Keep a sharp eye out for winter owls

It’s a cool, sunny day, and you are out skiing, snowshoeing or just walking along a quiet road. Winter can be a great time to look for birds. Many species of birds spend the winter in Alaska and can be seen by a vigilant observer, even without the attraction of a feeder.

One of the most exciting birds to see is an owl. Owls hunt by sitting quietly and waiting for prey to wander within hearing range, and generally do not vocalize in mid-winter. They tend to have preferred perches, so watch for telltale whitewash streaks on a tree trunk, or look for coughed up pellets on the ground. Then look up to check for the provider of these clues.

Great Horned Owls and Great Gray Owls are the two large species in this area, at about 2 feet tall when perched. The Great Horned Owl is much more common and more often found hunting during daylight hours. Among the small owls, the Hawk Owl is the most comfortable around people. It often seems to be curious about us and will perch, watching our antics. The Short-eared Owl, Boreal Owl and Northern Saw-whet Owl are small and very well camouflaged. They are hard to spot, but a careful and lucky observer could see the Short-eared Owl perched low to the ground, and the Boreal or Saw-whet Owl near a tree trunk.

In wooded areas, watch for Spruce Grouse or Ruffed Grouse. These ground-dwelling birds are commonly seen along trails or roads. If flushed, they may fly to a low tree branch, but will just as often move on further along the trail. The Ruffed Grouse is an introduced species south of the Alaska Range, but it has become a regular breeder and resident.

If you are in higher elevations, above tree line, look for the relatives of the grouse, the ptarmigan. In the winter both Willow Ptarmigan and Rock Ptarmigan will be in their white camouflage plumage. Usually they are seen only when they move, often in flocks of tens of birds. A simple trick to tell the two very similar species apart is to look at the eyes: the male Rock Ptarmigan has a black bar across the eyes, a “rock band.” The less common White-tailed Ptarmigan lives up to its name; it is the only ptarmigan with a completely white tail.

Another special winter sighting is the Snow Bunting. These little sparrow-sized birds spend the winter in large flocks, often along roadsides or in fields. In the summer they disperse widely to the north. The Snow Bunting seems to have a reverse camouflage plumage; in the summer it sports a bright white coat with black accents and in the winter has mottled tones of brown. As a result, it shows up well against both the snow of winter and the grass of summer.

If your wanderings take you near any open water, watch for the hardy ducks that spend the winter. Most of them will be Mallards, but occasionally another of our Alaska ducks will decide to avoid the long migration and suffer through the cold. Many of the scaup, goldeneyes or teal that winter with flocks of Mallards are immature or in drab winter plumage. Identifying the species of these random birds can be difficult, but they are noticeably different from the distinctive Mallards.

That dark shape you see perched on a treetop or soaring high may not be a raven, many Bald Eagles also find enough food to make it through the dark and cold. Being scavengers, they can subsist on carcasses from road kill, hunters or natural selection. By mid winter they may be found sitting on or near their nest sites, often in pairs.

Birds have evolved to survive the cold and dark of Alaska’s winter, for many species it is more beneficial to stay rather than take the risk of migration. So when you are out enjoying the cold and snow, watch for the tough birds that do not get to come in a warm up by the fire with a cup of cocoa!

Nancy Wade is member of the Mat-Su Birders and Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center. Send birding questions for her column on birding to alaskaflamingo@yahoo.com.