Seward, Alaska
This evening I visited Exit Glacier in
Kenai Fjords National Park, a short drive from home (lucky me!) With all the
rain for the past week, it has really been changing with its under-glacier
river swollen and moving from one side to the other.
Giant chunks of blue ice calved off the
toe just prior to my arrival; witnesses said it was very loud and reminded them
of a tidewater glacier calving. From the size of the cracks, it looks like more
calving is imminent. The outwash plain was littered with chunks of
ice. Very dynamic!
On the drive home at about 9:45 pm, I
stopped at the usual spot at the 40 mile per hour sign on Exit Glacier Road to
listen for the WESTERN SCREECH OWL. After a few minutes, I thought I heard
something above the roar of the numerous waterfalls cascading down the
surrounding mountainsides, and the rustling of the cottonwood leaves.
I kept listening and waiting. Sure enough,
the distinctive bouncing ball call came again. And again. Then I heard the
double trill call, and a few other vocalizations. It was hard to tell if there
was more than one, but I think it’s possible.
A great website for owl information and to
hear the calls is <http://www.owlpages.com/owls/species.php?s=840> I
learned that the species name, kennicottii, honors Robert Kennicott.
His scientific work is commemorated by the
Alaska Marine Highway ferry M/V Kennicott, Kennicott Glacier, and the copper
mining town of Kennecott, though misspelled, in Wrangell-St Elias National Park
and Preserve. Alaska Dispatch News had an interesting article about him on
August 8, 2016 < http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/science/2016/08/07/this-scientists-death-in-the-alaska-wilderness-was-a-mystery-150-years-later-his-skeleton-helped-solve-it/>.
But I digress. If you want to try to hear "Kennicot's Owl", drive down
Herman Leirer Road, aka Exit Glacier Road just after sunset or around 9:45 to
10 pm. After you go over the first bridge at the intersection of this road and
Old Exit Glacier Road, look for the first 40 MPH speed limit sign. Pull over as
far as possible and turn on your parking lights for visibility. Just stand and
listen nearby. I hope he will continue to call.
At 11 pm, the first stars I have seen this
summer peeked through the scattered clouds: the constellation Cygnus. How very
wonderful! It’s so nice to see the sky and stars again. The Aurora is rumored
to be visible tonight as well if one can stay up. If you step out to see the
Northern Lights, listen for owls!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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