Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 7:41 am, sunset 8:28 pm, for a total day length of 12 hours and 29 seconds. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 29 seconds longer.
Light wind and rain this morning then overcast with temps in the low to high 30s. More of the same for the next few days then a bit of sunshine in the forecast. Snow is melting fast and ice on local ponds is soft and shrinking.
Many Sitka willows are in bloom; buds swell on blueberry and elderberry bushes. Green beach ryegrass spears poke through last year’s bleached skeletons. Spring is easing her way into the landscape.
Today at the old coal dock I found seven GREAT BLUE HERONS preening and napping. Six were lined up side by side on one railing while the seventh stood apart like a supervisor. Where do these large, secretive herons go when they are not hanging out here in plain sight? Birds of mystery.
Migratory gulls including GLAUCOUS-WINGED, a few HERRING GULLS, and KITTIWAKES, have arrived to join the resident SHORT-BILLED GULLS. BALD EAGLES are only too happy to do a nonchalant fly-over to stir them up and raise the decibels of their cries. Sounds of Spring!
TRUMPETER SWANS linger at the mouth of creeks and, to the surprise of many new observers, paddle in the bay. Somehow, they found food including eelgrass to sustain them through the winter. It’s wonderful to see the nine-month-old cygnets thriving and as large as their parents.
A friend reported a WESTERN SCREECH OWL hooting at 2:30 am at Mile 7 Seward Highway. A tad late/early for me, but worth a try on Exit Glacier Road past the locked gate, on Old Exit Glacier Road, or in the Lost Lake Subdivision.
Now is the ‘tween time as we wait, watch, and listen expectantly for migrants to arrive and fill our hearts with joy. Any day, any day…
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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