Seward Alaska Sporadic Bird
Report
Happy Birthday, Seward! 110
years old today!
Sunrise 6:43 am, sunset 9:12
pm for a total of 14 hours and 28 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 23
seconds shorter.
Well, the other shoe dropped* this evening with hard rain. After an extraordinarily warm and sunny July, the
back to normal cool and cloudy with the occasional cloudburst and sunburst of August is
quite a contrast! Mushrooms are loving the rain, leaves are green heading to
yellowish green, and many fruits, such as Mt ash, devil's club, red elderberry,
bunchberry, trailing raspberry, and raspberries are ripening to red.
The temps are in the mid 50s
to low 60s with more overcast and sprinkly days in the forecast. Summer is
fading to fall quickly.
The birds know it too. But
unlike their spring migration, when the birds flock en masse in a short time,
fall migration is a generally a stealth operation over a much longer
period.
Yesterday, I watched a single
SPOTTED SANDPIPER, sans spots, walk nervously along the shoreline. Bam! Out of
nowhere, a MERLIN struck and flew off. I didn't see any feathers, but didn't
know the outcome until the lucky sandpiper poked its head out of the sedges and
then quickly flew away, counting its lucky stars. I found the Merlin not far away, perched on an
observation stump, watching, watching for its next opportunity.
Last Saturday, there were a
few more peeps around, feeding quietly in a small flock of about 20, mostly WESTERN and
LEAST SANDPIPERS with a few SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS on the side. In a flash, a Merlin shot through the flock, grabbed one and
flew off to dine. The surviving peeps exploded in a frenzy, crying loudly in alarm and
grief over the loss of one of their relatives as they erratically spiraled up and away. It was a spectacular and
touching sight. I appreciate not being on the menu or radar of the small but
fierce Merlin.
On a rare sunny day in mid-August, I was fortunate to spy on a
Merlin, maybe the same one, resting on a stump. She (or a
juvenile) stretched and preened, aware of me, but not too concerned. The bright
yellow legs, spots and dots under the wings, banding on the tail, creamy white
chin, and blending of patterns on the breast were stunning. Nature is a Master
Artist! After a thorough pre-flight check of her tail and wings, the expert pilot blasted off on her
next mission. Bon appetite!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Uber-Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
* Origin and Meaning of "Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop"
<http://voices.yahoo.com/origin-meaning-waiting-other-shoe-to-514573.html?cat=54>
No comments:
Post a Comment