Seward Alaska
Sunrise 6:58 am, sunset 8:54
pm, for a total of 13 hours, 55 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 23
seconds shorter.
Could it possibly rain any
harder??? Spasms of waterfalls erupted throughout the day and continued into
the night, reminding me of a gutter I recently cleared. Whooosh! Luckily it was calm, and peaceful
interludes included a symphony of sunshine at noon. What a crazy storm!
This morning, the dogs and I
entered a continuing drama between three SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS and the
neighborhood STELLER'S JAYS and MAGPIES. This has been going on all day long
for weeks. The jays squawk and fly, the hawks give chase; the jays escape and
nonchalantly resume planting peanuts in the lawn, flower pots, or gutters while
the hawk(s) rest. Then a 3 to 5-note cry from the hawk, and another high speed
thriller through the trees ensues. I snuck into the house for my camera and got
a few photos of one yellow-eyed juvenile Sharpie resting on a cottonwood branch.
At noon, we went out Lowell
Point Road where rocks tumbled off the super-saturated cliffs into the road
right by the "Caution, Rocks on Road" sign. That road is always
exciting! Though we started in the rain, miraculously, the skies cleared and
the sun came out while the east side of the bay hunkered down under a dark
blue-black squall.
Two DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS
flew on top of Pinnacle Rock to stretch and dry their wings in the stiff south
breeze. It's about time for them to migrate. MARBLED MURRELETS bobbed in the
waves while gulls flew overhead. I was hoping for a Storm Petrel, but did not
succeed.
On the loop around Lowell
Point behind the sewage treatment plant, I saw a bird in the road. As traffic
was zero, I stopped to investigate. What do birds do when it stops raining?
They take a bath! There must have been at least eight VARIED THRUSHES in the
area. Two splashed in the rain puddle; one snatched red Devil's Club berries,
others hopped along the shadowy edge of the road. I heard their soft clucking
and feeble trills.
Close by, a young HERMIT
THRUSH fluffed up all its feathers and turned this way and that, enjoying the
warm sun. Several FOX SPARROWS chipped from the bushes, then hopped down to
jump-scratch in the leaves. An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER dashed across the road
while a female DOWNY WOODPECKER poked for insects on an alder trunk. It was
quite a lively scene!
I moved on, and soon returned
to the seafood processing plant at the beginning of the road. The mob of
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES mixed with MEW GULLS, and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS
fluttered like twinkling stars above the water, diving down to grab something
small, then up again to spot the next tidbit. It must have been something good!
It was fun to see the
beautiful juvenile Kittiwakes with their first winter finery, decked out with
black earrings, scarves, and tail bands. The attire on different individuals
varied. The gray-brown young Mew Gulls' plumage was more subdued, but their
patterning was very delicate. And the young Glaucous-winged Gulls were just
gray lunks with black bills. All were very vocal, excited about the bonanza and
maybe even the lull in the storm.
Back home, the Sharpie show
continued, a seemingly endless loop until dark. Too bad they don't eat peanuts!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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