I love late October in the Matanuska valley, Alaska, watching the snow line slowly descend the mountains and migratory waterfowl passing through.  The other day my neighbor called a “swan alert,” soon several of us gathered with our cameras to watch a group of 28 Trumpeter swan as they fed along the shallow shoreline.  The [...]

Mallard ducks, fat and happy, are gathering by the dozens in our yard and snoozing on the dock.  They are leaving a poopy mess.  The young chicks almost fully grown and testing their wings, soon will be airborne migrating south.  Who knows if they will survive the onslaught of lead shot as they pass over [...]

Seeds fly in air, caught in the breeze, inhaling them will cause a sneeze.  White fuzzy grass, they land on water, Cottonwood scum becomes duck fodder.  Along the shore, the pond turns white, drifting seeds are quite a  sight.  A floating web, insects are caught, a tasty dish without a thought.  Simply served, a fast [...]

Three fuzzy Bonaparte Gull chicks swam out of the lilies to sun on Ron’s longs as we approached our dock, within seconds the screechy, bomber-like attacking adults began their assault.   After fending off the overhead onslaught with a push broom they settled down to watch from the top of the big spruce tree and [...]

Friday was 75º and sunny, a great day to work in the yard and do some boating.  As we approached the dock several Bonaparte Gulls began high pitched screeching and quickly soared in for an attack!  Bob fended them off with a boat hook, but they were fiercely undeterred.  Shortly we saw three tiny fluffy [...]

We have so much fun watching the Mallard families grow, these two broods have taken to our lawn and love coming up to eat the sunflower seeds that have fallen from the bird feeder.  Today we observed one mamma with her offspring following in a long straight line parade down the lawn onto the dock [...]

After three days of heavy rain sunshine lured me outdoors.  As I approached the dock juvenile Mallard ducklings were sunning themselves on Ron’s logs, all seven crowded on a small section that rises above water.  They’ve grown so large their isn’t much room, but they seemed happy resting with heads tucked under wings.  Alerted by [...]

Seven Mallard chicks have been cruising the shore of our cove for three weeks, and are growing so fast it is hard to believe.  This area is rich with food and home to two sets of Mallards with chicks as well as Red Neck Grebe and Bonaparte Gull nests.  We love the ducklings and enjoy [...]

Every year we float our “Bird Nesting Area” sign warning watercraft to slow down and keep a respectful distance.  We have had as many as three separate nests at one time in our cove, and since the signs appeared the birth success rate has greatly improved.  For some strange reason a pair of Redneck Grebes [...]

We have four nesting boxes in the trees around the studio, but for some reason the box that is always occupied is this homemade gem given to me by our son Ron and his wife Janine.  This year Chickadees began building a nest in this box and worked at it for two weeks until the [...]

The mama swallow peers out of the nest box waiting for the next feeding.  The hatch must be coming soon, she hasn’t left the nest in quite awhile.  It is so much fun to watch these industrious and busy birds operate, and the mosquito population has been cut in half. Gail Niebrugge, Alaska landscape painter

One of the most interesting events at the lake during this time of year is watching various waterfowl pass through on their journey south. Last evening I heard a very distinct and different bird calling from the lake, investigating in my kayak I found two beautiful Lesser Yellowlegs feeding along the shore in our cove. [...]