A male northern pintail shakes his wings at Westchester Lagoon Waterfowl Sanctuary on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 east of Minnesota Drive in Anchorage. Behind is a common merganser. (Loren Holmes / ADN)
With the advent of spring, migratory birds have been returning to Southcentral Alaska. While many popular birding spots like Potter Marsh are still ice-covered, others are thawing, welcoming birds and birders alike.
“Many ducks and geese should be coming back now, including scaup, green-winged teal, shovelers, Canada geese, wigeons, tundra swans and more,” said Pat Pourchot, a local birder and former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.
A mallard shakes its wings at the Westchester Lagoon Waterfowl Sanctuary on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 east of Minnesota Drive in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)
“There have been cackling geese (smaller than our local Canada geese) reported at Cuddy Park and a redhead (duck) reported at Spenard crossing (where Spenard Road crosses Chester Creek),” Pourchot said in an email. “This is great time to look for ‘new’ birds daily!”
A pair of trumpeter swans rest as a school bus drives by at the Westchester Lagoon Waterfowl Sanctuary on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 east of Minnesota Drive in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)
A female common merganser paddles through the Westchester Lagoon Waterfowl Sanctuary on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 east of Minnesota Drive in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)
A pair of trumpeter swans flap their wings at the Westchester Lagoon Waterfowl Sanctuary on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 east of Minnesota Drive in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)