Several years ago I fell off the deep end and picked up bird watching as a hobby. While I was always interested in birds, I often stereotyped bird enthusiasts as nerdy, walking down trails with binoculars around their neck, some bedecked with $2,000 cameras with lenses so big a person could barely balance them (thus the auto-balance feature on newer cameras). But, alas, I was forced through necessity to learn something about Alaska’s birds. I became a trail guide in 2004, working outdoors almost full time during the summer and into the Fall season. I taught at UAS at the time, so it was a great way to pick up some extra income while prepping for my classes in the coming year. I fell in love with bird watching.
After I retired in 2020, I really became serious about bird watching. I was regularly cataloging birds during my trips to Missouri and now I wanted to pull it all together for Alaska. One thing was obvious to me a few years before. Alaska does not have nearly the diversity in species as Missouri. An entire summer of bird watching in Alaska may net me sixteen land species. I was spotting as many as 64 species in Missouri. When you visit my Missouri bird site, you will notice that the count is approaching 100. Reasons for this low diversity has a lot to do with the peculiar geography of the region. The SE Alaskan rain forest is a narrow belt along the Pacific Ocean. It is far north, so it is typically a destination for birds. Most of the species we see during Winter in Juneau are actually Arctic species. Missouri, on the other hand, is a combination of destination, migration and winter residence. Almost all the birds I see in Alaska in summer are spotted in Missouri during migration in the Spring and Fall. But one thing that Alaska has a lot of that Missouri has nearly known of are sea birds.
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
When I was young, the Bald Eagle was considered an endangered species. It thrived only in part of North America — Southeast Alaska. Over the decades they have returned to many parts of the lower 48. Yet SE Alaska remains the favorite residence of the bald eagle. They are every where in Juneau. They love the shorelines of the inland waterway. Scavengers, they feast on the carcasses of salmon. Yet they find an abundance of food throughout the year.
We lived on a mountainside. We had the good fortune of living above a cluster of spruce trees that grew along the shoreline, providing the perfect place for eagles to rest and observe the movement of fish and other marine life below. They would make such a racket at times. Probably due to the heavy traffic along the highway and the presence of two many other predatory birds nearby, they preferred nesting about 300 feet higher in the forest above our houses. Often when I was working in my office I would observe them drifting over our roof, before my window and down to the trees below. In a similar manner, I would watch them fly up the hill again. Amazing birds to watch.
Be sure to check out The Bald Eagle of Alaska.
Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
This is one of the most peculiar birds in Alaska. It is considered “invasive”, but it is debatable whether it is destructive to native habitat. They certainly can be dominant. They love to spread their wings out making them appear twice as big as they are, scaring off the the other birds from the feeding station. But they are rare and reclusive. Every two or three years they would build a nest in our neighborhood and I would often hear their soft songs. If you want to know what they sound like, they are frequently included in the background sound of Midsomer Murders 🙂
Their story is quite interesting. They originated from the Middle East. A few hundred years ago they suddenly had this urge to travel. They amazingly adapted to the harsher climate of northern Europe. In this regard, they were not invasive as much as evolutionary. Someone had the bright idea of bringing them to the Bahamas as pets. But they escaped their aviary and flew over to the American mainland. The rest is history. I was surprised to found them at the feeding station one day.
Robert Armstrong did not include them in his book (see below), so as of 1995 they were not observed in Alaska.
Downy Woodpecker
Picoides pubescens
This cute little woodpecker is a favorite for any feeder. Distinguishing a downy from a hairy woodpecker or any of the sapsuckers is an art. The easy thing is their size. They are the smallest of the woodpeckers I have seen. But that does not help you unless you see them side-by-side. Like all woodpeckers, they have a flash of red. But, again, it doesn’t make a lot of sense unless you see them in proximity to other woodpeckers. The most distinguishing feature is their bill. They have a very short bill.
They are classified as “uncommon” for Southeast Alaska, but I saw them frequently around the house.
Northwest Crow
Corvus caurinus
For years I despised crows. They were always a menace. I recall attempting a picnic only to have the picnic table a target of a “murder” of crows. I had to station my son at the table to keep the birds away while my wife and I went back to the car to retrieve more food. Even while we all sat the table, they would land on the far end and cautiously attempt to approach the nearest food item.
For years, I attempted to keep them away from the feeding stations. They simply overwhelmed the feeders. I attempted everything to keep them all, discovering that they had a learning curve. First time I approached in Spring they would fly off as soon as they saw me coming to the door, drifting down the hill to a cluster of spruce trees along the shore, far from the house. Then I noticed they only flew off to a nearby branch. So I upgraded to the air soft guns. At first it was effective. They got to the point they understood what that thing could do. Simply holding the thing would scare them off. Then one day they flew to a nearby branch. I would shoot them and they would drift away. By the end of the summer, I would hit them and they would simply ruffle their features. It was rather hillarious.
Finally, after I retired, I threw in the towel. I learned that it was all about timing. I put out less bird food and I noticed they were not around so much. When I put out a new batch of food, I sat nearby. The other birds were able to enjoy the food and the crows stayed away.
Yet, like ravens, they can be befriended. I never got myself to the point a making the attempt. They are rather comical to observe. Because they are a menace, most people do not make it a habit to feed them.
Steller’s Jay
Cyanocitta stelleri
Along with ravens, Steller’s Jays are the most amusing birds. There is nothing like them in Missouri. They are loud, have a tendency to dominate a feeder, and have an unpleasant, raspy call (most of the time). Yet they are quite curious and, subsequently, somewhat prone to domestication. Being around them a lot, they got comfortable with my presence. Chasing them away from the feeder was a total vanity. It was then that I noticed that they had a tendency to follow me around. I started experimenting with their behavior by dropping seeds closer and closer to me. It took a while, but they were eventually eating from my hand. They even walked into the house! (Not something I encouraged). One panicked and started flying around the kitchen, banging into the pot rack. I was upstairs at the time and I had this horrible thought that a bear was in our house. But it was simply a Steller’s jay, frightened, trying to find its way out.
These jays are amazingly vocal, known to possess up to 15 different sounds. They love to mimic sounds, particularly that of the red-tail hawk (they must have a death wish). They have glorious, effervescent blue feathers. They love to sit in the sun and spread their wings.
They are migratory, but tend to return to the same place. I noticed that as the years progressed, jays would return to our house and immediately become familiar. During the winter, they would fly further south but be replaced by a new set of jays. They were always more cautious. This familiarity was rather easy to note because they would not fly away when I came out onto the deck, but hop to a nearby branch. When they wanted more food, they would peck on our sliding glass door.
Willow Ptarmigan
Lagopus lagopus
The willow ptarmigan is the state bird of Alaska (most people think it is the bald eagle). My only encounter with one was while traveling through the Yukon territory. They are rather easy to see as they run over the barren landscape. It is a bit more challenging to spot them in Juneau. First, they prefer the alpine region. So you have to climb up to find them. Second, the mountains are not barren, but covered with a layer of shrubs and thick ground cover. So they will wander about, staying under cover for the most part. Hikers on will occasionally spot them as they travel over bare ground.
Resources
Guide to the Birds of Alaska, by Robert H. Armstrong, Alaska Northwest Books, Portland, Oregon, 1995, 6th Printing (2004).
© Copyright 2026 to Eric Niewoehner
Last updated January 20, 2026