Another blast of winter

Greg has been out birding again as you can tell from these pictures. This redpoll finch is a beautiful little bird.

These small songbirds are foragers and quick to take advantage of bird feeders here. There is a flock of over a hundred that are constantly at a feeder right around the corner. It's no telling how many pounds of seeds they have consumed in the last few months! This picture is an adult male.

 They usually have a red tinge on the breast area. Redpolls are hardy little birds who live year-round in the Arctic tundra and boreal forests.
Another staple of the winter landscape here in Anchorage is the common raven.

They are in the family corvidae. These huge birds are amongst the very smartest of any birds. Ravens are completely black- feathers, eyes, beaks, and legs. They are not as social as crows, but when a good feeding opportunity presents itself, many will gather to take advantage. They can measure as long as 32 inches with a wingspan approaching 5 feet!

 Ravens are quite the survivalists, they will eat most anything and can live in even the most far north regions of Alaska in the harsh winters. Check out the crazy way he turns his head as he calls out.

Here are a few pictures of my school's yard in its new coat of snow.

We had a blizzard warning last Friday night but it was cancelled that night. However, Sunday and Monday we did manage to pick up over a foot of new snow.



 Tuesday night the temps dipped below 0 again. We are still waiting for spring in Alaska.