June 14, 2010
Sunrise 4:32 am, sunset 11:24 pm, length of day 18 hours, 51 minutes; tomorrow will be 1 minutes and 7 seconds longer. Summer Solstice is only a week away!
Weather: Rain has been forecast just about every day this past week, as one spectacular sunny jawdropper follows another. But today is indeed cloudy with temps in the low 50s; they might be right this time. A lovely white fireworks of crab-apple, apple, Mt Ash, and Mayday tree blossoms promise a bountiful crop for birds this fall. Lilacs are just starting to bloom; watch for rufous hummingbirds or their tiny mimic, the splendid sphinx moth, enjoying the nectar.
June 13: FOX SPARROW announced dawn at 4:30 am with his cheerful, "Whip-Gee-Whillikers! What a beautiful day!"
Ten BALD EAGLES stood up to their bellies in a small stream at the head of the bay, combat fishing just like the chest-wader, rod-flailing humans as three-year old red salmon returned from their ocean adventures. One eagle, impatient with the wait, harassed a passing ARCTIC TERN, forcing it to drop a very small fish. The bully caught it midair and flew off with the prize.
A bit later, two eagles stroked powerfully up into the blue sky in tight formation. When the smaller of the pair, the male, dropped onto the female, she instantaneously flipped upside down and their talons briefly locked. Just as swiftly but still falling, they released and resumed their course. This stunning aerialist feat repeated several times before they descended back to earth. I will remember this impressive show whenever I see eagles lounging in a spruce; maybe they just finished performing or are resting up for the next Top Gun flight!
Clouds of gulls, mostly BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS, and MEW GULLS feast along the shoreline, frequently stirred up by yet another BALD EAGLE or RAVEN.
Three RAVENS, not to be outdone, then did the same trick, though the flipper had food and the flipees wanted it. It may be rare that the bird that actually catches the food gets to eat it.
Also noted: SPOTTED SANDPIPER, bobbing its tail like we might absent-mindedly jiggle our keys. SAVANNAH SPARROWS perched on beach rye and driftwood look-outs, singing out their territorial boundaries. A smattering of ducks fed on underwater salads: GADWALL, PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, MALLARDS. No young seen; hopefully the watchful moms hid their treasures safely in the tall sedges.
One CLIFF SWALLOW and a few VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS dashed across the sedge meadows, snapping up insects. As others have noted, our swallow populations seem to be unusually low this summer. No BANK SWALLOWS have been reported yet. KINGFISHERS have been hard to find as well.
ALDER FLYCATCHER not heard at airport today, but one was reported on the Resurrection River Trail.
TOWNSEND'S, ORANGE-CROWNED, and YELLOW WARBLERS, HERMIT THRUSH, VARIED THRUSH, ROBINS, and PINE SISKINS still singing in town and along the Mt Marathon Jeep Trail.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Sporadic Bird Report reporter
Seward, Alaska
