Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 8:54 am, sunset 5:30
pm for a total length of day of 8 hours and 36 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5
minutes and 16 seconds longer. The temperature rose from 25º to a very
comfortable 35º, with a steady but moderate north wind.
Friday's blizzard warning was
cancelled and Seward was spared the destructive high winds that hit Homer,
Anchorage, and Mat-Su. Instead, the area received a dusting of snow, mostly
less than an inch, with a strong north wind to repel the sky-to-sea invasion of
storm clouds trying to advance from the Gulf of Alaska. Jupiter and a
sprinkling of stars peeked through the thinning clouds by evening.
Bright Venus again proclaimed
the imminent arrival of the Sun this morning. In the predawn twilight on the
morning walk, a flock of about 12 ROBINS mobbed a small Mt Ash, suddenly
popular due to the presence of its once-rejected berries. Apparently there are
a few different varieties of Mt Ash; some are preferred over others when there
is a choice. GROSBEAKS warbled from the treetops; vocal RAVENS flew from their
hidden roosts to investigate the town hotspots.
Halfway 'round the block, I
heard the cheerful call of a CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE. I spied the little
sprite quite close in the bare branchlets of an alder. Luckily, I still had
some sunflower seeds in my pocket. I grabbed a handful and held them out. The
chickadee wasted no time in flying to my hand where it flung a few rejects to
the ground and selected one to go. After a minute, back it flew to choose
another seed. What a great way to start the day!
It was too beautiful to stay
inside so I soon headed to Ava's. Yesterday's storm brought 7 or 8 AMERICAN
TREE SPARROWS and several OREGON JUNCOS back to her feeders. I hoped to see the
Swamp Sparrow but it was quiet except for the usual DOWNY and HAIRY
WOODPECKERS. I'll keep checking. One bonus was the male BELTED KINGFISHER
perched on the powerline on Nash Road and Salmon Creek Road.
Over at Spring Creek Beach
two paddleboarders stroked out into beautiful Resurrection Bay. Farther out was
a mixed raft of SURF SCOTERS, COMMON MERGANSERS, LONG-TAILED DUCKS (just a
few), PELAGIC CORMORANTS, HORNED GREBES, COMMON and BARROW'S GOLDENEYES, MEW
and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS, and a few BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES. A sea lion
leisurely cruised along the shore, its breath leaving a vapor cloud.
I glanced over at the eastern
mountains at just exactly the right time to catch the growing moon peeking over
the shoulder of a snowy mountain peak. It quickly rose over the snowy peaks
like a helium balloon to adorn the blue dome into the starry night.
One last stop was to walk
Chamberlain Road on the west side of the Lagoon to look for the reported
GOLDEN-CROWNED and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS. The trimmed alder hedge suddenly
came alive with little peeps, and once again, a bright-eyed CHESTNUT-BACKED
CHICKADEE looked at me inquiringly. Do I look like a human bird feeder? I
scooped up some sunflower seeds from my pocket and held out my hand. This time,
two cute chickadees took turns selecting seeds. Such a light step!
A RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH,
caught up in the excitement, bravely landed on my hand, reconsidered, and flew
back to the safety of the hedge. It must have been a male, he was so bright! After
a bit, I kept walking and the chickadees kept following, accepting/demanding
seeds at intervals. When I turned around to walk on the other side, there they
were again! What a pleasure to walk along, with such fine company! I didn't
find the sparrows, but did not mind a bit.
Other notes:
Two TRUMPETER SWANS were
reported at the mouth of Salmon Creek; their freshwater options are very
limited now that most ponds and wetlands are refrozen.
A VARIED THRUSH was spotted
in the alley between First and Second, 400 block. Feeder activity is up with
the lower temperatures and snow cover.
The WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
was reported last Saturday at Lowell Point, and a second one has been seen at
Raven Lane behind Spenard's Building Supply on Exit Glacier Road.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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