Raven roosts shrouded in mystery March 30, 2023 / Ned Rozell Last week, while getting ready to climb into a bunk, I heard the yell of a raven outside. And then another, and a few more. I pulled on my boots. Outside, a steady stream of black bodies glided overhead, many of [...]
Black-capped Chickadees Survive By Shivering in Alaska December 24, 2020 / Ned Rozell During the darkest days of Alaska’s winter, black-capped chickadees stuff themselves with enough seeds and frozen insects to survive 18-hour nights. Where the chickadees spend those long nights was a mystery until a biologist tracked them. Susan Sharbaugh spent [...]
Monitoring a mystery bird in Yakutat, Alaska By Ned Rozell YAKUTAT — On sandy barrier islands between mountains and the sea, two different birds that look alike lay their eggs side-by-side. Biologists here are learning more about the less-common, more mysterious one. Arctic terns and Aleutian terns gather together on ocean spits to scratch out [...]
Changing Climate Forcing Ducks North to Alaska By Ned Rozell Every spring, millions of ducks touch down on Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, a spread of muskeg and dark water the size of Maryland. These days, more ruddy ducks seem to be among them. Recent sightings of this handsome, rust-colored bird — the males with [...]
Alaska's Crested Auklet By Ned Rozell Millions of Alaska birds nest on rocky emerald islands seen by few people other than ship captains. One of the funkiest of these creatures is the crested auklet, which looks like a bassist in a punk band and smells like a tangerine. These hand-size birds have intrigued Hector Douglas [...]
Summertime at Potter Marsh In early spring hundreds of birds congregate at Anchorage's Potter Marsh and lay eggs after a long flight from the Lower 48. It's mid-July now and many of the birds have moved on but for a few. I took these shots on June 24th, 2017 right at the parking lot about [...]
