Tuesday, December 31, 2024 Happy Birdy New Year!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 10:02 am, sunset 4:01 pm for a total day length of 5 hours and 59 minutes. Tomorrow will be 1 minute and 54 seconds longer with a New Year’s Resolution to keep getting longer.

 

Sunny today with a low of 20 and a high of 31, mostly calm. High tide of 12:11’ at 12:57 pm.

 

A personal New Year’s Resolution is to always pay attention to Corvids. 

This morning, a noisy MAGPIE chattered away, hidden in some spruce trees. I walked past. Suddenly, the immature AMERICAN GOSHAWK shot out past me like a missile, heading straight for some ducks in a pond. Flap, flap, flap, quick glide! Flap, flap, flap, quick glide! It banked and turned sharply, diving down on the desperately fleeing ducks, struck nothing, and kept flying off into the distance. Wow! What a show!

 

This afternoon, I refound the hardy KILLDEER as the tide began to ebb. Twelve Trumpeter Swans, including 4 cygnets fed in the ever-shrinking open water of the pond. Another nine Swans, including 4 cygnets graced the intertidal creek.

 

As the tide continued to ebb, 20 ROCK SANDPIPERS materialized at the water’s edge, chittering excitedly as they plundered the freshly exposed mud.

 

Following up on a report by Robin C, I found two more Trumpeter Swan cygnets feeding in still-open Preacher Pond west of Nash Road mile 0. I found this very unusual as normaly the cygnets are accompanied by the adults until booted out in spring. They seemed to be healthy and feeding. 

 

A few days ago, I practiced portraits of DARK-EYED JUNCOS, a CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, a male DOWNY WOODPECKER, a STELLER’S JAY, and a RUSTY BLACKBIRD. I saw 7 RUBB but believe there are nine in the Clearview Subdivision near the high school.

 

As shadows crept up their flanks just before 4 pm, alpenglow tinged the eastern snowy mountains a delicate pink, fading to violet, purple, and indigo as the sun slipped away. What a spectacular finale to our short winter days.

 

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and good birding wherever you are!

 

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

 

Thursday, December 26, 2024 Orcas in Bay!

Seward, Alaska

While casually scanning Resurrection Bay from Fourth of July Beach, I noticed two suspicious-looking plumes on the far southwest side. I watched in anticipation and waited. Yes! There! A huge vertical dorsal fin of a bull Orca broke through the white-capped waves, sent up another vapor plume, arched, and vanished. Then another, smaller-finned Orca surfaced, breathed, and dove. Wow! Orcas in the bay!

 

I followed them as they swam powerfully and steadily north towards Tonsina Point, sometimes turning towards me head-on, then at the next exhalation, swimming north again. Though they were very far away, I could imagine the flukes pumping up and down, the explosive breath, the towering dorsal fin slicing the surface, and their sleek bodies sliding smoothly back into the water, leaving nothing but a ripple and delicate, ephemeral mist. 

 

The Steller Sea Lion, Harbor Seal, and two Sea Otters swimming along the beach in front of me had nothing to fear from these transient Orcas, yet. The dangerous, silent mammal hunters were over two miles away and still heading north.

 

I wished I could instantly fly across the bay like an eagle, but instead drove my magic carpet all the way around the bay to Lowell Point, scanning the water without any luck. 

 

I’ll be watching tomorrow; they could be anywhere, or nowhere. What a sight!

Wednesday, December 25, 2025 Unwrapping Presents

Seward, Alaska

 

Sunrise 10:03 am, sunset 3:55 pm for a total day length of 5 hours and 51 minutes. Tomorrow will be zero minutes and 51 seconds longer.

 

I spent the day unwrapping presents. The first present was…it did not snow 5” as forecast and the day remained blissfully dry, calm, and mild with temps of 31-33. The low sun peeked above a belt of dark clouds to the south, beaming brightly on the surrounding snowy mountains and their long blue jagged shadows. I even saw my long shadow, briefly. Thank you, fine weather!

 

A RAVEN guided me to the next present, the immature AMERICAN GOSHAWK sitting in a spruce, hanging its wings out to dry.  Thank you, Raven and Goshawk!

 

The ebbing tide left a bit of beach and lo, there was the resilient KILLDEER, walking in the puddles, finding breakfast. It let me watch for a bit, and did not fly when I eased past. Thank you, Killdeer!

 

MALLARDS, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, and BUFFLEHEAD fed in the ice-free pond. Two TRUMPETER SWANS took flight from the creek though I was far away, sorry! Thank you, waterfowl! 

 

I watched about a hundred AMERICAN CROWS swarm the tidelands as two EAGLES stirred up about the same number of Gulls in the distance. A flock of hardy PIGEONS fluttered down to feed in the wet grasses, possibly a wilder bunch than the townies.

 

The Crows flew over to patrol the beach for edibles, downing seaweed with relish. One Crow had a deformed bill, the upper mandible longer than the lower. The Crows festooned every perch, allowing me to approach quite close, while a few Ravens chose perches farther away. Thank you, Corvids!

 

I heard, but did not find a whinnying MERLIN, but was thrilled to look. Thank you, Merlin, wherever you were!

 

Every puddle and pool held a spectacular, almost perfect reflection of Mt Marathon or Mt Benson. No finer mirror can be bought. Thank you, calm wind and open water!

 

My mind and camera full of presents, I nonetheless received a few more.

Fog rose from the open water of the Nash Road Mile 1 wetlands, concealing a large number of Swans in the back of the wetlands. To my delight, 16 Trumpeter Swans, including 7 cygnets, stood close to the road on the thin ice and paddled in the open water. One standing adult stuck its head through a hole in the ice like an ice fisherman, to reach vegetation below; it looked very funny. The Swans looked healthy; they probably appreciate the access to food and mild weather. Thank you, beautiful Swans!

Four GREAT BLUE HERONS napped on the former coal loading dock soaking up the last of the sunshine. Thank you, Great Blue Herons!

 

On my way home as the sun ducked behind the mountains, I checked out the Mt Ash trees in the 200 Block of Second Ave. More presents! A motherlode of ROBINS, 20? flew back and forth across the alley from spruce to Mt Ashes, clucking and plucking. At least one PINE GROSBEAK fed steadily; no time wasted flying around. Thank you, Robins and Grosbeak!

 

At twilight, the mountains and clouds turned a delicate pink then violet as alpenglow kissed the end of the day. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this glorious day!

 

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter