Seward,
Alaska Sporadic Bird Report
Sunrise 9:52
am, sunset 3:50 pm. Length of day 5 hours, 57 minutes. Tomorrow will be 1
minute and 36 seconds shorter.
The lunar
eclipse on December 10th was stunning. Serendipitously, I awoke at 5
am and leaped out of bed, jumped into my winter coat, wind pants and snow
boots, and bolted out the door. A copper penny floated in the clear sky above
nearby Mt Marathon. The streetlights overpowered the stars, so I walked up
Lowell Canyon leaving them all behind. What a wonder! I gazed at the alien
object, silently suspended in space surrounded by sparkling stars.
With my
binoculars, I could see craters and the round dimensionality of this normally
flat-looking disk. The coppery glow gradually shifted as it arced across
the sky. A bright white crescent like a new fingernail moon appeared on
the lower left as the earth's shadow eased away. Closer and closer it sailed
towards the snowy mountain peak. As I crunched my way back down the icy road to
civilization and my warm bed, the marvelous, mysterious moon slipped behind the
mountain.
December 11th
dawned clear, but clouds soon rolled in. A huge storm hit Seward by early
afternoon with lashing winds and cold rain. The temperature rose from 25º to
38º in a few hours. I checked Lowell Point Beach for the Redwing but
found only a small flock of JUNCOS and a very soggy PINE GROSBEAK at the fence
line, eating fallen Mt Ash berries. The heavy snows knocked trees into the
transmission lines at Mile 20-23 and plunged everyone south into darkness at
5:30 pm for several hours.
December 12th:
The winds finally died down in the night, but the dark clouds remained. I
checked the beach for SNOW BUNTINGS but only found three who quickly flew away.
A juvenile BALD EAGLE posed majestically on a stump, regarding me closely with
its dark brown eyes. The boat harbor, ice free at 34º, hosted a nice flock of
COMMON MERGANSERS, RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, COMMON and BARROW'S GOLDENEYES, 2
HORNED GREBES, 3 PACIFIC LOONS, 1 COMMON LOON, and 1 YELLOW-BILLED LOON.
As I watched
11 more horned grebes and 3 surf scoters at the harbor mouth, the yellow-billed
loon paddled out of the harbor and cruised serenely right along the breakwater
below me. Wow! What a beauty! I managed to snap some photos before it disappeared.
Soon, however, it came flying past, winging its way to the other side of the
bay, startled by something I couldn't see.
Two river
otters pulled out on the ice surrounding the small remaining open area at the
north end of the Lagoon and rested briefly before plunging back in. A tiny
DIPPER paddled about like a duck, then hopped up on the ice to peer into the
cold water from the edge.
Towards
sunset around 3: 30 pm, I headed back outside for a little walk (that dog gets
me out!) The heavy blanket of clouds lifted just enough to let the low sun peek
through and paint the snowy range across the bay a delicate pink. I stood
transfixed, enjoying the spectacular and unexpected show. What a place, Seward!
Happy
Birding!
Carol
Griswold
Seward Sporadic
Bird Report Reporter
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