Seward, Alaska
Herman Leirer Road, aka Exit
Glacier Road opened for the public all the way to the Nature Center on Friday.
On a sunny, blue-sky Monday morning I drove out and walked to the Edge of the
Glacier trail.
The cottonwood leaves had not
yet emerged, but the reddish flower catkins were just expanding. Piles of moose
pellets provided evidence of moose along the trails. As I walked, I heard
and/or saw COMMON REDPOLLS, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, ROBINS, VARIED THRUSHES,
HERMIT THRUSHES, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, a DOWNY
WOODPECKER, and a RAVEN.
I was surprised by the number
of VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS swooping over the Edge of the Glacier Trail, so close
to the glacier. Must be insects up there!
I just missed seeing 3 black
bear cubs sitting in the trees near the glacier. Apparently the momma got
spooked by too much attention and all disappeared over the ridge.
I did see three mountain
goats including one yearling kid, resting on the nearby mountainside. While
scanning for the goats, I saw PTARMIGAN flying a short distance then landing,
tiny white specks.
It was such a spectacular
day, I returned in the early evening to look for bears. I refound the three
mountain goats, actively grazing plus two more single mountain goats. Just
below them in a ravine, a momma black bear slowly ambled upwards, her two yearling
cubs following.
I found another single black
bear feeding in a green patch of newly emerged vegetation, and yet another
large black bear viewable from the parking lot.
It’s always a good time to
visit our backyard National Park!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
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