Common Redpoll enjoying alder seeds

What started as a day with a little blue sky, turned into wet snow day. Weather does not matter to wildlife, and the little flock of redpolls were in my yard again today. I have never professed to be a good bird photographer. Except in cases of shore birds that are large and not fast moving. This is a skill I will continually work on. 

The redpolls are so sweet, they usually travel in pairs within the flock. The groups I have seen work in male - female pairs one watching out for the other. Here they are feasting on alder seeds. This displays the importance of leaving seeds on plants throughout the year as different animals use the food source at different times of the year. 

I have seen these common redpolls picking up bits of gravel on the road in front of the Girdwood airport. This is the second time I have attempted to photograph them picking out the seeds from the alder cones. 

Snow returns to Glacier Valley

I awoke to the silence, an alarming surprise

and a glorious sight to my weary eyes

The snow piled up, nearly twelve inches high

The air was filled with tiny white flakes

Soon they would turn to large puffy shapes

Earth and trees I knew would rejoice

And skiers alike will think the day choice! 

If you can ditch work, today is the first best powder day to do so. Not that there hasn’t been fresh snow this season, but this is a decent layer of the good fluff. It is Wednesday, Alyeska is open until 6, but make plans for Thursday when night skiing runs until 9 pm. 

The temperature is holding at 30° thank goodness. The eaves have stopped dripping. And suddenly today there is a blizzard warning for Western Prince William Sound. The estimate was 3 to 6 inches of snow, but Girdwood has received at least 9 inches at the T. Yipee!

Bird Notice:
Yesterday while in Anchorage, I observed some Common Redpolls visiting bird feeders. Redpolls are small finch size songbirds that spend their winter in our range. Here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology with an image. If you are interested in attracting birds, or helping them obtain food during the winter months, putting out a feeder is a simple way to do so. You can even just set out a tray of seed, a fancy feeder is not necessary. The benefit of the feeder is in keeping larger birds from eating all the seed quicker than smaller birds. Feeders have varying sizes of dispensing holes and perches. It is really hard for a magpie to get seed out of a thistle feeder. Speaking of magpies, they have been very active in Girdwood lately. Be aware of placement of your feeder as it will attract moose. Bird feeders also attract bears, as a result many folks remove and store their feeders in the summer.