in color to the grey jay and often mistaken for them.  They are a bigger bird and do not do as much scrounging for climber food as the jay does.  They are more common on the eastern crest of the cascade mountains around Colchuck Lake and Washington Pass.  They are also very loud squawking birds.

For more information and to hear their call click here.

Dark eyed Junco
I can't really believe I don't have a photo of one of these yet.  They are all over my front yard and they are super common visitors to the sub-alpine fir and mountain hemlock.
More info and photos can be found here.

Mountain Chickadee
The Mountain Chickadee is a close relative of the black-capped chickadee.  It is pretty common in the sub-alpine areas just like the Dark-eyed Junco.

Horned Lark
Horned Larks are often seen on glaciers in small groups feeding on insects in the snow.  This bird fits in the often seen but rarely close enough to identify.  Some day I will get a good photo of one, but until them I will stick with this one.

Ok, I have an updated photo from Eastern Washington.  I left the original bad one because it shows a bird feeding on the glacier.

American Pipit
The American Pipit is a less commonly seen bird in the alpine areas where climbers go.  They breed in above tree line.  I have only seen them on occasion and usually only in places where climbers do not go very often.

Mountain Bluebird
A fairly common resident of the Eastern Cascades.

Grey Crowned Rosy Finch
The Grey Crowned Rosy Finch is also seen fairly often on glaciers feeding on insects.  Its a little smaller than the Horned Lark.  It looks a lot like a sparrow until you get close enough to see the grey coloring around the back of the neck and on the cheeks.

Raven
It seems every climber has a raven story.  These are usually related to some type of amazing feat where the raven has opened up a zipper and removed some food.

Sooty Grouse
Common in alpine areas in the late summer.  It seems like Mt. Baker is a pretty common place to see these guys.

White Tailed Ptarmigan
White tailed ptarmigans are fairly common in the Cascades above tree line.  Their distinctive chicken like call is often heard right at dusk, as the birds come together in pairs and move to the center of glaciers or snow fields to spend the night.  In the winter these birds have completely white plumage.  Unfortunately I don't have a photo of any in their winter plumage.
A site with more information and a recording of their call is here.

Golden Eagle
Maybe it because I am better at identifying them, but in the last few years I have have seen a lot of Golden Eagles hunting in alpine areas.  Each time I have seen them there has been more than one and they have been hunting as a pair.  Marmots seem to be a favorite food of these birds.

Northern Harrier
I have only seen a norther harrier once, and it was on Mt. Baker.  Like the Golden Eagle it was probably hunting marmots.

Peregrine Falcon
More common at popular rock climbing areas than in the alpine areas.  It is still not unheard of to see a peregrine falcon above tree line.

Osprey
Although not common on the west side of the Cascades the osprey is a very common bird of prey on the eastern slopes.  They will sometimes fish in alpine lakes along the eastern crest of the Cascades.  I have seen them above Blue Lake at Washington Pass and in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area.  They are very common at Colchuck Lake.