Cape Town Pelagic

Thanks to the serendipitous meeting of John Kinghorn on the flight to Johannesburg and were able to arrange a pelagic off the Cape of Good Hope.  As it turned out it was a clear, nearly cloudless day, mild temperature and a rather calm ocean. In all we made it out 20 + miles from land and found several trawlers to check out.  According to Kim and the boat captain birds were not as abundant as other times but there were ample for us.  In all we had 4 albatross species, two shearwaters, one storm-petrel, and three petrels.  At one point there were literally dozens of shearwaters and albatross flying around the boat.  In addition, we had one gull and a couple of common terns.  It was an amazing day at sea and the birds were very cooperative for photographs some of which I posted last night on Facebook.  I will post more later.

Roiells Road, Porter Botanical Gardens & Colony

With our full contingent we headed out the Coastal Highway this morning.  It was lightly overcast but very cold with a stiff wind blowing.  First we searched for Cape Rockjumper and Verreaux’s Eagle we had seen in the area earlier but were unsuccessful.   Instead we were treated to a soaring Jackal Buzzard.   We did add a new species, Cape Grassbird as well as great looks at both the Orange-bellied and Southern Double-collard Sunbird.  While here we were treated to a large group of Chacma Baboons that trouped through our area.  Before leaving the area we also found a family of Cape Sugarbirds.  From there we headed to the other side of the mountain where we climbed through the cape fynbos in search of a very elusive bird—Victorin’s Warbler.  This small bird is a skulker that does not sing from atop the shrubbery, rather stays well down in the bush making it difficult to get a good look at.  However, our persistence paid off and we were able to track a couple down and actually get pictures of them.  After a treacherous climb back down the mountain I noted a Cape Bunting singing across the highway and was able to get a picture of it singing atop a large bush.  After another delightful lunch at Jack’s Café we headed to the Porter Botanical Gardens where we added new birds—Fiscal Flycatcher, Somber Greenbelt, and several Black Saw-wing (a swallow type bird).  Our time there was capped off by a great display in perfect light of a Orange-breasted Sunbird.  From here we headed to the Penguin Colony for those who had not been there on an earlier trip where I was able to spend some time taking some serious videos of these cute birds.  Our day was rounded out with a great look at more Klipspringers (the smallest of the antelopes) who like to stand on rocks in the late evening on the mountain side.  I had to put the pictures on my Facebook page for this post.

And the tour begins

East side False Bay

Klaas's Cuckoo

Spotted Thick-knee

Sacred Ibis

Fork-tailed Drongo

On Tuesday evening the final two members of our group arrived—Lon and Betty Baumgardt.  Then on Wednesday morning we headed out to Strandfontein once again.  Besides the usual waterfowl we were fortunate to find a beautiful Klaas’s Cuckoo, Spotted Thick-Knee, Common Ringed Plover, Forked-tail Drongo and Ruddy Turnstone add to our growing list which has now surpassed 140.  Then after lunch we headed out the Coastal Highway where we did find a few birds for those new to our group.  As usual, at Strandfontein, we were dazzled by the beauty of hundreds of Greater Flamingoes in flight and doing their chorus line feeding.  I took some videos and will post them when I have strong internet service.  Cindy Stone, who has been plagued by camera problems, lost her lens cover and we had to improvise.  At a local hardware she found a sewer fluid tight coupling that fit just exactly over her lens and is walking around with a very unusual lens hood.  I also had the occasion to take a very nice panorama of the Hottentot Mountains and the water of False Bay from the scenic overview.  That was about it for today.

And the tour begins

On Tuesday evening the final two members of our group arrived—Lon and Betty Baumgardt.  Then on Wednesday morning we headed out to Strandfontein once again.  Besides the usual waterfowl we were fortunate to find a beautiful Klaas’s Cuckoo, Spotted Thick-Knee, Common Ringed Plover, Forked-tail Drongo and Ruddy Turnstone add to our growing list which has now surpassed 140.  Then after lunch we headed out the Coastal Highway where we did find a few birds for those new to our group.  As usual, at Strandfontein, we were dazzled by the beauty of hundreds of Greater Flamingoes in flight and doing their chorus line feeding.  I took some videos and will post them when I have strong internet service.  Cindy Stone, who has been plagued by camera problems, lost her lens cover and we had to improvise.  At a local hardware she found a sewer fluid tight coupling that fit just exactly over her lens and is walking around with a very unusual lens hood.  I also had the occasion to take a very nice panorama of the Hottentot Mountains and the water of False Bay from the scenic overview.  That was about it for today.

A Rainy Day

Overnight we had a hard rain and today it rained off and on most of the day.  We birded the Coastal Highway and Strandfontine again.  I believe we only added one new species—Common Waxwing—picture posted earlier.  That should bring our total to date to 139.  Most of our morning was spent trying to find the Nikon repair facility in Cape Town.  Directions were very difficult and one must admire Kim for his cool as he tried to find the place in rain and heavy traffic with both Mike and I talking to him.  Cindy’s camera has been inoperable the last few days and she had been using my spare camera and Kim’s new 100-400 lens until we could get some help with her camera.  Fortunately, they were able to make a simple repair and now she is back in action with her camera.   After that we headed back to Jack’s Café, a place we have come to like out near the Stoney Point Penguin preserve.  I had left my yeti there a couple of days ago and was happy to retrieve it.  We had a nice lunch with great internet service and then Kim took us back to where we are staying by mid-afternoon.  He went back to the airport to get our final rental van and pick up the last two members of our group arriving tonight.  So tomorrow the REAL tour begins, so I wanted to catch up tonight because we will be leaving early and arriving back tired.   

Over the Hottentot Mountains

Today the same group as yesterday with one addition, Paul Barding who joined us last night, took a drive northeast of Cape Town.  In good order we were blessed with a pair of Blue Cranes (see pictures posted earlier), the national bird of South Africa.  This was quickly followed by a Peragrine Falcon pair at a rest stop where they sat on the towering cliff above.  And we were privileged to have a Black Harrier ( a rather difficult bird to see usually) that we chased along the highway before finally have the opportunity to photography him less than 20 yards from our vehicle.  We then travelled a dirt road through the farm and ranch lands associated with this area.  In addition to seeing many new species we had occasion to observe a Yellow Mongoose pair.  You can see much of what we saw in my photo post entitled More South African Photos.  That is a much better way of telling you what we saw than mere words.  As you can see we had a very eventful day and the pictures don’t include all the species seen.  In total we have seen 138 species to date by my count.

West Coast National Park

On Sunday morning Cindy, Kim, Mike and I headed northwest of Cape Town toward the dryer coastal fynbos (small bushes characterize this habitat).  We stopped along a dirt road first where we found several birds such as Speckled Mousebird, Karoo Scrub Robin and Karoo Prinia (see pictures which I recently posted on Facebook).  The area is basically beach sand with interspersed scrub brush and dry.  We then proceeded to the National Park where we found Eland (largest of the antelope group) at tortoise and ostrich in addition to many interesting birds.  This is a very large park where we will return too when the final members of our tour get here next week.  As you can see from my picture post we added several new species to our list—Cape Weaver, White-browed Plover, Lesser Flamingo, and were treated to a beautiful spring floral display.  Yes, it is spring here.  We had a very nice lunch at what is now a restaurant, but was one of the original settled location by Europeans.  The building was built in 1744 as I remember.  The food was outstanding (see picture in earlier post).  Mike found a Southern Cape Penduline-Tit nest with nesting activity apparent with the two birds sitting beside the nest.  We also had a very aggressive Southern Double-Collared Sunbird that wanted to pose for pictures.  This particular male had very prominent yellow markings on his carpel wing area, a sign of breeding plumage.  The weather was beautiful in the mid too upper 70s, clear and no or little wind.  A very good day.

African Penguin Colony

Betty’s Bay

On Saturday night our group was joined by Mike Mandracchia.  On Saturday morning we headed out the Strand highway south east with our ultimate destination the African Penguin Colony.  Along the way we checked out Gordon’s Bay where we found our first African Black Oystercatcher.  I would be remiss if I did not note that Helmeted Guineafowl are everywhere.  Just before Betty’ Bay we hiked a short dirt road in a nice housing area.  The flowers here were beautiful and the waves crashing against the rock below were breathtaking.  This is in the same area where I took the coastal shot in my first blog so let your imagination take you there.  On a towing cliff a Verraux’s Eagles have made their nest and we stood by watching a pair of White-bellied Crows tried to drive the eagle from the area.  Surely they had a nest nearby.  The eagle just sat on the ground for a while ignoring their sweeps overhead and finally having enough took to flight and was further harassed by the crows.  This continued until the eagle soared high above.  While hiking in the area we were fortunate to find both Southern Double-collared and Orange-breasted Sunbirds.  These are beautiful birds that feed on nectar, much like the hummingbirds of the western hemisphere.  I have posted a picture of the double collared on Facebook earlier.  There were several other birds of interest along the way.  From here we went to the Penguin colony on Betty’s Bay.  There we were able to see many penguins both in the water and strolling on the land.  They are such interesting birds and of course very cute.  In addition, we were able to find 4 of the 5 species of cormorants in South Africa.  From there we went to have lunch at Jack’s café.  The meal was good.  I had a meat pie with chips.   It was big enough that I took half of it home only to have it fall on the floor when the box opened before I made it to the fridge.   Later we took a ride up the same road where we encountered a family of baboons which I have posted video of on the internet previously.  Finally, home to bed for another exciting day tomorrow.

Cape Town

Boulder’s Beach & Strandfontein

Later on Thursday evening Cindy Stone arrived.  Kim went to pick her up and I stayed at our residence working on the blog and some pictures.  First thing Friday morning we headed out birding, first driving along the coastal highway and visiting Boulder’s Beach.  We observed several species near the ocean—Rock Kestrel, Cape (Kelp) and Heartlaub’s Gulls, Karoo Prinia, Karoo Scrub Robin and both Yellow and Brimstone Canaries before we headed to Strandfontein.  Strandfontein is a combination of local park with picnic facilities and further down the road is a sewer treatment facility with many ponds.  And you know how birders love sewer treatment plants.  We ended up spending the remainder of our day there with a brief respite at KFC for a quick lunch.  The area was extremely prolific in bird species.  Waterfowl were everywhere—duck, our first Greater Flamingo --and there were so many of the beautiful, graceful bird that we actually tired of seeing them before the day was over.  Ducks included—Cape, Red-billed, Yellow-billed, Cape Shovelers, Southern Pochard, and grebes include Little Grebe (Dabchick) and Great Crested Grebe.  We also had Cape Francolin (spurfowl) a large chicken like bird, several species of cormorant, Little Egret, and Glossy Ibis and Blacksmith Plover –there name is derived from their call which sounds like striking an anvil) and a very pretty white and black bird-- Sacred Ibis.   I could go on boring some of you with the various species we encountered but I will not.  When I get some decent internet service I will post many pictures for you to enjoy.  All in all, we had a very successful day.

Austin to Cape Town, South Africa

So my long awaited safari to South Africa has begun.  I departed Austin at noon on September 20 and headed for Dulles International where I would then transfer to South Africa Airlines for the second leg of my journey.  I made it to Dulles without incident and then walked over to where South Africa Airlines departed.  I made it there just in time and shortly after I checked in I boarded the airplane.  I had tried to make a seat change over the internet and then at the check in counter but there were no attractive alternatives.  As it turned out things were working for the best.  Sometimes God just has plans for us that we don’t understand.  As I was putting up my baggage in the overhead I noticed that my seat mate had thrown in a book on birding in his seat while he stowed his gear.  By this serendipitous coincidence he was a birding guide from South Africa returning from the Birding Expo that recently concluded in Columbus, Ohio.  His name is John Kinghorn and he works for a South African tour operator in Johannesburg. We immediately struck up a conversation and I learned a great deal about birds and birding in South Africa.  I mentioned that our group was trying to find a boat for a pelagic trip out of CapeTown and John offered to check into whether his company could arrange for one.  So you see sometimes it is best to just go with the flow.  I could not have asked for a better seat partner and we became good friends as we spent the next 17 hours together.  Yes 17 hours!  That’s how long the flight is from Dulles to Johannesburg and take my word for it, that is one hell of a long time to be in a seat on a plane.  Our flight was overnight and as the sun crept over the horizon we were just reaching the African continent.  Our flight was bound for Accra, Ghana where we would let passengers off and take more on but the primary purpose was to refuel the aircraft.  I must say the meals were reasonably good—supper consisted of beef curry, rice and mixed vegetables, a salad and piece of cake, and the service was very good.  However, it is very difficult for me to find a way to sleep on a plane but I did manage to get about four hours of sleep.  We landed in Accra at 8 in the morning (this is 5 hours ahead of Austin time) did the necessary refueling and cleaning of the inside of the aircraft and then departed on time for our 5 and one half hour flight to Johannesburg.  Shortly after departure they served us breakfast, yogurt, fruit, and blueberry pancakes which again was good.  John and I continued to talk and he would take breaks to read his book and I to work on studying the birds of South Africa.  Our flight was blessed with good weather.  In the course of our flight we crossed Nigeria, Liberia, Namibia and finally flew over Botswana where I was able to see the Kalahari Desert below.  Lunch was good as well with meatballs and rice, green beans, salad and apple crumble cake.  No complaints about food.  I was also able to sleep off and on after breakfast, taking short naps.   We arrived at Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg a little early.  After my trip through customs is when my otherwise uneventful day ended.   I picked up my bags and headed to the hotel where Kim and I were going to stay for the night.  Near the exit I asked a policeman for directions to the Protea Hotel and he directed me to the exit and over to a pickup location were all the hotels had shuttle service.  I got on the shuttle and reached the hotel.  When I tried to check in they could find no reservation in Kim’s name and after further studying the documents I provided I was informed that they hotel I was to stay in was back in the airport at their other hotel.  So they reloaded my bags and took me back to the airport.  When I went in I asked for directions to the hotel and was told to I would need to go back through security and I would need a boarding pass.  At the security gate they told me that my stub from my earlier boarding pass was not sufficient and I would need to go to the airline and get one.  I stopped at the information desk and I was informed that it would not be possible to get to the hotel without returning through security.  They called the hotel for me and asked if they could send a car to pick me up and take me there.  I was told that was not possible.  So I headed to South Africa Airlines for help.  After standing in line for 45 minutes and explaining the situation to them I was told there was no way they could give me a boarding pass or get me to the hotel and it was best just to find another hotel for the night.  By now it was after 8 in the evening and they directed me to a porter to help me find a hotel.  My porter suggested that I go to the Aspen because their rates were much lower and he found the right person who arranged for me to be picked up and I was swiftly headed to this place of lodging.  By now it is late, dark and I am heading in a car with a person I do not know and I began to think thoughts that I might have been set up.  After a 15-minute ride we arrived at a gated facility and I was quickly checked in this small 8 room motel for the night.  It was very inexpensive about $45 USD.  I was so tired that I went in, took a very nice hot shower and got ready for a good night’s sleep in a bed, something I had failed to appreciate before.  The place also had Wi-Fi and I was able to finally contact Kim, who likewise made the same mistake I had and was scrambling to get lodging for the night so I learned.  We arranged to meet at 8:30 the next morning at the Mango Airlines desk in the airport.  I assured Kim I was ok and not to worry.  I awoke and was pleasantly surprised when I heard birds outside my room.  After I dressed I went outside and I could see many birds moving about.  The courtyard of this small motel was well manicured, had two palapas and the trees were alive with birds.  I was able to identify a common swift, laughing dove and southern-banded weaver before I was shuttled to the airport and met Kim.  We secured our tickets, made it through security and to a coffee shop where I finally got my coffee and a roll.  Then on to our boarding gate and finally aboard our aircraft to Cape Town where I am currently writing this blog.  We arrive in Cape Town about 1 and Kim and I will pick up the vehicle and head to the house where we will spend the next 10 days and spend a relaxing afternoon doing some photography at the beach and going to the grocery store.  So I will end this post hear and we will pick up tomorrow.

Cape Town—We arrived on time, picked up our rental vehicle and headed out to the Strand where we will be staying for the next 10 days.  After checking in with our host and moving our gear into our rooms we proceeded to do some biding.  Between the birds I saw at my hotel this morning, the ones we saw on our drive to the Strand and our excursion out around Gordon’s Bay I tallied a total of 24 new species.  Late in the afternoon we were able to photograph a few bird which I am attaching to this blog, Orange-breasted Sunbird, White-necked Crow, Cape Robin-Chat, as well as a beautiful scenic site along our drive along the ocean and the Hottentot-Holland Mountains and a picture of a Kilpspringer, a small antelope found here.  From there we headed to the grocery store and then back to our house where we are staying.  

Gordon Bay & Hottentot-Holland Mtns,

Kilpspringer

Orange-breasted Sunbird (female)

Orange-breasted Sunbird (male)

White-necked Raven

Cape Robin-Chat

Final Alaska Post

So I’m back at home for a short time after spending the summer exploring the wilds of Alaska and Canada.  My last blog post was from Anchorage around the 18^th of July so I will complete this journal with this final post regarding what transpired following the last blog.  My daughter and her family decided to spend their last morning in Alaska by having breakfast, then going to Best Buy and finally to spend time in downtown Anchorage before returning to the hotel to pack and get ready to depart on the 19^th.  So, after dropping them downtown, I headed back to Eagle River where I had left my trailer at Fred Meyers.  Upon arrival I went to the store to get items for my departure, filled up with gas and propane, then went to get water and make a sanitary dump.  It was now just mid-afternoon so I decided to go ahead and start the trip back rather than waiting until morning to depart.  Not far out of Eagle River there was some major construction which tied me up for a period of time but once I cleared that I made good time heading south.  I thought it would be nice if I could make it to Glenallen by night but surprised myself by making it past there and within 30 miles of Tok before I pulled into a roadside rest and spent the night.  I had forgotten how beautiful the drive along the Tok Cutoff was from my earlier experience driving it.  Up early the next morning I continued my journey not exactly clear where I would end my day.  After fueling up in Tok, I headed for Canada which I reached before noon.  I actually made it all the way to Whitehorse before calling it a day and pulling into the Walmart lot for the night. 

The next morning it was raining and I added a few groceries and moved on with a plan to reach Boya Lake Provincial Park, a park I fell in love with in 1998.  It rained off and on most of the way making for not so pleasant a drive but reached my destination by early afternoon.  I did have a nice surprise near the beginning of the Cassiar Highway when I spotted a group of Northern Flickers and 3 young in a tree beside the road.  After pulling over I noticed a group of birds in the roadway ahead and these turned out to be White-winged Crossbills.  I was able to get a couple of good photos of the crossbills.  I had actually reached Boya two days ahead of my schedule but was happy to be there and found a beautiful campsite that backed up to the lake and provided me with a great opportunity to try out my newly purchased Advanced Elements Inflatable Kayak.  I spent 3 nights at Boya.   Boya Lake is beautiful, the water color ranges from nearly white along the shore thru at least 4 shade of aqua to deep blue in the middle.  And at one end there is a massive beaver dam.  I enjoyed my time kayaking in these peaceful, beautiful waters.  The first evening a family from Alberta camped adjacent to my site and we visited.  He was involved in the oilfield in Alberta and we shared this in common.  On the second day I lost one of my hearing aids while walking around the camping area.  My search was assisted by about 10 volunteers, including the Alberta family, but we came up empty.  While there I had make friends with the camp host and she vowed to continue looking for it after I departed, so I gave her my contact information.  She knew I was heading to Meziadin Provincial Park and the day after I got there she notified me that she had found my hearing aid and would send it to Meziadin with the next people headed that way.  She did and I was very grateful.

The drive to Meziadin was made more difficult by the constant rain I experienced until about 25 miles from the final destination.  However, along the way I did encounter a black bear.  I spent the next 11 days at Meziadin Provincial Park.  Arriving on a Saturday the place was very crowded and I lucked into an open spot near the lake shore.  Meziadin is a massive lake, the second largest in British Columbia, and a very popular fishing site for salmon.  I camped at this first spot until Monday when I decided to move up on the hill overlooking the lake for a more permanent campsite.  Those near the lake are reservable and the upcoming weekend was a BC holiday weekend when they would all be taken.  The site I picked required backing up a steep incline and I was assisted in my endeavor by a camp host, Charlie, who helped me get situated in my new campsite.  This campground is located 36 miles from Hyder, Alaska where I intended to visit the viewing stand along Fish Creek were many bears come to feed on the spawning salmon.  I had made plans before leaving Texas for a friend to join me at Meziadin for the purpose of viewing bears.  She was to fly into Smithers, BC and I would pick her up there on Saturday.  I spent the week traveling back and forth to various location nearby doing some birding and bear watching while awaiting her arrival. 

So on Saturday morning I left early and headed to Smithers about 150 miles away.  The plane was on time and I picked her up at 9:30. While there we visited the campsite I had reserved for the end of the week to check it out, then visited the local farmers market where we purchased some vegetables, and made a final stop at the grocery store to pick up some food for our stay at Meziadin.  The plan was to drive up to the town of Kipsiok to see the totem poles there, the continue up this road to check on a cabin that her brother has along the Mittin Road, a back way to get to Highway 37 back to Meziadin.  This turned out to be a beautiful drive through the BC backcountry.  We checked on the cabin and then headed up Mitten Road, a sometimes rough, but beautiful drive.  Along the way we did some birding encountering a Spruce Grouse and several other species.  We were also had the good fortune to observe a black mama bear and two cubs crossing in front of us, an exciting event for my companion.  Besides the wildlife we encountered, there were several spectacular vistas where we stopped to take pictures and soak in the amazing beauty that is British Columbia.  We reached camp around 6 and settled in for our trip to see bears in Hyder on the following day.

On Sunday we did some birding nearby, then drove the road up to Salmon Glacier. This is a drive that takes about 2 hours round trip from Hyder and provides one with a magnificent view of a massive glacier at very close range.  Along the way we spotted a black bear, the only one we would see this day.  On our return we visited the Fish Creek viewing stand, remaining there until 9:30 but the bears were a no show.  Somewhat disappointed we headed back to camp and were determined to return the following day.  On Monday we were rewarded with two grizzly bears at the stand, both very close and gave me the opportunity to get great photo shots and videos of them.  Then on the way back to camp we had two more young black bears and a mother grizzly with two cubs just outside the car window on the highway adding to our total of 11 so far.  By the time our trip was over we had a total of 21 bears of which 6 were cubs and the opportunity to see one young cub scurry up and down a tree as we sat watching from the car.  During the nine days she was there we were able to add 35 life birds to her list as well as the 21 bears.  She left on Sunday the 8^th from Smithers.

I had made plans to get on the road after dropping her off at the airport around 3 PM and I headed toward Jasper, AB.  I made it to within 80 miles of there before spending the night with a number of truckers at a roadside rest.  Then I continued the following morning through Jasper National Park where I saw the largest black bear I have ever seen alongside the road and a nice Dall Sheep ram.  I had also forgotten how beautiful the Canadian Rockies were.  The drive from Jasper to Baniff is spectacularly beautiful.  I crossed back into the US by 5 and spent the night at Walmart in Great Falls, MT.  The following day I reached Wheatland, WY for the night before heading on to Amarillo the next day and finally home on the 12^th.  I was gone just short of 3 months, having left Georgetown on May 16.  The trip was amazing.  I drove 14,207 miles’ total.   I saw Dall Sheep, Mountain Goats, Arctic Squirrel, Sea Otter, Buffalo, 40 + Bear, Lynx, Steller Sea Lion, porcupine, Harbor Seal, antelope, and I’m sure more.  As for birds the list would be too long to list.  I also met some very great new friends along the way and got to spend time with my family in Anchorage and visit my grandchildren on Kodiak Island.  It was a wonderful summer and I would do it again.  Now it’s on to South Africa for 5 weeks in September

Anchorage—July 11-18

On my return to Anchorage from Kodiak yesterday I had to go back to Eklutna Lake where I had left my trailer while on my trip.  I hooked up and headed to Fred Meyers in Eagle River where I was able to dump and fill up with water.  On the morning of the 11^th I headed to the ABC Trailer Repair where I dropped the trailer for them to repair the awning.  Then I headed to get my oil changed.  At Jiffy Lube they gave me the sales pitch that my differential oil need changing in both the front and rear.  I have never in all my years had the oil in a differential changed especially at 18000 miles!  I looked in my owner’s manual and it said that it should be changed at 100,000 miles.  Then they found some other oil that needed changing and I finally said—“Just change the damn oil”.  Finally, they finished and I had a call from Brian that they were at the airport.  So I headed to the airport to pick up Brian, Elizabeth, Colton and Carter and we headed to Snow City Café for breakfast.  I had made reservations so we had only a short wait.  After breakfast I took Elizabeth and Colton to the theater to see a movie and Brian, Carter and I went to pick up my trailer and take it to Cabela’s where I intended to park for the next three days.  By the time that was done it was time to pick up Elizabeth and Colton and we then went to Mooses’ Tooth for an early lunch before they had to be at the airport for a 4 o’clock flight.  After dropping them off I went to Puffin Inn and checked in the hotel.  My daughter Portia and her husband Tony and the two grandchildren—Amber and Bronson—were coming in on the 12:30 AM flight form Austin for the week.  I left instructions at the desk to give them the keys and I headed back to the trailer for a bit of rest.  I did not plan on seeing Portia and family until around 10:00 on Tuesday to give them some time to rest after the long and late arriving flight.

Tuesday morning, I picked Portia up while the others slept and we went to Fred Meyers for her to shop for some food for their stay.  The hotel has a refrigerator.  We picked up the rest of the group and headed to WeeB’s for lunch before heading up to Flat Top to see the amazing view of Anchorage, Cook Inlet, Turnigan Arm and, today, we could clearly see Denali (Mt. McKinley) from there.  In fact, the entire week that they visited we had incredible weather for Anchorage and the surrounding area.  Temperatures in the 70’s, sunny and just beautiful.  We also visited Westchester Lagoon and the Tony Knowles trail along Cook Inlet.  After that I took them back to the hotel so they could catch up on their rest for Wednesday.

While they were here we visited the Portage Glacier, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Association facility at the end of Turnigan Arm, Potter’s Marsh, Eklutna Lake, Eagle River Nature Center, Mirror Lake and on Saturday drove to Seward where we spend a beautiful day in Resurrection Bay and the Kenai Fjord NWR.  During this outing we saw humpback whales, puffins, gulls, sea lions, sea otters and got to get up close to Holgate Glacier to observe this tidewater glacier calve into the ocean.  We were joined on this trip by my new friends Mike and Terri Church and everyone had a wonderful time in this amazingly beautiful place on a spectacular clear, warm day.  In addition, we were lucky to have as our ship Captain, Tanya and her mate Tammy who were awesome.  Tanya has been my sea Captain the last two years with the TOS group.  Then after supper at Salmon Bake in Seward we drove back to Anchorage getting home about 1 AM.

On the final day we just met and they wanted to go to Best Buy and the Dimond Mall.  They had learned that there is no sales tax in Anchorage and the prices for what they wanted in Anchorage at Best Buy were the same as in Austin so they took advantage of the opportunity.  While there I purchased a waterproof camera to carry in my new kayak which I recently purchased here in Anchorage.  In the afternoon I dropped them off in downtown Anchorage where they wanted to do some trinket shopping and I headed to get my trailer, do some grocery shopping and then about 4 on Monday, a day ahead of my planed departure, I headed for Whitehorse.

It was good have Portia and family here and show them some of the beauty of Alaska and they were truly impressed it all.

Kodiak—July 5-10

To say the least, I have been remiss in keeping up with my blog, however, I plead family as my only defense.  On Tuesday, July 5, Dulce (her maiden voyage in an airplane) and I boarded an Alaska Airlines flight to Kodiak.  The flight was totally booked because many of the passengers had made this same flight over to the island this morning only to have to fly back because they could not land due to inclement conditions.  This is not an unusual situation when flying to many places in Alaska.  The afternoon light was able to make the landing and Brian (my son-in-law), Colton (grandson) and two of their friends, Steven and Betsy Post, were there to greet me.  Stephen and Betsy were scheduled to leave on a later flight.  We then drove up a local mountain for a majestic view of Kodiak harbor down below.  The weather was overcast and fog lingered in the distance.  This was an incredible view and it was made even more dramatic by the light drizzle which is very characteristic of daily life on Kodiak.  After a quick stop for dinner, we returned to the airport and said good-bye to Stephen and Betsy. We then departed for the 45-minute drive out to the Still cabin on Pasashak Bay. Brian’s parents, Barry and Karen, were there to greet me.  I had come a couple of days early at their request to have a chance to see them as they would be leaving on the morning of the 7^th.  Barry had a building project going.  They were adding a shed to one that already existed to house his newly acquired Yamaha Ranger and to provide additional space to store two more 4 wheelers that Brian is planning to get for there.  At this remote cove, the small community is nestled in a large valley surrounded by some rugged mountains.  From the cabin windows I was able to observe black-tailed deer high above and I believe a grizzly bear although I did not confirm that sighting.  From the deck I did observe all three scoters—black, surf and white-winged.  I also had two gulls—glaucous and mew, Harlequin Ducks, and Pigeon Guillemot.  The area has many Bald Eagles, which were a concern of mine for Dulce’s safety, several Northwestern Crow, and the predominate bird species was Savannah Sparrows which were singing everywhere.  I also observed several Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, lots of America Robin, a single Solitary Sandpiper and several Least Sandpiper.  This was about the extent of the bird life I found in the area around the cabin.

Brian and his dad were anxious to get their project completed before they left, so they worked on it while Karen, his sister Elizabeth and I entertained Colton and Carter.  Carter was easy to take care of by letting him play in the Ranger or on a 4 wheeler and it became standard practice for me to take him for a ride in the Ranger to put him to sleep.  If I got him in the Ranger, rolled up the windows and let it get warm while I drove slowly he would soon be out.  This became a daily practice while I was there.  Colton on the other hand was entertained by Elizabeth and Karen while she was there playing board games or chicken foot.  He never wanted to quit.  The weather was overcast and rainy for the first and second day and then we had two very warm, sunny days, followed by another rainy day, and the final day there was another beautiful sunny day.  After Barry left, Brian continued to work on the shed and by the time I left he had completely weathered it in.  This was important because Barry would not be back to the cabin until sometime in September and they wanted to have protection for their equipment form the severe weather which I am told can have winds up to 130 miles per hour in gust. 

On the final day I was there Brian, myself and the boys drove the only other road on the island to the end of it.  This was the road I had driven back in 1998 when Ermine and I had taken the ferry from Homer to Kodiak and returned the following night.  While there on that visit, Ermine took a flight over to the mainland where she was able to view the Kodiak Bears feeding on Salmon and I rented a car and drove the roads of the island.  On that drive I came upon a bay that was filled with an estimated 2000 Harlequin Ducks, all male, who gather to migrate together.  This time they were not present but we did find American Robin, Bald Eagle, Yellow and Wilson’s Warbler, and a singing Golden-crowned Sparrow.  On our way home we gathered and ate many ripening Salmon Berries, a local tradition.  Later that afternoon Dulce and I caught our flight back to the mainland.  Kodiak is a very lush and beautiful island covered in magnificent Sitka Spruce, various popular species and alder bush.   Locals call it the Emerald Island and I can certainly see why.  I have visited Adak way out the Aleutian Chain and Saint Lawrence Island just 50 miles from Siberia and I can say they are devoid of trees and are primarily tundra and alder landscape.  

Eklutna Lake—July 2-4

On Sunday the 2^nd Michelle and I birded the Twin Peaks Trail at Eklutna.  This is a very steep hike and there were not many birds, mainly yellow-rumps, varied thrush and some black-capped chickadees.  After covering a portion of the trail we decided to turn back for lack of action and try the lake shore edge again.  About the only thing new we encountered along the lake were a few Savannah Sparrows, Spotted Sandpiper and a Belted Kingfisher.  We were very disappointed our immature suspected goldeneye was no longer in the small pond where we spotted it a few days ago. What did surprise me was a group of teenagers heading to a small swimming hole nearby.  I can’t imagine going swimming here.  It was in the upper 50s and the water is very cold.  The water is so cold in the lake that many people who have turned over in the kayaks or canoes have died of hypothermia.  Oh, well, if you are from here there probably is no good time to go swimming.   I returned in time for lunch, built a small campfire in the late afternoon and was once again visited by Asher and Journey, Michelle’s children.  Actually they didn’t come to visit me but to visit and hold Dulce.   Journey (the young girl) is particularly taken by Dulce.  She sat for a good hour with her in her lap.  I think Dulce likes this. 

Today is the 4^th of July and it is time for me to get packed and ready to head to Kodiak tomorrow to be with all the Still’s.  I’m looking forward to spending some time with Colton and Carter (two of my grandsons).  I understand that Colton was so excited about coming to Alaska that he packed his suitcase a week in advance.  I have seen some pictures on Facebook of him fishing and I understand he visited the Seal training camp in Kodiak and scaled the 50-foot vertical wall by himself.  So tomorrow afternoon I will be flying to Kodiak for 6 days.  Today has been spent mainly in getting things together for the trip and packing up camp for a departure in the morning.  I have made arrangements to leave the trailer nearby for the time I’m gone and will come back get it, and take it to Anchorage on Monday morning when I return to have the awning fixed.  That will complete all the repairs and on that same day my daughter and her husband and two more grandchildren will be joining me for a week before I begin to head back to Texas.  The next blog will come from Kodiak.[JH1] 

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 [JH1]

Eklutna Lake—June 29-July 2

Wednesday the 29^th was the morning I had decided to take the pickup to the car wash and start the process of cleaning it up.  So I headed to Peter’s Creek nearby where I had notice a car wash on my way into Anchorage.   I sent about an hour there washing and vacuuming the truck before heading back to the campsite.  Upon arrival at the camp I set out with rag and spray cleaner to remove the great number of kamikaze bugs that dotted the entire front end of the vehicle.  Six thousand miles of bugs takes a bit of time to get off, but in the end “mission accomplished”.  In addition, I went over the rest of the vehicle and removed the dirt which the wash had failed to remove and then turned to doing the inside.  It was a very nice day to do this because the sun was out and the temperature was in the low 70s.  After a shower, I headed into Anchorage to pick up Mike and Terri Church, my new friends who were going to attend the Whale Fat Follies with me this evening.  Before the show we had dinner at one of the old time favorites places in Anchorage.  Both Mike and Terri were one time residents of Anchorage, that is where they met.  Then on to the show.  I cannot tell anyone how much I enjoy going to this spoof on Alaska and politicians.  I have attended this show at least 6 times in the past and look forward to seeing it each year.  It is so fast moving and well done that I highly recommend anyone attending if in Anchorage.  So, with and aching side from laughing, we headed back to camp after the show.  By the time I got back to the trailer the rain had set in.

Every time I woke up during the night I could hear the rain, pretty heavy by Alaska standards, beating down on the room.  The rain continued throughout the night and well into the afternoon.  So I took advantage of the time to head into Anchorage to get the part for my awning that I had been notified was ready to pick up.  Later that afternoon I tried to put the new gas strut on the awning even recruiting the new camp host friend Keith to help me.  We worked about an hour trying to figure out how to make the installation, but we were not successful.  So the next step is to set up an appointment to get the local dealer to install it.  Just another small frustration.  Later Mike and Terri showed up at the camp to visit.  After a very nice visit they invited me to dinner and we headed into Eagle River for pizza at a locally popular restaurant.  While at dinner White Keys called and we arranged to meet in the morning at Fred Meyers for a birding day.  Then back to the trailer

While at the follies I visited with White Keys (he is a birder and president of the local Audubon) about going birding on Friday.  When I awoke it was raining, but Michele and I were planning on birding with and we headed out in the rain in our rain gear.  One thing about rain in Alaska as it often doesn’t last long or rain hard.  We had a text from White Keys that he was going to stay in and will keep in touch and meet us later.  So Michele and I headed to Hillside Park in Anchorage to do some birding.  She is new to birding but very interested.  At Hillside we were greeted as we got out of the car (and the rain had stopped) by a fly in Varied Thrush who was singing from atop a Spruce right above us.  As we wandered around the trails in the park we were able to find Black-capped & Boreal Chickadee, Yellow-rump Warbler, Golden-crown and Ruby-crown Kinglet, a Pine Siskin, and Red-breasted Nuthatch.  While birding we got another text from White Keys and we agreed to meet at Potter’s Marsh shortly.  Once there the three of us did the boardwalk.  We found a nice group of Short-billed Dowitchers, Green-wing Teal, Lesser Yellowlegs, Tree Swallow, of course Mew Gull and we did locate the unusual Short-eared Owl that is being see here this year.  In addition, we added Sandhill Crane, Lincoln’s Sparrow and Yellow rumps to the list.  We spent some time watching the eagle nest at the end of the boardwalk and observed the parent Bald Eagles bring food to their young—a couple of fish and a small mammal.  We also had good looks at Muskrat out of the water which is rather unusual.  Then we proceeded to the Old Seward Highway to try and find a life bird for Michele—Northern Waterthrush.  As we stepped from the car one flew into the tree adjacent to our car and started singing.  So, today she added 3 new life birds, the waterthrush, the owl and the golden-crowned kinglet.  On the way home she informed me that she now has 301 life birds—she is an avid Ebird listser.

Eklutna Lake—June 26-28

In preparing this blog entry I decided to lump three days together.  The 26^th was Sunday and it started raining late Saturday night and continued raining until mid-afternoon.  Thus I spent most of the day hold up in the trailer.  The time was not wasted as it gave me an opportunity to catch up on all my photos.  Later that afternoon I headed into Eagle River and visited the local Starbucks for coffee and time to post some of the pictures I had recently completed working on and the blogs.  Then I noticed a new Mexican food restaurant here in Eagle River, one I had eaten at in Wasilla in years past—Chepo’s.  The name is not cheapo’s as you can see and so I decided to eat out tonight.  The food was ok, can’t really get good Mexican food here in Alaska, and afterwards I returned to camp. 

On the 27^th, Monday, I headed to Anchorage.  I had received notice from Mike and Terri Church, the couple I had met at Laird Hot Springs back in Canada, that they had arrived in Anchorage and were at the Centennial campground.  I went to meet them and have coffee.  At coffee we decided to meet at WeeB’s for lunch and then head down to Westchester Lagoon and the waterfront to do some birding at high tide.  Today high tide was a 12:59 and was going to be a 28 footer, really not a big one.  So after lunch we headed to Westchester.  We took a walk down to the Audubon Bench but the tide was not great for birding.  We did observe about 5 Sandhill Cranes feeding in the flats, several Bonaparte’s Gulls mixed in with the myriad of Mew Gulls and located one Glaucous-winged Gull.  We also caught a glimpse of a small bird chipping in the understory and I suspect it could have been a Tennessee Warbler although I was not able to get a definitive look.  Back at the lagoon we had several Mallards with their chicks in the small pond under the bridge.  Then in the wetlands between the train tracks and the Coastal Trail there were about 100 Short-billed Dowitchers feeding.  I wonder if they have completed their nesting and are gathering for the return migration south?  I suspect that to be the case.  In the lagoon there were several Red-necked Grebes on floating nest and feeding as well.  Then on the small island near the parking lot we found more Short-billed Dowitchers and a single Hudsonian Godwit (this turned out to be a life bird for the Church’s).  In addition, there were many Mew Gulls swimming about with their chicks and a Red-necked Grebe nesting on the shore.  Out in the water we could see a large group of Canada Geese and some Greater Scaup as well.  We noticed the small café was open so we headed there to get a cup of coffee.  This was a really beautiful day, sunny, warm and a nice breeze, so we just sat there and visited until 5:30 when I headed back to camp.  Mike and Terri are both retired CPA’s who are full time RV’ers.  They also produce books about camping.  They have guides for the Pacific Northwest, Southwestern US, Mexico, Alaska and Europe.  Their guides can be purchase in bookstores or direct from them at Rollinghomes.com.  A very nice couple who have lived in Alaska as well.  They will be joining me on Wednesday when we will attend White Keys—Whale Fat Follies.

So today, June 28, has been a lazy day form me.  I must say I have accomplished little.  I journeyed into Eagle River for a badly needed haircut this morning.  As I headed back to the campground around noon I could hardly stay awake.  I don’t know why I was so sleepy.  I slept well last night, but upon reaching the trailer I took Dulce to bed with me and we took an hour and one-half nap.  All afternoon I have continued to be very lazy and plan to just make an entire day of it.  

Eagle River Nature Center—June 25

I went to one of my favorite birding locations in the Anchorage Bowl this morning.  Not only is the place beautiful it is also a place where we find some good birds.  My first bird was a distant singing Alder Flycatcher which I have posted a photo of on Jim Hailey Nature Photography.  Every were there were calling Yellow-rump Warblers, Orange-crowned Warblers, Northern Waterthrush, Swainson’s Thrush and Harry Woodpecker beating his head against a nearby tree.  While I never heard or saw a Varied Thrush which I usually find here, there is no shortage of them back at my campsite on Eklutna Lake.  The morning was sunny and cool, the vegetation was verdant and the mountain vistas magnificent.  I posted a video of the area taken from one of the viewing platforms on Facebook yesterday, so if you missed it go to my timeline and check it out.  I also checked out a trail on the Eagle River that I have not done in years past.  It was ok but I didn’t come across any new species and there were many American Robins along this trail.  In the afternoon I once again birded the area around my campsite and turned up several Dark-eyed Juncos and heard a Northern Hawk Owl calling from the trees behind my trailer.  Unfortunately, I could not locate him for a picture.  In the evening I just took a walk with Dulce before turning in for the night.

Eklutna Lake—June 24

So this morning I was joined by the park host, Michalle, and she took me on a trail that went to the lake at its west end.  There we had three spotted sandpipers and an immature diving duck that I will have to figure out from my photos.  There were many varied thrush singing, they sing everywhere in this park, many yellow-rumps, some unidentified sparrows way out in the grass although I could hear the call of at least one Lincoln’s in the group, some very cooperative black-capped chickadees and three red-breasted nuthatches.  By this time it had started to rain so we headed back toward my campsite.  Today was laundry day so after gathering up all the items that needed to go I headed to Eagle River and the laundromat I found the other day.  After the laundry was finished I headed to Subway for a late lunch and then to the public library for internet access.  There I was able to catch up and post all the blogs I was behind and that was a feeling of relief.  By then it 5 and I headed back to camp for some spaghetti and a nice camp fire.

Eklutna Lake—June 23

Ok, so up at 5, coffee (most important), then at 6 headed to Worthington Ford.  I met with Margie (my contact) and she did the paper work.  Margie was extremely helpful and went out of her way to make sure I got the best treatment.  She told me that the technician would check it out and she would get back to me.   She then escorted me to a waiting room with a computer table, internet service and coffee to wait.  During this time, I took the opportunity to get my bill pay up to date, change my passwords on several accounts because I had been informed by Google that someone unauthorized had figured out my password, did some internet searching on some things I want to check out and ordered thickets for the Whale Fat Follies and White Keys funny spoof of Alaska.  I have attended this production overtime it has been available here in Anchorage.  As it turned out WhiteKeys is the president of the Anchorage Audubon and we have birded together several times in the last 10 years.  He is a hoot and his shows are fast and fun.  A couple I met along the way Terri and Mike I mentioned in an earlier post had contacted me about us going together.  They have been to Anchorage many times but never attended and so I got tickets for the three of us.  I’m looking forward to spending the evening with them.  I was pleasantly surprised when Margie walked in about noon and said they problem was fixed, they had installed the new (and I must say updated controller—the defective parts in the older one were fixed) and that all was taken care of under warranty.  So I stayed a little longer, then went back to REI to check on an order and did a little shopping before returning to camp.  In the evening I decided to do a little birding in the campground.  As I sat in my chair I could hear several Varied and Swainson’s Thrush calling.  As I was walking one of the campground host and her husband and two children were walking along.  She turned out to be someone newly into birding and asked if she could join me.  Of course, I was happy to have her along.  As we birded we decided to go birding together in the morning.  Then at the campsite we continued to visit as her family made their rounds of the campground.   Dulce became a big hit with her and her two young children, twins with very interesting names—Asher the boy and Journey the girl.  They are full time RV’ers and decided to come to Alaska for the first time.

Eklutna Lake SP—June 22

So this morning I pondered what my options were.  The night before a group of people camped across from me it what was the most bazar composite of camping gear I had ever seen.  There was a van with an old pickup cover on top for sleeping.  It had a broken window in the back.  There was a blue van that was nearly rusted out along the bottom that was also used for sleeping.  In addition, there were tents.  It appeared that two or three families lived in this group.  There were children from babies to teenagers in the group.  It was quite a site.  They were asked to leave this morning and moved on.  The campground manager said they had been kicked out of the Centennial City campground in Anchorage and they were in violation of several items in their rules.  But back to my dilemma.  I didn’t want to move to Centennial for that very reason.  I had heard there were some pretty rough people living there.  The other alternative seemed to be back to Fred Meyer’s or maybe on to Cabelas’.  Cabelas’ has a new location in Anchorage and they have a parking lot for campers that will accommodate 25 free of charge.  Of course it is just a parking lot like Fred Meyer’s.  So I thought about heading out to Eklutna Lake which I have only visited once.  When I arrived shortly after lunch I found several open spots and decided on one.  Here I have put down for the next week.  The only thing I don’t like about this location is there is no cell coverage and it is about 5 miles back to get any.  However, the campground is very nice, near the lake (water source for Anchorage) and heavily wooded.  So I took my time and set up camp with all the extra—covered the picnic table with a table cloth, put down the mat to sit on, set up Dulce’s cage so I could keep here from wandering off when I’m busy doing something.  In all I just got situated.  Before I had left Eagle River I set up an appointment to have the Ford brake controller fixed on Thursday, tomorrow.  I need to be there by 7 and it was a 45-minute drive at least so I prepared to leave by 6 in the morning.  Tonight I cooked a filet, fresh green beans and an ear of corn.  All were extremely good and then I sat by the campfire until about 9 before heading to bed.  

Eagle River—June 21

Well this will be the last night I am able to stay in this campground unless they give me an extension.  So today I headed back to Anchorage and Potters Marsh to do some birding.  As has been the case of late Potters Marsh, one of the old premier birding location in the Anchorage Area, was not very active.  Something has changed here in the last few years and the bird numbers are down drastically.  There were a few waterfowl—Gadwall, American Widgeon, Green-wing Teal, lots of Mew Gulls flying around and nesting, a few Arctic Terns likewise nesting, and not much else to look at.  I headed on over to the boardwalk where I hoped to see more activity.  I did observe a muskrat swimming in one of the ponds.  As far as birds they again were few.  I actually was very surprise to not find a single Violet-green Swallow which I usually find a number of here.  I have some very nice photos of them sitting on the railing.  There were the usual number of Tree Swallows nesting in the boxes provide on the boardwalk and at the end the Bald Eagles have once again nested here.  I was able to observe two hatchlings in the nest and watched as both parents returned with noting to feed their young.  They will have to make another sortie over the marsh in hopes of grabbing a young chick or some other animal to feed their babies.  I did have a singing Lincoln’s Sparrow and heard the song of a Common Yellowthroat which has been reported here.  The yellowthroat is very rare for this area and has received lots of attention.  Also present were significant numbers of Yellow-rump Warblers that one would expect here.  From here I headed to my favorite hamburger place—Weebe’s.  I inquired of Jim, the 93-year-old owner of this establishment, but did not get a good report.  I’m not sure of his current condition but one of the workers said in her two months there she had not seen him.  Each year for the last 10 years we have talked.  Sorry to hear this news.  This place makes homemade sourdough buns, grinds his own hamburger meat, uses real potatoes cut up for fries, and tops it off with homemade ice-cream.  I had my usual burger and fries and a root beer shake for lunch.  From here I headed back to camp to get ready to make my move in the morning from Eagle River campground.  Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention that last night I noticed a filling had fallen out of a tooth I thought.  So first thing this morning I contacted a dental office and was lucky to be give a nine o’clock appointment with Dr. Howard.  I am always leery of dentist as I am a complete chicken when it comes to sitting in a dental chair.  I must say I was pleasantly surprised.  Not only was Dr. Howard a good dentist, but he was gentile and all went off without any pain.  In an hour he had fixed my broken tooth (not a lost filling) and I was out the door.  I certainly would recommend him as a dentist in Anchorage and would go back if I ever needed a dentist.

Eagle River—June 20

So on Saturday the 18^th I talked with the Ford parts department and they were going to order a new brake controller for me.  I called to make sure that they had followed through and was told that it should be here in 3 to 5 business days.  That accomplished I followed up on the gas strut for the awning but did not get a call back.  I did a bit of birding around the campsite but there was much going on.  A little later I headed back to Anchorage to enjoy a breakfast at Snow City Café.  As usual there was a long wait so I opted to go for the counter seating.  It turned out to be a very long wait as well.  While standing there waiting I struck up a conversation with a couple of women also waiting for a seat.  As it turned out one was from Austin and both had worked for Texas Parks and & Wildlife.  The one which lives in Austin currently was a planner who designed campground for the parks system.  She now works for the Texas Land Office.  The other was a planner for the development of Estero Llano Grande SP, one of my favorites in Texas, but now lives here in Anchorage and works for the city.  We shared information as we waited and as we ate as well.  From Snow City I headed to Westchester Lagoon, one of my favorite Anchorage birding location.  Once there I discovered that it was low tide and so the action along the tidal flats was very slow.  There were however the usual species hanging out on the small island in the lagoon—Mew Gulls with young chicks already well along and in the water, lots of Hudsonian Godwits and Short-billed Dowitchers loafing on the bank of the island, and a pair of Greater Scaup taking care of a nest with the hen patiently sitting on it.   I did not see the Bald Eagle that usually nest across the lagoon, but a passing lady related the big chase that occurred the day before as many of the gulls chased the eagle off and away from their chicks.   There was also a pair of Red-necked Grebes on a floating nest nearby, a Black-billed Magpie feeding in the grassy area and overhead several Glaucous-winged Gulls flew by.  That was about all I observed today.  It is late in the season and many of the birds are busy raising their broods and will soon be on their trip back to their wintering grounds.  From here I headed to the ABC RV parts store to make sure that I got the gas strut on order.  As I suspected the factory had not returned his call and we finally made contact with the appropriate source and go the part ordered (I had him order a spare as well).  By now it was midafternoon and I headed back to camp to check on Dulce.  Spent the remainder of the day in camp.

Eagle River—June 19

It started raining during the night.  I am seriously considering advertising my services as a rainmaker for any regions in need of rain.  And it continued to rain steadily, not the usual Alaska time drip, but some real rain all day and into the evening.  It was also in the 50s and Dulce was hunkered down in the covers all day long.  She didn’t even want to go outside for her usual walk.  I, likewise , chose to spend the day inside working on many pictures which needed my attention and to get them ready to post on my photography page.  In the afternoon both Dulce and I got under the covers and took a nap.  Not much else to do on a very cool and rainy day here in Alaska.

Eagle River—June 18

This morning I woke up in the Walmart parking area and decided to move over to the Fred Meyers store nearby.  I was not sure if Walmart here actually allowed overnight camping but I knew Fred Meyer’s did here in Eagle River.  After unhooking I decided to check out the Eagle River campground on a hunch and as it turned out there were many vacant spaces so I immediately paid or one and headed back to get the trailer.  I returned shortly and set up camp.  This campground has a four day stay limit so I maxed out and have until Wednesday here.  For the rest of the day I worked on the getting the items which have broken and need of repair moving forward.  I headed back to Anchorage in the afternoon, visited REI and the ABC RV parts store.  I was not able to confirm that he was able to secure the broken gas strut I needed for my awning, but he promised to call me later with a report.  Following this I returned to Eagle River and looked for a car wash to do the truck but could not find the old one that was there.  It has been torn down.  So back to camp and spent some time with Dulce who has been neglected in the last few days.  Took her on a long walk which she loves to do.  Settled in for the night.