Blow Fly Maggots and Common Ravens

This video shows the numerous maggots (larvae) from Blow Flies crawling about and feeding on salmon remains. A couple of ravens are helping themselves to the nutritious maggots. To learn more about these maggots go to the video titled Salmon and Blow Flies in Alaska....

Songbird Flies Underwater

This video shows an American Dipper searching for aquatic insects and fish underwater. Notice in the fairly shallow water how it uses both its legs and wings to propel itself. In the deeper water it uses its wings and basically “flies” underwater. In one...

Northwestern Crows eating maggots on salmon carcass

This video helps demonstrate the value of Blow Fly maggots for birds. Two of these crows are juveniles. So far I have documented 12 different species of birds feeding on these maggots. Of interest is that almost all of the birds have been recently fledged juveniles....

Swimming Vole

On the Mendenhall Wetlands in Juneau many Long-tailed Voles live close to the upper edge of the intertidal zone. When we get the occasional really high tides over 18-19 feet the voles often get trapped by the incoming tide and are forced to swim. They seem to be...

Black Oystercatcher Incubates Eggs

Black Oystercatchers are common nesting birds along most of the southern coastal areas of Alaska. They usually nest on small islands but in some areas, such as Glacier Bay, they may nest along the rocky mainland shores. The female typically lays one to three eggs....