Seward, Alaska
Fresh, lacy snow on the mountains,
cold, spitting rain and strong NNW winds greeted the dawn; not an auspicious
start to what turned out to be a fabulous day.
I was astounded to see the
sky clearing by 10 am, and shot out of the house, heading to Lowell Point. The
wind, gusting to 33 mph, whipped the bay into a froth of white caps.
Fortunately, Lowell Point was a tad protected, but I took advantage of the car
as both a blind and a shelter.
Cruising slowly down Pinnacle
View Drive with the windows down, I looked and listened for the telltale
DARK-EYED JUNCOS. As I turned and drove down Beach Drive, I pulled over and
stopped as several Juncos flitted in the alders and across the street. More and
more crossed, including several striking Oregon Juncos, for a total of about
twenty.
Suddenly, there it was! The
SWAMP SPARROW hopped down from the alders and started picking through the
gravel in a driveway. Even in the shaded light, the rufous on its crown, wings, and tail stood out. It seemed quite at home, and well-accepted by the Juncos.
Smart bird, to associate with a flock of locals for protection.
The flock was on the
move, and soon flashed away.
Over by the Lowell Point
State Recreation Site parking lot, I also found the first PINE SISKINS of the
season, about ten, also feeding on alder seeds. It was nice to see them again.
About an hour later, I
repeated my cruise loop, but did not find any Juncos or the Swamp Sparrow.
There’s a lot of serendipity to birding!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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