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
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