Why I Live Here - Birding at Elmendorf Airforce Base

We were going to meet our birder friend Dianne at the Thai Kitchen, but they went on a short vacation. So we decided to go birding instead. As Reserve Officer, Dianne can get onto base and she knows great spots. At first the birding wasn't too good, but the evening scenery was spectacular.




Dianne pointed out this tiny plant, a sundew.

Drosera
(sundew)

Nature has endowed the Sundew with the unique ability to capture and digest insects. This carnivorous habit allows these plants to thrive in nutrient deficient soils and supplement its diet with animal protein. The sundews have a wide range; about 100 recognized species with new varieties being discovered that were not known to exist only a few years ago. This genus has seven North American representatives. They frequent the acid soil of pine barrens and peat bogs and are often found growing along with other Carnivorous Plants.

Sundew leaves have numerous tiny tentacle-like projections. At the end of each is a mucilaginous secretory gland. This gland secretes a droplet of sparkling fluid which gives the plant its dew-drop appearance. Insects, upon being attracted to the plant through odor and color, become stuck to the mucilage. With this stimulus, the tentacles begin to slowly enclose the victim. And later, in about an hour, the entire leaf itself may be bent over its prey. It has been found that these plants only respond to objects of nutritional value and not to sand, paper, or water.

And truly if you look at the picture carefully, the black boggy water is visible. Below you can see the larger bog area around Fish Lake.

No manipulation of these pictures. This is what it looked like!

We were at an air force base. A C-130 I believe.



As we drove from one lake to another, there were four spruce grouse grazing on the side of the road.

Dianne watching two young common loons and two adults.

In the middle of the lake, at the head of the trail is one of the adult loons.

In the middle of the picture, the white spot is the head of a belted Kingfisher sitting at the end of a branch from where it and its partner dove into the lake.

A red fox sat in the road a while than ran across the grassy field.

A pair of muskrats meet in the sunset lit water.