Saturday, March 9, 2013 Brambling, Hoody, Owls


Seward, Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise 7:31 am, sunset 6:46 pm, length of day 11 hours, 15 minutes; tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 30 seconds longer.

Weather: Calm and overcast with scattered rain, sn'rain, and sprinkles in the morning. Temperature held steady around 35ยบ.  The secondary roads are very slushy with great pools of water. Bay access is especially difficult; best to park on high ground and walk in or risk getting stuck. Be aware of avalanches on Lowell Point Road; small slides were cleared yesterday.

For a quiet day, a lot was happening:

Home: usual ruckus of COMMON REDPOLLS, PINE SISKINS, VARIED THRUSHES, STELLER'S JAYS all day. They emptied 10# of sunflower seeds in one feeder before daylight faded. One BRAMBLING perched nearby; nice to see him again.

Boat Basin at end of Nash Road on east side of bay:
2 or possibly 3 GLAUCOUS GULLS, very white
1 possible THAYER'S GULL immature (wish I had my scope!)
dozens of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, a few GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS and MEW GULLS
150 SURF SCOTERS, a few WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, a few BLACK SCOTRS, 8 PELAGIC CORMORANTS, 2 MARBLED MURRELETS, a dozen HARLEQUIN DUCKS

Spring Creek Beach:
150 BARROW'S GOLDENEYES feeding on schools of 4" silvery fish
Two sea otters and a harbor seal
Two pairs of BALD EAGLES and about 8 juvenile eagles of various ages, sitting in trees, on dead trees, and on streetlight poles in area

Tidelands:
Two SHORT-EARED OWLS hunting. One caught a fat vole and hauled it off with beach ryegrass streaming behind. Five BUFFLEHEAD, including a handsome male. Four SNOW BUNTINGS swooped overhead chittering.

Benny Benson Lagoon in town on Dairy Hill Lane:
male HOODED MERGANSER and COMMON MERGANSERS in expanding open water

Neighborhood at 9 pm:
SAW-WHET OWL calling from mountainside, a perfect ending to a wonderful day!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter











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