Thursday, December 14, 2006 Horned Lark search

Seward, Alaska 

Sunrise 9:55 am, sunset 3:49 pm, length of day 5 hours, 54 minutes;

tomorrow will be 1minute and 13 seconds shorter.

 

Back down to the freezer after a seemingly interminable time in

freezing rain and slush. It's 25º this morning with a 15 mph NNE wind. Dark snow clouds are piled up at the mouth of the bay, fresh off the Gulf of Alaska, threatening to cover a promising clear sky. A little sunshine goes a long way this time of year!

 

I have been looking, without success, for another sighting of the

HORNED LARK, juvenile, that Robin spotted near the NE ramp of the boat harbor on Dec 11th. Peregrine Joe nailed down the ID, and I documented it with photos. 

 

An AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, 2 COMMON REDPOLLS, and a SONG SPARROW formed a tight little group, gleaning seeds from the ground and from nearby weedy-looking plants, possibly a dock.

 

The Lark is overall a pale brown, with a distinctive black breast

band, light-colored stripe above the eye, dark crown, light-colored chin and throat, and white belly. The "horns" are very short. It walks rather than hops on the ground. I was surprised to see how much

longer the rear toe is compared to the other 3 toes. 

 

Sibley notes that the horned lark is "usually in flocks up to hundreds, often mixed with longspurs or Snow Buntings." Why this lone lark missed the big migration south is a mystery, but I'm glad for it. Perhaps someday I'll see the bright coloration of the adults in breeding plumage, by the hundreds, when they return to breed.

 

A PURPLE FINCH, male, was reported at a feeder along Ballaine Blvd.

Keep an eye out for this rosy red finch, slightly larger than redpolls or pine siskins.

 

A small flock of 9 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS is also in town, feeding on Mt Ash berries, noted on December 11 and 12.

 

Lowell Point reports 2 GREAT BLUE HERONS on Dec 11 in the morning, followed by 7 in all later that afternoon flying south towards Tonsina. Where do these huge birds feed and roost without being spotted for weeks? Also at Lowell Point, a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET,

That should have migrated, unlike the golden-crowneds who stay.

 

In the morning dimness of Dec 11, a squirrel sat on top of my

squirrel-proof bird feeder, eating something. As I approached the window from inside the house for a closer inspection, he leaped off onto the window screen right in front of me carrying off either a pine siskin or a redpoll. Feathers wafted off the top of the feeder from the hapless bird.

 

This is the first bird-killing squirrel I have heard of, though they

are known to eat bird's eggs. Maybe it's not too late to ask Santa for a BB gun...

 

Feeders all over town are hosting 50 to 100 redpolls, quite a contrast

to last year when only a few were ever seen. Hoary redpolls have been reported but not confirmed. Keep an eye out for white rumps, and overall much lighter, "frosted" birds.

 

It's a great time of year with lots of feeder activity. Keep them full

with black sunflower seeds, which are preferred by most of our winter birds.

 

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Sporadic Bird Report reporter

 

Monday, May 29, 2006 Northern Waterthrush

Seward, Alaska 

Sunny, 56º, south breeze 12 mph, hazy to south, blue sky above. 18 hours, 11 minutes
daylight, tomorrow will be 3 minutes, 31 seconds longer.

Peregrine Joe alerted me to a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH singing its little heart out for a mate out at Exit Glacier. I have never seen or heard this warbler, so I drove out to the "Welcome to Kenai Fjords National Park" sign just past the bridge over Resurrection River, parked at the pullout, and walked back a half block. 

He was loud and persistent, singing from a young cottonwood on the south side of the road. The leaves are getting big enough to hide this dark, streaked little bird, but on occasion, he flew to a higher vantage point where I got a very good view.

WILSON'S SNIPE, YELLOW WARBLER, WILSON'S WARBLER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, MYRTLE WARBLER, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, HERMIT THRUSH, ROBIN, and FOX SPARROW were also singing or flitting through the undergrowth, except for the snipe of course, who was doggedly diving and flying up yet again, still trying to impress his lady love.

On my way out I watched as a moose grazed peacefully in the main river gravel bars with Exit Glacier in the background, before disappearing completely into the alders.

Back towards town on Nash Road , the two TRUMPTER SWANS tended to their huge nest quite close to the road. I learned that the female, or pen, lays 1 egg every 2 days until she has 5 or 6, up to 9 eggs. She incubates them for about 32 days, while the male, or cob, stays
nearby and helps to defend the nest. Watch for cygnets to hatch from mid-June on.

A ROBIN's blue eggshell was found blowing in the wind yesterday. Baby bird alert! Keep those cats inside!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Sporadic Bird Report reporter

Wednesday, March 22, 2006 Ancient Murrelets

Seward Alaska

Wow! A beautiful spring day today: 37º, clear, with 13 mph north wind

Thanks to a call yesterday from the ever-alert birder, Buzz Scher, we can all trundle down to the beach by Resurrection Seafoods at the start of Lowell Point Road across from the waterfalls and look for ANCIENT MURRELETS.

The halibut season opened March 5th. The fishing boats are delivering and the birds know all about it. Mixed in with the cloud of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS, rafts of MARBLED MURRELETS (too many to count!) COMMON and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, PELAGIC CORMORANTS, HARLEQUINS, BARROW'S and COMMON GOLDENEYES, COMMON MURRES, and at least one PIGEON GUILLEMOT, are 7 to 8 ANCIENT MURRELETS.

These alcids are the same size as the marbled murrelets, but have a very distinctive black chin and throat; the pattern almost looks like a giant white thumbprint on the side of the neck. They seem to hang together in small groups, although there were some singles.

Joe Staab reported at least 5 GLAUCOUS GULLS and 2 HERRING GULLS or hybirds trying to blend in with the other frantically feeding gulls.

Buzz also noted 4 DUNLINS with the ROCK SANDPIPERS to the east of the Railroad Dock, and 4 male LONGSPURS, and 50-75 BLACK SCOTERS. I hope he will have time to post his sightings on the yahoo site for us all.

Joe reported 2 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS at the Benny Benson Lagoon yesterday, birds we haven't seen in a long while. Watch for the horse that is not a brown horse, the DIPPERs, and the KINGFISHER.  I also heard a VARIED THUSH singing yesterday morning, sounding a bit rusty.

Across the bay at the Spring Creek Campground access, look for AMERICAN DIPPERS and the BELTED KINGFISHER in Spring Creek or the pond. COMMON MERGANSERS and BARROW'S GOLDENEYES seem to enjoy the calm and perhaps food in the pond. 

On Saturday, March 18, 23 SNOW BUNTINGS flew over the pond and into the beach rye grass. The raw wind made it hard to get a good look to see if any McKay's were with them.Always a chance.

Huge rafts of SURF SCOTERS, BARROW'S GOLDENEYES, a few LONG-TAIL DUCKS, HORNED GREBES, and HARLEQUINS form a feeding line off the beach. The seafood processor over there is also processing, but I did not see the bird activity there that Resurrection Seafoods is attracting.

The WESTERN SCREECH OWLS (2), NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, and GREAT HORNED OWLS are calling more regularly now; keep an ear out at night in your neighborhood, or drive around Old Exit Glacier Road near the winter gate on Exit Glacier Road for a stop-and-listen.

In other news, a MINKE WHALE was observed close to shore near the ASLC on March 18th. While you are enjoying all the seabirds, keep an eye out for whales, sea lions, and sea otters. It's a feeding frenzy!

I'm sure I missed reporting a bunch of other sightings, but this one is long overdue and MUST go out. Go see those Ancient Murrelets!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Sporadic Bird Report reporter