wesbird72
#3 - Part 1 - Great Spotted Woodpecker, Myrtle Heinrich's yard in Casswell Lakes area, Alaska Photo by Ron Howard
Part 1 of The Great Spotted Woodpecker Chase.
The whole thing is about a rare bird that flew into central Alaska from Asia.
The year was 2002, the month was March. Mid-winter. I was sitting in my office in sunny Florida when I received a phone call from Ron up in Arkansas. Here’s the first part of the conversation;
Me, cordially; “Hey”
Ron simply; “Do you have any frequent fliers available?”
Me suspiciously; “Yes…er… why?”
Ron, flatly; “Well, do you want to go to Alaska tomorrow?”
Me, incredulously; “What in the world is up there right now?”
Ron then told me that he had been checking rare bird alerts and that there was a Great Spotted Woodpecker, (Dendrocopos major), in the Caswell Lakes area of Alaska, north of Anchorage about 93 miles or so.
I hung up and called Delta, and away we went. The whole tale of the trip is too long for one post but I’ll give you the beginning here.
Great Spotted Woodpeckers are residents throughout Europe and northern Asia, they don’t belong in North America. Very few of them have ever been recorded over here, and, at that time, never on the mainland. This particular bird was coming in to a feeder at the home of Myrtle Heinrich. Myrtle at first thought it was a wounded Hairy Woodpecker, (Picoides villosus), because she saw red on the underbelly, however, upon closer inspection the bird didn’t look right for a Hairy. She called down to the birders in Anchorage and described the situation. Shortly after two fellows showed up and confirmed that it was indeed a Great Spotted. The news lit up the internet and birders started flying in. I later read reports of how many visitors showed up at Myrtle’s and the various places they had come from. I don’t believe anyone traveled further than I did though because Sarasota to Anchorage is about 4,000 miles as the crow flies, and I had to detour through Atlanta and Salt Lake City.
I had around 10 hours of flights and wanting to be comfortable I dressed Florida casual; Shorts, tee shirt, and sandals. I packed all the winter gear in the duffle and checked it.
My first clue that no picnic awaited was when we arrived in Anchorage, they taxied the jet in….. and parked on the tarmac. I glanced out the window and saw loose snow going side ways, whipped by a howling wind, and realized that we were going to disembark right there in the elements.
I figured, however, that if I could manage to get to the building through the blowing cold, at least the terminal would be heated while I waited for my luggage…… Nope!!
When my duffel finally slid down the chute I was shivering uncontrollably, I ripped out my coveralls, threw them and a coat on, and walked out to the curb where Ron was waiting in the rental car. (He had arrived before me from Arkansas.) The first words that croaked out of his mouth were; “You’re gonna’ be pretty sick in a day or two ‘cause I’ve got Bronchial Pneumonia” Oh well, I thought, this is a great bird we’re going after, It’ll be worth it.
#3 - Part 1 - Great Spotted Woodpecker, Myrtle Heinrich's yard in Casswell Lakes area, Alaska Photo by Ron Howard
Part 1 of The Great Spotted Woodpecker Chase.
The whole thing is about a rare bird that flew into central Alaska from Asia.
The year was 2002, the month was March. Mid-winter. I was sitting in my office in sunny Florida when I received a phone call from Ron up in Arkansas. Here’s the first part of the conversation;
Me, cordially; “Hey”
Ron simply; “Do you have any frequent fliers available?”
Me suspiciously; “Yes…er… why?”
Ron, flatly; “Well, do you want to go to Alaska tomorrow?”
Me, incredulously; “What in the world is up there right now?”
Ron then told me that he had been checking rare bird alerts and that there was a Great Spotted Woodpecker, (Dendrocopos major), in the Caswell Lakes area of Alaska, north of Anchorage about 93 miles or so.
I hung up and called Delta, and away we went. The whole tale of the trip is too long for one post but I’ll give you the beginning here.
Great Spotted Woodpeckers are residents throughout Europe and northern Asia, they don’t belong in North America. Very few of them have ever been recorded over here, and, at that time, never on the mainland. This particular bird was coming in to a feeder at the home of Myrtle Heinrich. Myrtle at first thought it was a wounded Hairy Woodpecker, (Picoides villosus), because she saw red on the underbelly, however, upon closer inspection the bird didn’t look right for a Hairy. She called down to the birders in Anchorage and described the situation. Shortly after two fellows showed up and confirmed that it was indeed a Great Spotted. The news lit up the internet and birders started flying in. I later read reports of how many visitors showed up at Myrtle’s and the various places they had come from. I don’t believe anyone traveled further than I did though because Sarasota to Anchorage is about 4,000 miles as the crow flies, and I had to detour through Atlanta and Salt Lake City.
I had around 10 hours of flights and wanting to be comfortable I dressed Florida casual; Shorts, tee shirt, and sandals. I packed all the winter gear in the duffle and checked it.
My first clue that no picnic awaited was when we arrived in Anchorage, they taxied the jet in….. and parked on the tarmac. I glanced out the window and saw loose snow going side ways, whipped by a howling wind, and realized that we were going to disembark right there in the elements.
I figured, however, that if I could manage to get to the building through the blowing cold, at least the terminal would be heated while I waited for my luggage…… Nope!!
When my duffel finally slid down the chute I was shivering uncontrollably, I ripped out my coveralls, threw them and a coat on, and walked out to the curb where Ron was waiting in the rental car. (He had arrived before me from Arkansas.) The first words that croaked out of his mouth were; “You’re gonna’ be pretty sick in a day or two ‘cause I’ve got Bronchial Pneumonia” Oh well, I thought, this is a great bird we’re going after, It’ll be worth it.