Brian McCaffery at his Big Sit headquarters. Photo by Joli Morgan, 10/18/2008, Bethel, AK.

Brian McCaffery scoping goshawks. Photo by Joli Morgan, 10/18/2008, Bethel, AK.

Bethel's Big Sit species list on the cusp of double digits. Photo by Joli Morgan, 10/18/2008, Bethel, AK.

Shane Phelan and his recently-traced moose track. Photo by Christine McCaffery, 10/18/2008, Yukon Delta NWR HQ, Bethel, AK.

Sarah and Fiona Phelan enjoying the crafts at refuge headquarters. Photo by Christine McCaffery, 10/18/2008, Yukon Delta NWR HQ, Bethel, AK.

Shane and Thomas Phelan inspecting each other's art work. Photo by Christine McCaffery, 10/18/2008, Yukon Delta NWR, AK.

Mid-October is not the best time to compile a lengthy bird list on Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, but that didn’t stop refuge Education Specialist Brian McCaffery from participating in the annual “Big Sit” sponsored by Bird Watcher’s Digest.  Unable to  count birds on the “official” date of Sunday, October 12, due to church duties, McCaffery conducted his own “Big Sit” near  Refuge headquarters in Bethel, Alaska, 340 miles southwest of Anchorage, on Saturday, October 18,  to wrap up the Refuge’s National Wildlife Refuge Week activities.  From dawn (0854 hr) until sundown (1925 hr), McCaffery manned a park bench overlooking the frozen Kuskokwim River.

With early morning temperatures dropping to near single digits and snow, fog, and 20 knot winds in the forecast, McCaffery hoped to make it through the day with at least a double-digit species list.  He was barely successful.  Predators and scavengers dominated the list.  The first bird of the day was a Common Raven at 0906 hr, while the tenth, and final, species of the day was an adult Bald Eagle soaring over the river at 1553 hr.  In between, a few adult and juvenile gulls coursed back and forth over the river, including both Glaucous and Glaucous-winged gulls, as well as an apparent Glaucous x Herring gull hybrid ( regrettably, could not be tallied as a separate species).  Two young Northern Shrikes tussled on the tundra below the overlook and at least three Black-billed Magpies were spotted above the riparian woodlands.  The highlight of the day was a total of thirteen separate sightings of Northern Goshawks, most involving at least two birds simultaneously.  At one point, an adult and two young birds performed aerial acrobatics over the willows and poplars.  Additional sightings included late Tundra Swans, a single Black-capped Chickadee, and more than 500 redpolls (in nearly 50 flocks) migrating upriver throughout the day.  More than 20 Bethelites stopped by to visit McCaffery and offer moral support.  One kind soul even dropped by with a steaming cup of hot cocoa!

For the less adventurous, but more creative, Park Ranger Christine McCaffery hosted a crafts workshop at refuge headquarters, with the theme, “Paws, Claws, and Hooves.”  Nearly three dozen children and parents learned about wildlife feet, and then produced their own “footprints” using wildlife ink stamps and ink pads, rubberized animal tracks, colored pencils, construction paper, and white poster paper.  Between indoor and outdoor activities, Yukon Delta Refuge continued its efforts to connect people with nature through our celebration of National Wildlife Refuge Week.