Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 4:51 am, sunset 11:14
pm for a total day length of 18 hours, 23 minutes. Tomorrow will be 3 minutes
and 3 seconds shorter.
Highs today in the upper 60s,
with a variable southerly wind and high overcast. It felt muggy, but we are
wimps regarding heat and humidity, and thus unreliable. Partly cloudy with a chance
of rain; temps in the 60s are in the forecast.
The RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS have
fledged and are hitting feeders, sometimes in multiples. It is so fun to watch them! Cleaning and refilling the feeders for them is a joy.
Ava reports baby birds all
around her place, as is the case everywhere, hanging around waiting for fast
food delivery while they grow new feathers and molt. Frantic and disheveled songbird parents rush around collecting
beakfuls of insects and invertebrates then dash back to stuff them down the
throats of their hungry offspring. Eagles haul fish and discarded fish
carcasses, maybe an unlucky gull or seabird. Arctic Terns dive for sandlance,
dolly varden fry, and other salmonid fry to deliver to their waiting chicks.
Ravens pilfer just about anything they can get, forgetting that a flashy piece
of trash provides neither calories nor vitamins for their loud, squawking, ungainly
youngsters.
This is a good time to
remember that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibits “taking” i.e. harming
birds in any way. Disturbances to the nest sites, including tree and shrub
cutting, should be postponed until after the babies have fledged.
The USFWS recommended
guideline for restricted activity is May 15-July 15. I suspect many species may
try for a second brood with such an early spring start. Photos or reports
documenting birds nesting after July 15th would be helpful for their
database. Contact USFWS Ellen Vance in Anchorage at 907-271-1467.
Bird song has tapered off
considerably. Instead of multiples, there may be just one bird carrying the
torch: SNIPE, PACIFIC WREN, VARIED THRUSH, HERMIT THRUSH, ROBIN, ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLER, FOX SPARROW, LINCOLN’S SPARROW, SONG SPARROW, and PINE GROSBEAK.
Shorebird migration is underway
with many more WESTERN, LEAST, and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS showing up every
day. Some later nesting SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS are still tending to their babies,
while others are already foraging. On July 6, five HUDSONIAN GODWITS stopped in
to feed on their journey south. Kerry and Jim reported 2 BLACK TURNSTONES and 3 WHIMBRELS on
July7.
Seems like they just got here, and they’re already plotting to leave.
Seems like they just got here, and they’re already plotting to leave.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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