James Magowan/Turnagain Times
With mama dozing beside the nest, a pair of Great Horned owl chicks look out over a feather, probably left from a grouse that ‘came for dinner.’
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James Magowan/Turnagain Times |
By Jim Magowan
Turnagain Times Correspondent
What is the most unique wildlife species that can be seen in Turnagain Arm? Our nomination is not the grizzly or the moose or even the beautiful Dall sheep, all of which are frequently seen in the Turnagain Arm/Pass area—it is a worm, the fabled ice worm.
Unlike the mythical ice worm made famous by Robert Service, real ice worms live on the glaciers of Turnagain Arm.
Stephanie Israel, a Forest Service Naturalist at Begich Boggs Visitor Center, says, “Portage is one of the few places where people can see ice worms in the wild. In fact, a scientist from Rutgers University comes up regularly to study and collect them here.”
It was a lot easier to see the wily ice worm before the receding Byron Glacier blocked the trail with a rocky moraine, but the scramble over the rocks to the glacier is worth it to see real live ice worms.
Ice worms, which look like black hairs about a centimeter or so long, “surface” to feed in the crystalline snow on top of the ice. At first you have to look hard to recognize them because they are small, but once you recognize them they are easy to spot.
While searching for ice worms be sure to scan the hillsides beside and above the glacier for white spots with legs. The white spots above Byron Glacier are often mountain goats (Oreamos), not the more commonly seen Dall sheep (Ovis dalli) on the hillsides and sometimes by the road at windy corner and above Bird Point.
WARNING: glaciers are dangerous. You can get hurt or even die, in a hurry, if you are not familiar with glacier hiking and climbing. Make sure you are properly equipped both with knowledge and hardware before venturing on a glacier. It is often easy to go up a glacier without equipment only to find that getting back down (in one piece) is almost impossible.
When it comes to viewing wildlife, Israel mentioned rule number one for wildlife viewing, “Keep your eyes open for wildlife,” she said. “Over the years we have had dozens of people approach us in places as diverse as Turnagain Arm and Denali National park asking where they can see wildlife, while we were actually watching bears, moose, sheep or eagles. It can be safely said that most visible wildlife is not seen.”
A common visible but unseen critter is the pika. These small gray rodents look more like rocks than the rocks do. We have spent 10 or 15 minutes looking for a pika taunting us with its whistles from not more than 40 or 50 feet away, knowing from its whistling almost exactly where it was.
Often the only clue that a pika head poking from a burrow is not a rock is the eye. A pair of wide field binoculars is a big help in spotting these little guys. When you hear them, study the area where the sound seems to be coming from. It may feel foolish “glassing” 25 to 50 feet away but it pays off. You see more pikas and you will see them much better. With the naked eye, even when you spot them, they blend in with the rocks.
A wildlife professor once said, “Beavers believe the whole world should be covered with water and their job is to make it happen.”
Turnagain Arm and Turnagain Pass certainly support this notion.
“Beavers are working out around the Explorer Pond area,” Israel says.
There is a great deal of old and new beaver construction, dams and lodges, in the Explorer Pond area where we have seen them for the past 40 years. Beaver watching is enhanced if you use binoculars. While it’s neat to see a beaver swimming with a branch in its mouth, seeing its expression up close through binoculars (or, better yet, a long telephoto lens) can bring a whole new dimension to the experience. There are also numerous dams and lodges visible from the road from Turnagain Pass to Tern Lake.
The largest member of the marmot family (related to but larger than Punxsutawney Phil, the weather predicting woodchuck) can be seen around the Portage lakefront and near the entrance to the Bear Valley tunnel.
Israel has seen weasels and ermine playing around the parking lot at Portage (ermine are actually weasels in their fancy winter coat). Weasels like other members of the mustelid family (mink, otter, badger, wolverine) are fierce and voracious hunters.
Some animals are rarely seen. Others may not be as rare but, due to their habits, are rarely seen.
Wolverines, while rare and rarely seen, are found in the Turnagain Arm area. When hiking above the tree line watch for motion on the tundra. You might see a wolverine.
While more populous than wolverines, lynx are rarely seen due to their nocturnal hunting and secretive nature. This is a peak year for cyclical hare populations, a principal food for lynx. Lynx populations peak when hares are plentiful so the odds of seeing a lynx now are better than in the past or the next 10 years. Keep a sharp eye out for lynx. Sightings are usually fleeting.
One of the rarest sightings in the Turnagain and Portage areas is the wolf. They do come through the area, at times. We have been watching for 40 years and haven’t seen one in Turnagain Arm or Pass yet.
If you see one before we do, don’t say anything. Gloating is not nice.