Birds of many feathers flock in the Valley

They come in great flocks, filling the skies with their flapping wings and noisy calls. For a few days, maybe a few weeks, they are everywhere -- covering hay fields and wetlands. And then they are gone.

Snow geese, Canada geese, sandhill cranes and swans come from thousands of miles away as they head toward their northern breeding grounds.

Some of these migratory birds stay behind in the Valley, dispersing into breeding pairs, and many of them will come back through at various times in the autumn as they return south. But spring offers a unique opportunity to see so many birds of so many species at one time.

While many of the birds have already begun to move on to their summer grounds, the Palmer Hay Flats still provide some viewing possibilities.

"Most of the swans and white-fronted geese are already gone," said local birdwatcher Bob Winckler. But as of earlier this week, he said snow geese, Canada geese and sandhill cranes could still be found.

This year, birdwatchers may have noticed that the flocks were later than usual, and some stayed longer than normal. Biologists say the change is due to the cold spring. Typically, the migratory birds begin to arrive between April 15 and 20, biologists say, but this year they didn't start to show up until April 20.

"And they're still here," said Herman Griese, biologist with the Palmer office of Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Snow geese, in particular, were thrown off their normal migration routine because of the slow arrival of spring.

"They tried to go down the coast and ran into snow, so they have just hung around," Griese said. He said the late spring forced the snow geese into following the same pattern as Canada geese, and so Valley residents may have noticed flocks of the two species grouped together in local fields.

The Valley becomes a staging ground of sorts this time of year, a place where the birds can rest and eat leftover barely in the fields or dig up roots in the wetlands while they wait for their nesting areas to thaw out.

"This is an important stop-off area," Griese said.

The snow geese will fly on to breeding grounds on Wrangel Island in Russia. Others, including sandhill cranes and Canada geese, will disperse into breeding pairs and nest right here in the Valley.

Alaska is a summer home to several varieties of Canada geese, including cackling Canada geese, the smallest, lesser Canada geese, which are medium in size, and Vancouver Canada geese, which are the largest. These birds spend their winters on the west coast of the United States and then come north to breed in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Arctic Slope and here in the Mat-Su.

Alaska's other geese species include white-fronted and snow. The snow geese are the all-white birds with black tips on their wings that have been spotted in local fields this spring. White-fronted geese are grayish-brown with irregular black bars and spots on their breasts. While these aren't as common as the Canada geese in the Valley, they are spotted each spring as they fly from California to their breeding grounds in Western Cook Inlet, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and other areas around the state.

Among the more spectacular birds seen in the Valley each spring are the sandhill cranes. These long-legged birds are a silvery-gray color with bright red foreheads. The birds migrate in smaller flocks than geese and can be distinguished as they fly overhead by their long wings, long legs and unique cry, which some describe as a musical rattle. They nest throughout upper Cook Inlet.

Sandhill cranes became the subject of a fish and game study that started in 2000 in which biologists are using satellite telemetry to learn more about their migration routes. More information about the study is available on the fish and game Web site.

A last, but certainly not least, spring visitor that must be mentioned is the swan with its pure white feathers and graceful neck.

Trumpeter and tundra swans, Alaska's two species, are difficult to distinguish from one another except by size comparison -- tundra swans are considerably smaller than trumpeters. The birds winter in Washington, Oregon and California and breed in the summer throughout the Interior and Southcentral Alaska, and they are known for their dedication -- swans mate for life.

While these large waterfowl are among the most noticed springtime visitors to the Valley, they aren't alone. A wide variety of ducks also come through, as well as songbirds. Local birdwatchers say that as with the waterfowl, migratory songbirds also seem to be delayed by the late spring.

With a little patience, a good pair of binoculars and a guidebook, however, Valley residents can continue to enjoy the arrival of the summer birds. More information about Alaska's bird migration is available by visiting the fish and game Web site at www.state.ak.us/adfg or U.S. Fish and Wildlife at www.r7.fws.gov.