Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 7:22 am, sunset 8:42 pm for a total day length of 13 hours and 19 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 29 seconds longer.
Hazy sunshine today, temperature 36-47, and diminished NNW wind of 5-9 mph made for a very lovely spring day.
I ebiked Exit Glacier Road this afternoon for the first time this year. Feeling privileged, I rode through the gap in the vehicle gate at Bridge Creek and right down the center line or wandered from one lane to the other. This freedom won’t last long!
Winter just recently retreated, leaving scattered snow piles in the woods. Except for the willows bursting into bloom, the other trees and shrubs seem dormant.
For most of the miles, I heard only peaceful silence. Approaching the Glacier Overlook, I was thrilled to see Exit Glacier for the first time since October, clad in white from her head to her toe, glistening in the sunshine. Glazed snowy mountains framed the famous glacier flowing from the Harding Ice Field.
Scraped snow covered the road down the hill to the bridge marking the boundary from the Chugach National Forest to Kenai Fjords National Park. Then the pavement poked through for another half mile until deeper snow discouraged me from continuing to the Nature Center. With a few more days of sunshine, and help from the road grader, the way should be open soon.
Just after I turned around, I heard a distant RAVEN and a WOODPECKER calling (Downy?). Then, a sweet song interspersed with harsh buzzy sounds. I walked my bike closer and listened. Closer, closer. Then I spotted the songster near the top of a leafless tree. As I hoped, a NORTHERN SHRIKE! It allowed me to enjoy the serenade for many minutes before it flew off towards the river. I wondered what it found to eat and sing about in this wintry landscape. Tough bird!
While I’m looking forward to hearing the first Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Varied Thrushes followed by the rush of other songsters, the solitary, singing Shrike made my day.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter