Sunday, January 4, 2026 Steaming Bay and Tough Birds

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 10:00 am, sunset 4:07 pm for a total day length of 6 hours and 7 minutes. Tomorrow will be 2 minutes and 29 seconds longer.

 

December’s cold snap (hardly snappy) extended into the New Year with cold, clear skies and temps in the low teens and single digits. Stuck in a rut, the north wind roared with gusts to 28 mph. 

 

Resurrection Bay released its warmth to the cold air in ghostly sea smoke. The wind scoured the snow off the surrounding mountains revealing bare rock. By late afternoon today, however, the wind dropped, clouds slunk in, and 3-4” snow was in the forecast for tonight.

 

I spotted two nanny Mountain Goats and four adorable kids yesterday, driven off the mountain into the trees and browsing by the landslide along Lowell Point Road. 

At Lowell Point Beach, almost out of the wind, three BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES and two AMERICAN CROWS patrolled the frozen wrack line gleaning tidbits. They paused to watch me, perched on driftwood, all fluffed up, feet tucked under feathers. 

 

The brilliant but short-lived sun shone a spotlight on the sea birds sheltering in the harbor. A raft of COMMON MERGANSERS and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS paddled and dove in synchrony, pursuing fishy prey with a few BARROW’S and COMMON GOLDENEYES. PELAGIC CORMORANTS, mostly solo, fished on their fringes. 

A stealthy Harbor Seal popped up in the sea ice on the south side, looked around, and as quietly disappeared.

 

The suet and sunflower seeds in my feeder have hardly been touched by the Nuthatches, Chickadees, Song Sparrow, and Juncos in the first days of 2026. I hope they survived the Polar Express and will soon return.

 

Happy Birding in 2026!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, December 29, 2025 Bohemian Waxwings, Pine Grosbeaks, Robins

Seward, Alaska

The north wind howled all night and most of the day, spinning my wind vane in dizzy circles with gusts to 36 mph. The temperature rose from an overnight low of 7, to 13 by noon, and then 24 by evening. Snow scudded from the low gray clouds and twirled into snownadoes. Whitecapped waves pounded the bay and the harbor. It was a miserable dark winter day.

The only birds who seemed to relish the wind were the RAVENS. A dozen soared and spiraled high above the Lagoon, doing tricks and showing off. Irrepressible Ravens!

Today, for the first time since October 19, I did not see the ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD. I will watch diligently tomorrow and hope for the reappearance/resurrection of that little sprite. Last night and this morning were the toughest conditions yet. How could he fly in such conditions?

Despite the depressing weather, I found joy this afternoon in the bright colors and music of a mixed flock of PINE GROSBEAKS, ROBINS, and BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. 

I watched the Pine Grosbeaks struggle to keep their balance while juicing the Mt Ash berries, letting the hulls and seeds drizzle down their fronts. They plucked them from the tree and also from the frozen grass, mostly bare of the powder snow now blown into small drifts. Their warm, sunset hues glowed even in the dim light.

Chunky Robins hopped among them or clung to the tree twigs, tossing the whole frozen berries down the hatch. They sighed and occasionally clucked; no singing today.

Tinkling chimes rang from the Mt Ash trees where about 20 Bohemian Waxwings fought the strong wind to reach the berry clusters and eat them whole. Several elegant birds landed on the ground, not to eat berries, but to gobble up beakfuls of snow. I have never observed this interesting behavior before. They seemed to relish the cold refreshment.

Even a diminutive CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE plucked a few berries and ate them one after the other. 

I looked without luck for Cedar Waxwings, Starlings, Hermit Thrushes, and any other unusual species for Count Week. Tomorrow is the final day. While a rarity would be sweet, the return of the Hummingbird would be the sweetest sighting of all.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

 

 

 

 

Saturday, December 27, 2025 Mission Accomplished

Seward, Alaska

Seward Christmas Bird Count today!

Sunrise 10:03 am, sunset 3:56 pm, for a total day length of 5 hours and 53 minutes. Tomorrow will be 1 minute and 10 seconds longer.

Civil twilight 9:05 am rise, 4:56 pm set. 

Cloudy, north winds 7-13 with gusts to 23 increasing to 31 mph in the evening; temps hovered around 24 most of the day, dropping to 11 overnight. The strong north wind and white-capped waves canceled the survey of Resurrection Bay by the boat crew, a significant loss for the Count.

My CBC mission today was to tally the ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD.

After 4” of powder snow on Friday, a failed hummingbird heater that turned the sugar water into a slushy, and continuing cold, wind, and long nights, I was worried. Would this unlikely winter resident make it through another night?

I set out the warmed feeder in the dark at 9 am and waited and watched with binoculars from inside. At 9:21 am, in the dim light before dawn, a small dark shape materialized at the feeder and sat for two minutes. Yay! He seemed alert and perky. He fed and then flew up into the nearby spruce tree presumably to hunt for cold spiders. He zoomed back to feed at 10:30, 11:25, and noon. 

I then left to find the KILLDEER, 35 TRUMPETER SWANS, and a photo-bomb BELTED KINGFISHER at Afognak Beach, a drake LONG-TAILED DUCK at Spring Creek Beach, a GREAT BLUE HERON flying over Nash Road, two COMMON MURRES with the pair of Long-tailed Ducks, two RED-NECKED GREBES, and 10 MARBLED MURRELETS at the Lowell Point seafood processing plant with the usual sea ducks.

I happened to see the Hummer feeding at 3 pm during a brief stop, then at 4:12-4:14 pm in the dusk and finally at 4:18-4:22 pm, tanking up for the night.

Bird feeder watchers and field counters are still uploading their data to the Google document. It will be fascinating to learn what others found on this blustery winter day. I was thrilled with my tally that included a nickel-weight bird with an astounding will to live.

Mission accomplished.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter