Cinnamon Teal. One male at Mendenhall Wetlands
June 28 and July 3 (the one on July 3 was banded)
(PS).
Redhead. Two males in a pond in Mendenhall
Valley on June 23 (GV) and June 29 (PS) – a rare
breeding season record.
Red-tailed hawk. A begging juvenile
and an attending adult were photographed on July 22
near the Treadwell Trail on Douglas Island above
Bonnie Brae subdivision (PS). This is a very rare
breeding record for this species in the Juneau area.
Another bird was heard calling near Wickersham Avenue
throughout the month of July which might indicate
another possible breeding record (BA).
Peregrine Falcon. An injured bird was picked up in
Auke Bay by the Juneau Raptor Center on July 5. A
single bird was seen on Spasski Island (Icy Strait)
on July 10 (KT). An adult on Mendenhall Wetlands on
July 31 (PS).
Parasitic Jaeger – An occasional light-phase
bird was sighted – 1 on June 20 near Lincoln
Island (PS) and 1 on July 21 near Pt. Bridget (PS)
White-tailed Ptarmigan. A female with chicks on
the ridge of Mt. Juneau at 4500 ft. on July 12 (MB,
photos) – the first breeding record for Juneau.
Sabine’s Gull. One adult on June 22 near
Vanderbilt Reef, Lynn Canal (AD), a rare summer
record.
Ring-billed Gull. One was seen at the high
tide roost of gulls on the wetlands on July 17, and
on July19 at the mouth of the Gastineau Channel on
the Fish Creek side (PS).
Caspian Tern. Two at the mouth of the Mendenhall
River on June 15 (SZ). Four were present there on
July 6 (MB) with 2 as late as July 17 (PS). One was
also seen downtown on July 6 (MB), another at Eagle
Beach on July 11 (GV), and two at Auke Bay on July 20
(GV).
Kittlitz’s Murrelet. At least 20(!)
near Eldred Rock, upper Lynn Canal on 1 July (MB)
– associated with the turbid discharge of the
Katzehin River.
Mourning Dove. One was seen at Juneau
Community Gardens (Montana Creek) on June 12 (KTi,
GV).
Western Screech Owl – At least 2 fledged at
Fish Creek on Douglas Island again this year (GB, MB,
PS) – a rare breeding record.
Northern Pygmy Owl. One was seen near the Amalga
Marsh, along the trail to the Eagle Glacier, on July
4 (MB).
Vaux’s Swift. One in flight over Skagway
on July 30 (GV) – one of the northernmost
breeding season records for Alaska.
Common Nighthawk. One was seen in West
Juneau on June 27th during a lightning
storm (MB). Another was seen on that night at Student
Housing on UAS campus near Auke Lake (DP).
Northern Flicker. A yellow-shafted bird was seen
along Montana Creek on June 5 (SZ, RG).
Downy Woodpecker. One was seen at Fish Creek on
July 6 (MB).
Three-toed Woodpecker. One was seen at Bayview
(North Douglas) on July 1 (JH, SZ), and one was seen
near the Montana Creek shooting range on July 9 (GB)
and July 14 (MB).
Olive-sided Flycatcher. One was seen along the
trail to the Amalga Marsh on June 12 (GV). Another
was seen along the Dan Moller Trail on July 3 (MB).
Western Wood-Pewee. Four were seen at Amalga Marsh
on July 2 (MB), one was
seen at Sandy Beach on June 11 (PS, SZ, BA), and one
was at Juneau Community Gardens June 13-17 (PS).
Hammond's Flycatcher. One calling on June 20 on
Mendenhall Glacier Forelands (GV) -- a rare breeding
season record for Juneau.
Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher. Although this
species has possibly been heard on previous occasions
in Juneau (even as recently as June 10 at Sandy
Beach—PS), the first ever multiple-observer
sighting of this species in the Juneau area occurred
on June 30 just past the 26-mile marker on Glacier
Highway. First heard calling on June 29 (RG), the
bird was relocated and clearly seen the next day (MB,
PS, RG, SZ). It was heard repeatedly making the
chu-wee call and it was also occasionally heard
singing the che-bunk song. The bird continued to be
seen through at least July 4 (GV).
Cassin’s Vireo. A singing male was
seen at the Mendenhall Glacier banding site on June 4
(GB), another was seen and heard on Douglas Is. on
June 6 (SM, MB), and another was seen at the
community gardens (Montana Creek), Mendenhall Valley
on June 12 (GB, GH), June 13 (GV) and June 15 (PS).
Cliff Swallow. Juneau's first true colony of nine
active nests was located in a small barn near the
Mendenhall Wetlands on June 16 (GV) -- perhaps the
largest colony for Southeast Alaska.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow. One was seen
flying over Douglas Island near the Dan Moller
trailhead on July 31 (MB).
Red-breasted Nuthatch. One was seen in the Upper
Mendenhall Valley on June 2 (DR) and another was
heard calling on July 12 on the Mendenhall Forelands
(GB).
Cedar Waxwing. This summer's signal event was the
unprecedented widespread occurrence of Cedar Waxwings
in the Juneau area.
Although nesting has not been previously confirmed
for this species in Juneau, observations of recently
fledged birds by GV in 2003 indicated that it was
probably occurring. Nesting was likely occurring in
Juneau again in 2004. On June 15, two birds were
observed near Norton Lake and one was carrying
possible nesting material (PS). A nest under
construction was observed in a spruce tree at Point
Bridget on June 19 (PS).
Other sightings of this species were wide ranging
including:
1 on June 5 at timberline on Mount Roberts
(SB).
7 on June 7 on Douglas Is. (MB) and 2 on July
3 and 3 on July 21.
7 on June 8 at Pt. Bridget (PS).
2 on June 12 at Amalga Marsh (AD, m. obs.) and
July 4 (MB).
2 or more birds calling on the Mendenhall
Forelands on June 12 (GB)
3 on June 15 mid-Mendenhall Valley (GV).
2 on June 17 at Mendenhall Wetlands (GV).
12 on June 18 at Mendenhall Glacier
Forelands (GV), probably a record high-count
for the Juneau region.
~12 feeding on salmonberries on June 20
at Lemon Creek (MBr).
2 showing nest-site selection behavior on June
20 at Mendenhall Glacier Forelands (GV).
5 on June 20 over lower Mendenhall Valley
(GV).
7 on June 23-24 at Mendenhall Glacier
Forelands (MB).
2 on June 24 at Lemon Creek (GV).
1 on June 24 at Montana Creek (GV).
2 or more birds calling on the Mendenhall
Forelands on July 25 (GB).
2 on June 28 at mid-Mendenhall Valley (GV).
2 on July 1 on Douglas Is. (MB).
2 on July 3 at 26 Mile (GV).
2 on July 7 at Auke Bay (GV).
4 on July 14 along the airport dike trail
(BA).
2 on July 22 in lower Mendenhall Valley (DR).
Nesting, with a bird on the nest, was also
reported from Gustavus on July 7 (ND).
Tennessee Warbler. There were numerous reports of
this species in Juneau this summer—an
unprecedented influx. First noted at Mendenhall
Glacier Forelands on June 5 (MS, GV, m. obs) , and a
second individual on June 6 (MS, GV), with subsequent
reports from the same area June 7-8 (BA), June 14
(PS), and June 24 (DR). Other reports were a single
bird in the Upper Mendenhall Valley (Wren Drive area)
on July 1 and 2 and at least two there on July 9 (GB,
ED), one at 26 mile on July 3 (GV), two singing males
in the Amalga Marsh area on July 4 (MB), one singing
male at Fish Creek wooden bridge on July 11 (MB) and two birds near the Montana
Creek rifle range on July 9 (GB, ED) with three there
on July 14 (MB).
American Redstart. The first report of this
species was of an immature male on June 7 in the
Dredge Lakes area (BA). Numbers of this species
seemed very low overall in comparison with recent
years.
Northern Waterthrush. There were few reports of
Northern Waterthrush from Juneau this year, although
three were heard singing in the Loon Lake area on
June 23 (MB). One was caught by a bird banding group
on the Mendenhall Forelands on July 2 (GB), and one
was heard singing there on July 12 (GB).
Black-headed Grosbeak. A male bird was
first reported on June 13 (ED, GB) from the
Mendenhall Forelands, and was subsequently
photographed on June 17 (DM). After the photograph
was posted on the internet (LC) reported that she had
seen the bird three weeks before near the Mendenhall
Glacier Visitor’s Center but had not been able
to identify it.
Brown-headed Cowbird. One was seen at the
Fairweather Stables (Crazy Horse Drive—near the
Mendenhall Wetlands) on June 10 (JM).
Chipping Sparrow. Two families with fledged young
at Skagway on July 30 (GV).
