Magpies a more common sight throughout Alaska The lack of a term for the black-billed magpie may be because the bird was not in Southwest Alaska until recently The long-tailed relative of ravens and jays seems to be extending its range throughout Alaska Since 2007, biologists at the Alaska Bird Observatory have tracked sightings of magpies in the far north
Life endures in hidden, cold worlds - Geophysical Institute While Taras waded through a winter’s worth of snow to point out the scratchy wing marks of a magpie or similar-size bird, another instructor worked in a white crater 30 feet away, levering bark off a dead birch tree with a screwdriver Todd Sformo of Barrow traveled the farthest south to reach Chena Hot Springs
West Nile Virus and Alaska | Geophysical Institute Other birds killed by the disease include the gray jay, magpie, and many types of raptors “Birds that show symptoms have tremors, can’t fly, and don’t hold their wings normally,” Beckmen said
Sickly Tans - Geophysical Institute The experts' horror of ultraviolet light isn't really new For years they've been warning sunlovers like me that sunshine ages skin--young tanned hides quickly become old leathery ones, so to speak And sunburn is as damaging as any other kind of burn But now the medical warnings have a new urgency
Weasels Afloat | Geophysical Institute People who know such things have assured me that few tourists read these columns Good That makes it possible to discuss here some matters better kept private among Alaskans--matters such as the nasty side of sea otters We all appreciate that sea otters are right up there with giant pandas for pure critter appeal It wouldn't do for our visitors to think these bewhiskered, back-floating
Permafrost and Artesian Water | Geophysical Institute Most people are greatly pleased when they strike artesian water, but recent events on Farmers Loop Road near Fairbanks show that an artesian well can constitute a geologic hazard instead of being
Caging the Tomatoes | Geophysical Institute Compared to control plants in a test plot near Palmer, tomatoes enclosed in plastic and wire cages produce two to three times as much green and red fruit
Harding Lake Levels | Geophysical Institute What's happening to the water level of Harding Lake, near Fairbanks? The current low water level of Harding Lake appears to be part of a natural cycle of rising and falling which is tied to climatic cycles and is seen in many lakes around the world The changes are especially dramatic at Harding Lake because it has a very small contributory watershed; much of its water is provided by seepage