Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 9:54 am, sunset 3:49
pm for a total daylight, theoretically, of 5 hours and 55 minutes. Tomorrow
will be 1 minute and 20 seconds shorter.
Sideways-blowing snow
abruptly ended the streak of bright sunshine of the past three days. Visibility
plunged to nothing at times making driving very hazardous. Temps rose from the
mid teens to low 20s.There's a winter weather advisory for the Anchorage area
through Sunday. The Anchorage CBC is scheduled for tomorrow; that will be hard!
The Seward CBC is December 22; hopefully this storm will be spent by then.
Fortunately, I was able to go
birding on a beautiful blue sky winter day yesterday. Tantalized by the
possibility of studying the RED-FACED CORMORANTS again, I headed for Mile 5
Nash Road and the Seward Marine Industrial Center boat basin. My challenge was
shooting into the sun; no complaints, just very challenging!
At first, I was a bit
disappointed. No cormorants on the pilings, and only a few COMMON MERGANSER
hens, and a small group of about 5 BARROW'S GOLDENEYES. Wait a bit… So I pulled
up in my car blind, and started experimenting with exposure and metering
variations on the cooperative birds, trying to shield my eyes from the blinding
sun and its undulating reflection.
Suddenly, a RED-NECKED GREBE
popped up out of nowhere, and paddled closer and closer, lured in by the
tolerant Goldeneyes, no doubt. I should toss out some decoys! Two pairs of
little red-eyed HORNED GREBES steamed in, creating a small wake, then dove in
synchrony as they sensed or spotted tiny fish below.
The seabirds paddled close
then away, following their prey, and their varying opinions of the human
clicking away. It was so interesting to watch their afternoon unfold. I must not
have been paying attention to the wider view, as again, seemingly out of
nowhere, two very regal PACIFIC LOONS surfaced in the middle of the boat basin.
There is something arresting and commanding about a loon; they definitely have
a Presence without fanfare.
A very short time later, one
loon quietly surfaced very close by, snorkeling along with its head underwater,
checking the underwater menu. Raising its head, and without missing a stroke, it observed me for
several long seconds, and then calmly disappeared in a swirl. The two
reappeared once again in the middle of the basin, joining 4 RED-FACED CORMORANTS, the RED-NECKED GREBE, and 2 HORNED GREBES.
All was quiet once again.
Wait a bit…Then up popped a special seabird, the fascinating forest-roosting, MARBLED
MURRELET. I am always thrilled to see one of these amazing birds, especially up
close. Water droplets beaded up on its black and white waterproof coat. When it
dove, its tiny pink webbed feet momentarily flashed in the air before it flew
away underwater. I watched this little guy for quite some time, surprised at
how long it stayed above water, just floating tranquilly. Usually this bird is
identified by "the one that just dove."
I left just after a male
COMMON GOLDENEYE pulled his head out from under his wing, nap ended, and time
to preen. Their body has so much more white than a Barrow's, but it's nice to
see those round "Os" on the face to confirm the ID.
Over at Spring Creek Beach, a
first winter GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL cruised over the breaking waves by the beach,
surprisingly alone, looking competent for a youngster.
It was past time for the good
dogs to get out, so we headed into the teeth of the northwest wind for a walk
down the beach. A Steller's Sealion swam with power and purpose, parallel to
the shore, breathing rhythmically. Not long afterwards, a curious Harbor Seal
poked up its shiny head to watch us, then silently submerged.
On the way back, a flash of
white caught my eye. SNOW BUNTINGS! I eased over to watch them ride the beach
rye grass stalks down to the ground, then scurry about to gather up the flying
seeds. It was like watching a little bird rodeo. The low rays of the sun
illuminated their lovely brown and tan coloration. When they all flew up, I
estimated about 50 before they settled back down.
Back at the car, it was
almost 2 pm and the sun was hurtling towards the western mountains. Just enough
time to visit Ava's amazing feeders. I pulled up, and once again, it seemed
pretty quiet. Wait a bit… A BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE flew in and landed in a
nearby Mayday tree, showing off, before heading to the homemade suet and
sunflower seed feeders. Another one followed, then several DARK-EYED JUNCOS.
The usual RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES claimed several feeders, as the
CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES tried to get in for a single seed at a time.
A small sparrow perched in
the Mayday tree: an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW! It soon flew to the ground to
rummage through the green grass and scant snow for seeds. Ava reported she has
had up to 7 Tree Sparrows recently. A different little sparrow appeared, a
LINCOLN'S SPARROW. It seemed to prefer the spilled seeds by the deck, sitting
at times, all fluffed up like a feathery ball against the chill. By 2:20 pm,
the sun disappeared, and blue shadows crept into the yard. As Ava's birds
stocked up for the long night ahead, I headed home.
Aware of the impending
snowstorm, I detoured for one last bird check in the alley behind my house. My
feeder was hopping with Juncos, Chickadees, and Nuthatches too. At the top of a
nearby cottonwood, a BOHEMIAN WAXWING sat like a Christmas tree angel. Several PINE GROSBEAKS
decorated the tree below. Across the alley, about 20 ROBINS gobbled down Mt Ash
berries, chunky silhouettes against the darkening sky. Whether or not they knew
about the approaching storm, it was a good idea to load up.
And now, as the wind whistles
and rattles the frozen trees, spinning snow in wild patterns, I enjoy my photos
and relive yet another fabulous day birding.
In other news, Robin C refound the BRAMBLING in the storm today with an army of JUNCOS in the 500 block of Second Ave. Also spotted along Lowell Point Road, 6 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS.
A SHORT-EARED OWL was
reported at the airport uplands on Saturday evening, December 7, but not
refound (yet.)
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
No comments:
Post a Comment