Wildlife Around the Lodge
We see multiple animals at the Twin Lakes, just out back of the lodge. In the spring, February through May, hundreds to thousands of bald and golden Eagles fly over from the lower 48 United States on their annual migration to their breeding grounds here and further west. Renowned golden eagle scientist, Dr. Carol McIntyre, comes over from Fairbanks with a research team and sled dogs. Their mission is to count how many eagles fly through the Boyden Hills. In March 2022, she named one of the mountains “Eagle Mountain” because she noticed that an uncountable number of eagles were flying near it. It is truly an incredible phenomena to witness: birds that have flown hundreds or thousands of miles in their lives winging through a bluebird sky over snow-covered peaks.
During the summer, June through early August, we see lots of waterfowl on the lakes, from harlequins, mallards, canvasbacks, long-tailed ducks, blue- and green-winged teals, ruddy ducks, buffleheads, common and Barrow’s goldeneyes, northern pintails and shovelers, ring-necked ducks, and redheads, to red-breasted mergansers, common loons, and trumpeter swans. This area also sees myriad resident and migratory bird species: Lapland longspurs, snow buntings, ravens, black-capped and boreal chickadees, gray jays, pine grosbeaks, bohemian waxwings, rusty blackbirds, dark-eyed juncos, common redpolls, Wilson’s and yellow-rumped warblers, varied thrushes, white- and golden-crowned sparrows, whimbrels, red-breasted nuthatches, northern flickers, hairy and downy and three-toed woodpeckers, sandhill cranes, Bonaparte’s gulls, and belted kingfishers (who seem to prefer the easy grayling fishing in our lakes).
Land mammals we have seen around here at various times of the year include beavers, snowshoe hares, otters, red foxes, and the occasional little brown bat, moose, and caribou (the wild form of the reindeer). A little further away from the lodge, toward Copper and Tanada lakes, we have seen lynx, coyote, and wolverine.
In the autumn, late August through early October, we see many migratory and resident raptors such as red-tailed, sharp-shinned, northern harrier, rough legged and Swainson’s hawks; northern goshawks; snowy, great gray, boreal and great horned owls; and bald eagles. In the winter, late October through January, we sometimes see river otters, caribou, Yukon-Alaskan moose, and small rodents like ermine and stoat. Willow ptarmigan, which turn from brown to white for the winter, can also be spotted here, along with sharp-tailed and spruce grouse. The Yukon-Alaskan moose species is the biggest moose type in the world and is sometimes seen near the lodge.
The willow ptarmigan is Alaska’s state bird and changes its plumage with the seasons for best camouflage: brown in summer and fall to blend with the brush, and white in winter and spring to “disappear” in snowy landscapes. At the end of summer and spring, you can sometimes spot them more easily in their 50/50 coloration.
Because it is Alaska, we can’t forget to mention bears and wolves around the lodge. Do we see them near the lodge? No. Do they live in the area? Yes. We occasionally see tracks a half mile away and sometimes we hear the wolves, but they don’t seem interested in lodge life and we haven’t had any run-ins in our time here. Our dogs and daily activities create just enough noise that the wildlife keeps a comfortable distance from our guests.
Spring, summer, autumn, or winter—you’re sure to see some of Alaska’s resident and migratory wildlife. A good set of binoculars, a quiet approach, and a little patience when exploring can yield some incredible sightings just a short walk or Nordic ski away. We like Cornell’s bird ID app for our field adventures: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2022/04/merlin-bird-id-app-identifies-more-450-bird-species-sound. Make sure you download the correct bird pack so you’ll have a good off-line field guide in your pocket when you go exploring: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/bird-packs/