Sporadic Bird

Saturday, February 18, 2012 Anchorage Audubon Seward Field Trip

2012-02-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

About25 birders braved the winter roads to converge on Seward for the annualAnchorage Audubon Seward Field Trip. Both the weather and birds cooperated toprovide a wonderful day of birding for all. Most folks more than tripled theirannual bird list, several nabbed Life Birds. The list below totaled 44species.

Firststop: A YELLOW-BILLED LOON cruised in the boat harbor between the boardwalk andthe ice, the first of several we would see during the day. A dying COMMON MURREflopped and struggled on the ice, a sad sight.

Wewalked over to the Uplands to scan the numerous seabirds in the bay. I was amazed to see themale HOODED MERGANSER, looking handsome and relatively small, hanging out withthe SURF SCOTERS, GOLDENEYES, MERGANSERS, and other seabirds. This is the firsttime I have seen him in salt water. We are assuming it’s the same one as he wasnot found in Clear Creek a short time earlier, but we'll have to keepcross-checking. Other highlights: another YELLOW-BILLED LOON and a femaleGREATER SCAUP. Aaron B spotted a THAYER'S GULL and HERRING GULLS with his keen,trained eyes.

Nextwas a productive feeder for PINE GROSBEAKS, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES,RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, COMMON REDPOLLS, PINE SISKIN, and DARK-EYED JUNCOS. Atalkative RAVEN attracted 6 MAGPIES, a sure sign of something interesting. Sureenough, they had staked out a loose black cat that was also birding.

Onour way to Ava's along the highway, we passed a momma moose and her ganglyyearling punching through deep snow to reach willows. The highlights at Ava'swere two raptors; a MERLIN perched in its preferred location at the top of aspruce, and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK sitting in another spruce and farther down.

Ihave never seen such immobile HAIRY and DOWNY WOODPECKERS. They were one withthe tree trunks. The GROSBEAKS and REDPOLLS gathered silently in thecottonwoods, watching, watching. Suddenly the MERLIN, that had disappeared,sliced low overhead from behind, making an unsuccessful pass at lunch. Soonafter the frozen birds became animated and relaxed a bit though they remainedon alert.

Anothermomma and yearling rested in the snow next to Salmon Creek; if they saw adipper, they didn't say.

AtMile 5 Nash Road we parked by the boat basin. It was amazing to have so manybirders searching diligently, finding so many wonderful birds, and yet havemore pop up. Highlights included 5 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, apair of BLACK SCOTERS, rafts of SURF SCOTERS, 3 PACIFIC LOONS, YELLOW-BILLEDLOONS, COMMON LOON, 2 MARBLED MURRELETS, and many healthy-looking COMMONMURRES.

Directlyunder us next to the sheetrock piling, we enjoyed fabulous views of a COMMONMURRE snorkeling then diving. The water was so clear, we could see it"fly" underwater. A young sea otter floated calmly close by, lookingat us with mild interest and total lack of concern, then turned and driftedslowly back for the paparazzi madly clicking away.

Thelast official stop was a downtown feeder. The nearby dense spruce and hemlocktree boughs concealed a very quiet STELLER'S JAY. We searched for raptorswithout success to explain this odd behavior. Soon, a tiny CHESTNUT-BACKEDCHICKADEE flitted from the trees to the feeder, ringing up another Life Birdfor several. As we watched and waited, a flock of about 18 GRAY-CROWNEDROSY-FINCHES circled overhead. They eventually settled in the top of the nearbycottonwood and ever so gradually worked their way lower and lower. Finally,they descended on the flowerpot feeders, giving everyone a great look at thisbeautiful finch.

Ofnote, was a brown-cheeked individual whose gray hood did not extend to the necklike the others. Thanks to Aaron Lang who confirmed that this is the"INTERIOR" GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH, subspecies"tephrocotis". It should be wintering in southern BC and farther eastand south, but has regularly been found in Homer. He also pointed out that ithas a more reddish-brown breast, belly and mantle, stout bill, and is slightlysmaller.

Fora nice tutorial with photos on the Gray-crowned Rosy-finch subspecies inAlaska, please visit his website at<http://www.birdingak.com/201101/25/gray-crowned-rosy-finch-subspecies-in-alaska>

Aswith most birding, there's a dose of serendipity and the more you look, themore you see. It was a pleasure to have the trained eyes of more experiencedbirders help others "see" the birds. Thanks to everyone for a veryspecial day exploring Seward's birds!

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

2012Audubon-Seward Field Trip February 18, 2012

Mallard

GreaterScaup, female

BlackScoter

White-wingedScoter

SurfScoter

HarlequinDuck

Long-tailedDuck

CommonGoldeneye

Barrow’sGoldeneye

CommonMerganser

Red-breastedMerganser

HoodedMerganser

PacificLoon

CommonLoon

Yellow-billedLoon

HornedGrebe

Red-neckedGrebe

PelagicCormorant

BaldEagle adult

Sharp-shinnedHawk

Merlin

MewGull

*HerringGull

*Thayer’sGull

Glaucous-wingedGull

Black-leggedKittiwake

CommonMurre

MarbledMurrelet

RockPigeon

DownyWoodpecker

HairyWoodpecker

Steller’sJay

Black-billedMagpie

NorthwesternCrow

CommonRaven

Black-cappedChickadee

Chestnut-backedChickadee

Red-breastedNuthatch

SongSparrow

Dark-eyed(Slate-colored) Junco

Gray-crownedRosy-Finch

PineGrosbeak

CommonRedpoll

PineSiskin

TOTALSPECIES: 44

*only a few birders saw the scope birds (spotted by Aaron Bowman)

Friday, February 17, 2012 Black Brant

2012-02-17T17:08:00.000-08:00

Seward Sporadic Bird Report

Giant swirling snowflakes halted for a bit at midday, revealingsurprising blue skies and peek-a-boo views of gleaming snowy peaks. I wasfortunate to refind the 5 handsome BLACK BRANT busily feeding at the tidelands, accompanied by4 cautious GADWALL, and a sprinkling of MEW and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS. Each BRANT sported a bright white neck patch that indicated they are all adults.

Whilethere, I watched a BALD EAGLE snatch yet another hapless COMMON MURRE from thewater by its neck and body, and fly to a driftwood perch. Another eagle inviteditself to lunch and a loud screeching ensued from the indignant diner. Thedispute moved too far away to see the finale, but at any rate, the murre didnot win. COASST beach surveyors tagged 8 dead murres, a small portion of thosethat are live-caught, dying at sea, or scavenged from the beaches. This sad seabirddie-off is aptly called a "wreck."

I checkedClear Creek and finally found the male HOODED MERGANSER with his COMMONGOLDENEYE sweetie. It seems highly probable that this is the same drake thatwas here last year, and possibly the same smitten Goldeneye hen. MALLARDS andoddball mallard-types preened and bathed by the bridge, enjoying the sunshine.

Backin town, 14 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES perched in a cottonwood; a flock of PINEGROSBEAKS commandeered the adjacent cottonwood, warily watching for raptors.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SporadicBird Report Reporter

Thursday, February 16, 2012 Seward Field Trip Preview

2012-02-16T22:29:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise8:34 am, sunset 5:50 pm, length of day 9 hours, 16 minutes; tomorrow will be 5minutes and 23 seconds longer.

Weather:Thermometer stuck on 34º most of this week with overcast skies and intermittentsnow/rain showers. Despite the various blizzard watches for points north, thewind has mercifully stayed away this week.

JimH kindly drove Kerry M and me to preview the east side of the bay forSaturday's Anchorage Audubon-Seward field trip. After a few hours of birding atNorth Dock, Ava's, and a feeder in town, we saw plenty to entice visitors,weather permitting.

KitD got the prize of the day, 5 BLACK BRANT at the tidelands, verified by RobinC. It is very unusual to have these geese here so early.

Otherperks: a large bull Steller sea lion lounged near shore, two more patrolledalong the beach, and a sea otter happily munched on delectable seafood.

Whilescanning the bay, I watched a COMMON MURRE putzing along. A BALD EAGLE noticedit too and swooped down, grabbed it like a lunch box, and flew to a power poleto dine. Murres are in trouble all over the bay.

Dead,intact murres are dying and floating to shore; slow, starving live ones areeasy prey for eagles and ravens. The other seabirds seem to be doing fine. It'sa mystery!

Hopeto see you at 10 am at the Harbor Master's building on Third Ave on Saturday.Help us find more birds!

BLACKBRANT

MALLARD

BLACKSCOTER

SURFSCOTER

HARLEQUINDUCK

LONG-TAILEDDUCK

COMMONGOLDENEYE

BARROW'SGOLDENEYE

COMMONMERGANSER

RED-BREASTEDMERGANSER

PACIFICLOON

COMMONLOON

YELLOW-BILLEDLOON

HORNEDGREBE

(RED-NECKEDGREBE spotted yesterday)

PELAGICCORMORANT

(GREATBLUE HERON reported earlier in town)

BALDEAGLE

(SHARP-SHINNEDHAWK reported earlier at Ava's)

(MERLINreported earlier at Ava's and yesterday in town)

MEWGULL

GLAUCOUS-WINGEDGULL

(BLACK-LEGGEDKITTIWAKE spotted yesterday)

COMMONMURRE

ROCKPIGEON

DOWNYWOODPECKER

STELLER'SJAY in town

BLACK-BILLEDMAGPIE in town

COMMONRAVEN

NORTHWESTERNCROW

BLACK-CAPPEDCHICKADEE

CHESTNUT-BACKEDCHICKADEE

RED-BREASTEDNUTHATCH

DARK-EYEDJUNCO

SNOWBUNTING reported by Kit and Robin

PINEGROSBEAK

COMMONREDPOLL

PINESISKIN

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, February 9, 2012 Rock Sandpipers

2012-02-09T23:22:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise8:52 am, sunset 5:31 pm, length of day 8 hours, 39 minutes; tomorrow will be 5minutes and 17 seconds longer.

Weather:Sprinkles at dawn cleared by mid-morning and a balmy, sunny day was pulled outof the hat like a rabbit in a magic trick. The thermometers around town peggedout at 49, but mid 40s seem more likely. Today was another unexpected gift.Gotta love those gloomy but inaccurate forecasts!

Irevisited the boat harbor and had better luck with a PACIFIC LOON surfacingclose by. This species seems much more wary than its larger cousins and doesnot linger long at the surface. I spotted a COMMON MURRE resting on a smallpiece of ice; soon it, or other one that looked just like it (surprise!), paddled too close for my camera to focus, looking very peaceful and unalarmed. A BALD EAGLE managed to perch ontop of a sailing mast nearby, probably looking for just such an innocent birdto take to lunch.

TheYELLOW-BILLED LOON adult and juvenile, a COMMON LOON, and a RED-NECKED GREBEpaddled around the middle of the harbor, quite a bit farther away thanyesterday, but wonderful to see nonetheless.

Outat the tidelands, over 1000 gulls, mostly MEW GULLS swarmed like a highlylocalized blizzard. I suspect an eagle may have had something to do with this.Small groups of Mew gulls flew overhead and others floated serenely in thecalm, golden water. A flock of about 11 COMMON MURRES flew frantically, loopingfar inland and then back out to sea. I found a carcass, partially eaten, by thehighway. It's a dangerous business, being a murre.

ThreeROCK SANDPIPERS suddenly flitted up and flew a short distance away. They landedright at the high tide line and began rummaging through the fresh seaweed,picking out the tiny pink and reddish Macoma clams. This clam seems to be afavorite of many shorebirds, and recent storms have washed many colorful shellson shore. The trio worked its way towards me, picking and eating.

I moved awayto swim the good dog and refound them on the way back. They rested on a log,head tucked under wing, until the rising tide nudged them higher. By slowly post-holing around behind them up to my knees in softening snow, I managed toavoid disturbing them. It was a very fine afternoon to take a snooze in thesun.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 Red eyes: Loons and Grebes

2012-02-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise8:55 am, sunset 5:29 pm, length of day 8 hours, 33 minutes; tomorrow will be 5minutes and 14 seconds longer.

Weather:As forecast, solemn gray clouds slid in late last night bringing light butsteady rain all day. Temps rose to the high 30s-40º, the wind remained calm,and either ice skates or ice cleats became mandatory for those wishing to standupright.

Threespecies of loons fished in the Seward Boat Harbor today: PACIFIC, COMMON, andYELLOW-BILLED. A juvenile yellow-billed loon approached and surfaced quietlynearby, regarding me calmly with its dark red eyes. An intricate, beautifulpattern of white scallops graced its brown back. The face was very pale, fadingto white along the throat and breast. Its yellow-tipped bill faded to lightblue-gray by the head; the nostrils were deeply inset below a strong middleridge. It dove and resurfaced with a tiny fish in its bill, which it held for along moment, and then tossed it down the hatch.

COMMONGOLDENEYES paddled past, glancing up at me lurking behind my temporary blind,some equipment on the dock. I eased my way farther down the finger towards themore open water as rain spattered the calm water. A harbor seal poked its periscopehead up through thin ice and looked around; a black PELAGIC CORMORANT surfacedand dove. A pair of COMMON MURRES paddled silently past, side by side. Howdifferent they are in summer, nesting in noisy crowded colonies on steep rockycliffs, diving down hundreds of feet to bring back fish for their single chick.

Apair of HORNED GREBES dove actively, one mirroring the other. They too surfacednearby, close enough to see their red eyes and the thin red color lineconnecting the eye to the pale blue-gray bill. There was no sign of thedramatic breeding plumage yet to come on this dapper black-capped grebe.

Ispotted two PACIFIC LOONS in the mid-harbor. One gradually approached as I hidbehind a piling. It surfaced nearby, but moved off suspiciously. I could seeits dark red eyes, slender pale blue-gray bill, and a small patch of verticaldark gray and white striping at the base of the long white throat decoratedwith a thin "necklace" by the chin.

Glancingtowards the harbor entrance, I gasped inwardly. A majestic large loon paddledserenely into the harbor like the Queen Mary. It was much darker than thejuvenile yellow-billed loon with a brilliant white prow. As it headed straight towards me, closer andcloser, I saw it was almost in breeding plumage. What happened next was unbelievable!The adult YELLOW-BILLED LOON continued to paddle right to me, dove directlyunderneath and emerged on the other side where it stretched its magnificentstar-spangled wings before paddling leisurely onwards. I was smitten with itsbeauty and regal bearing.

Sewardis extremely fortunate to have such rare and exceptional guests.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 Mostly seabirds and a snow bunting

2012-02-07T22:41:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise8:58 am, sunset 5:26 pm, length of day 8 hours, 28 minutes; tomorrow will be 5minutes and 13 seconds longer. Full moon tonight; watch for Venus followed byJupiter, then the red planet Mars shining in the Zodiac.

Weather:20º in the morning, rising to 34º by mid-afternoon, calm, sunny, andspectacular. Not a cloud in the vast blue sky. People walked around likezombies on ice cleats, dazed by the bright and warm (!) sunshine. Hard to believethe forecast of snow showers and strong winds for the rest of the week. February is fickle, beaming one day and pouting the next.

Ididn't see Robin C's SHARP-SHINNED HAWK in town or his LONG-TAILED DUCK at SpringCreek Beach. I missed Jim H's YELLOW-BILLED LOON in the boat harbor, divingunder the thick ice. I missed a lot of birds these past few days; I don’t knowwhere they all went.

Thereare, however, still a lot of COMMON MURRES in the inner bay, in long loose rafts. Iobserved several small groups of 4-6 flying. Their awkward landing as they smacked down created ahuge splash. I wonder why they are expending so much energy flying? The BALDEAGLES target them like floating lunchboxes. Murres in Skagway are in trouble,dying in large numbers after a storm last week. The murres may be in trouble heretoo.

It'squite dramatic driving along Lowell Point Road. Somehow, the brave road crewcarved a path through two towering avalanches that dwarf vehicles. Bealert for more additions to nature's sculpture when we get more wet snow!

LowellPoint Beach this afternoon featured over 3 feet of softening snow on theuplands, a section of sloping ice at the high tide line, and a tiny strip ofbeach. Two COMMON MERGANSERS paddled away, sunshine sparkling in their wakes.Along the wrack line, I found a single SNOW BUNTING, hungrily hopping along,gleaning tiny morsels from the seaweed. It was very tolerant, and passed quiteclose to me. The arrival of sun-starved people and their dogs soon crowded outthis unnoticed guest and forced it to seek a quieter place to eat.

Ienjoyed watching one of my favorite sea ducks, the BARROW'S GOLDENEYE alongLowell Point Road. A HORNED GREBE struggled to subdue a long, skinny fish(gunnel?), and finally succeeded.

TwoBALD EAGLES stroked overhead; one turned and graciously circled to give me aspectacular view of its enormous, broad wings against the pure blue sky as Imadly took photos. Then they paired up and flew off down the shimmering bay ontheir secret rendezvous.

Asthe sun reached the western mountains, ever higher and later, the easternmountains, anchored by Mt Alice, stunned me with their snowy grandeur. Shadowsstole across the town, the icy tidelands, the calm bay, and finally reached thewhite hem of Alice's robe. Soon, Venus proclaimed the stage was set for thenight sky. Watch for the full moon flanked by Jupiter and Mars.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, February 3, 2012 Bohemian Waxwings and sparrows

2012-02-03T22:46:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Weather: Temps back down to the mid 20s, freezing all the temporary lakes and ponds in the roads. A blinding ground blizzard and wet snow squalls lashed out all morning, but thetantrum was spent by mid afternoon. The wind died down, the seas calmed and thesun actually came out.

Aaron L spotted two BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS at Lowell Point, apparently the only ones around.Not much left for them to eat, unless they find rose hips as the Mt Ash berriesare long gone. We watched a very efficient BALD EAGLE adult rip into a freshlycaught, organic seabird; hard to ID at that stage of dismemberment, but it wasthoroughly enjoyed by the enthusiastic diner.

RED-NECKEDand HORNED GREBES, BARROW'S GOLDENEYES, and a small pod of Steller sea lionspatrolled the beach. MALLARDS worked the rocky tidelands while others dined atthe sewage lagoon with COMMON GOLDENEYES. Back along the road, a YELLOW-BILLEDLOON stretched just off-shore, beyond were many COMMON MURRES, includingseveral flying up the bay.

Afeeder in town hosted a SONG SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, GOLDEN-CROWNEDSPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, and OREGON JUNCOS, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES,GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES, PINE GROSBEAKS, COMMON REDPOLLS, and the aggressiveSTELLER'S JAYS. A beautiful VARIED THRUSH glowed orange in the bare cottonwoodbranches while a DOWNY WOODPECKER called nearby. All seemed to be celebratingthe serene afternoon after such wild weather the past few days.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, February 2, 2012 Kittiwakes, and mystery missile

2012-02-02T21:59:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise9:10 am, sunset 5:13 pm, length of day 8! hours, 2 minutes; tomorrow will be 5minutes and 3 seconds longer.

Weather:February arrived, took a look around and abruptly slammed January's freezerdoor shut. Then she turned up the thermostat to around 34º, and deliveredsnow/sleet/rain in successive, dramatic squalls. Tiny patches of blue skywinked between ominous blue-black, dense walls of precipitation. I caught aglimpse of the waxing moon before the clouds jealously closed the curtain andunleashed another barrage of sleet.

Meltingsnow with nowhere to flow created deep ponds in the streets; vehicles createdwakes and rooster tails while getting and giving a free car wash. Severalbuildings reported flooding. Blizzard warnings and watches flashed on and offfor Turnagain Arm while an avalanche at the Y blocked traffic on both theSterling and Seward Highway for most of the day.

Outin the raging bay, riled by a strong south wind, I noticed at least 3BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES feeding among the whitecaps. No sign of the twohumpback whales, sea lion pods, or masses of murres, but visibility wasextremely limited.

Ispent several happy hours on the roof, ostensibly shoveling off the 3+ feet ofheavy snow. I had scarcely begun when I felt and heard a powerful whooshing sound rightover my head. The raptorious missile shot across the garage and instantlydisappeared before I could focus on it. Stunned, I watched for another chance,but nothing emerged. I pictured rigid curved wings, tensed in a deadly dive at100 mph. I replayed the sound; it reminded me of a stunt kite on a kamikaze dive.

Aftera time, a raven sailed over, playing in the wind: "wha-wha-wha" wentthe wings. Eventually, about 30 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES returned, as well asthe flock of GROSBEAKS, twitters of the JUNCOS, raucous staccato of theSTELLER'S JAYS, and BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES braved flights from one spruce toanother. The bird world seemed nervous, but not petrified. Watching them was agreat excuse to pause my labors and rest until a really serious squall told meit was time to get down.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, January 30, 2012 Humpback Whale and Yellow-billed Loons

2012-01-30T22:51:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise9:17 am, sunset 5:05 pm, length of day 7 hours, 47 minutes; tomorrow will be 4minutes and 56 seconds longer. Waxing half moon rides with Jupiter across thecloudy sky.

Weather:Ahhhh. Winter relaxed its frigid grip overnight and temperatures rose steadilythroughout the day into the 20sº. Intermittent light snowfall didn't add much more that a thin whitetopcoat. And best of all, the wind took a nap. What a difference!

Idashed out of the house just before noon today and drove my snow-crystal-studded car to the Lowell Creek waterfall. Climbing up on the snow bank, Iheard the loud exhale first and then saw a long, beautiful dark back and craggydorsal fin arc out of the water just off shore, then gracefully submerge. Ahumpback whale! Again and again, the paired nostrils, the powerful blow, longback, small triangular dorsal, and smooth submerge.

Nervousrows of COMMON MURRES paddled out of its way, looking very small in comparison.Then, the blow, the fin, and an ever so smooth, tight arc followed by adripping butterfly-shaped tail, and down it went for a deep dive.

Numerous,heavy explosive exhales disturbed the calm, gray water as a large pod ofSteller sea lions burst up for air. It was hard to count the milling, diving,surging sea mammals; there may have been 20 or more. After a minute or two ofheavy breathing, down they went and all was calm and very still for severalminutes. A casual passerby would think there was nothing to see and move on,when everything was happening.

"Booooohhhhhh!"The mighty whale was back, surface diving, a bit farther out. "Paaah!Paaah! Paaah!" The sea lions boiled back up, rolling, panting, andsnorting. The percussive interlude continued, the whale providing a steady deepbass, the sea lions their higher, faster staccato, until everyone dove. Then all that remained were the gentle waveslapping rhythmically on the shore. It was a fascinating, riveting, spectacularperformance with many encores. I still do not know what, whether herring,needlefish, or other food, is attracting all these sea mammals and seabirds tothe inner bay, but it must be abundant and nutritious.

Mixingwith the murres, were 2 YELLOW-BILLED LOONS, a PACIFIC LOON, a RED-NECKED GREBEwarming up its loud breeding voice, and a few GOLDENEYES. A flock of COMMONMERGANSERS flew by low over the water. Notably absent were the gulls. Iprobably missed a few species, but I had a good excuse to be distracted.

Whata place, Seward!

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, January 28, 2012 Sea smoke and early Valentines

2012-01-28T23:53:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise9:21 am, sunset 5 pm (yes!), length of day 7 hours, 38 minutes; tomorrow willbe 4 minutes and 51 seconds longer.

Weather:Partly cloudy and minus 4 this morning, warming ever so slightly to plus 4 intown. Fortunately, the wind seemed to be too cold to blow much. Thegray sea smoke towered in the bay, writhing and swirling like a witch'scauldron. Very spooky! Ghostly gulls sifted in and out of the mystery-shroudedsea.

Flashesof raptors in the 'hood including NORTHERN GOSHAWK and two SHARP-SHINNEDHAWKS. NORTHERN SHRIKES reportedfrom Mile 7, at Ava's off Nash Road, and in town, an unusual number forJanuary.

Theflock of about 30 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES dined from a flower pot feeder intown, unconcerned about a PINE GROSBEAK. They all fled when an unwelcomeSTELLER'S JAY joined the happy feast.

Threepairs of RAVENS cozied up in a cottonwood, side by side like Valentines. One very handsome bird made loud proclamations while his lovely sweetie preened.

Four SNOW BUNTINGS spotted briefly at Lowell Point Beach; Robin C refound the flock of 20 yesterday, including the single McKAY'S. Robin also reported two BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in town yesterday, the first seen since January 1. There aren't many Mt Ash berries left for them to eat.

Amomma moose and her yearling bull calf browsed the willows at the beach thisafternoon. Their tracks wander all over town, even high on piles of snow toreach willow twigs. I wonder if they too eat bird seed?

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Goshawk flies through tiny spaces video:

<http://www.wimp.com/tinyspaces/>

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 Common Murre spectacle

2012-01-24T17:20:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise9:30 am, sunset 4:49 pm, length of day 7 hours, 19 minutes; tomorrow will be 4minutes and 37 seconds longer. The days really are noticeably longer.

Weather:The sun burst over a dark gray cloudbank this morning, spreading smiley facesand little hearts over the sparkling snowy landscape. By noon the blanket creptup and smothered the light, instantly changing the scenery to a monotone ofgrays and whites. Temps up to 21º but the brisk 18 mph north wind with gusts to28 mph says brrrrr! If this extensive cloud cover chances to pull away, watchfor a spectacular aurora show tonight from the recent massive solar storm.

TodayI saw hundreds and hundreds of seabirds from the Uplands at the Seward boatharbor mouth. It was jaw-dropping! Initially, the blue-gray sea looked fairlyempty, except for choppy waves and surf scoters. But the more I looked, themore I saw, first with the binocs and then with the scope. Most of the birdswere COMMON MURRES, swimming in a long and wide band. They seemed active,alert, and healthy, bobbing in the waves. There were so many hundreds, it wasimpossible to count.

Mixedin with all the action I found HORNED GREBES, more COMMON LOONS, BARROW'S andCOMMON GOLDENEYES, MARBLED MURRELETS, RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, COMMONMERGANSERS, PELAGIC CORMORANTS, and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS. A tight group ofaround 8 Steller sea lions (really hard to count!) boiled to the surface,flippers flashing, splashing and creating quite a commotion. Just as quickly,they all submerged and remained underwater for long periods of time.

Whatis everything eating?!

Surprisingly,there were no bald eagles anywhere in sight. I would have thought several wouldbe perched on the dolphins, picking out the next meal.

Ina separate closer raft a COMMON LOON led at least 10 sleek PACIFIC LOONS andseveral RED-NECKED GREBES. SURF SCOTERS formed several other exclusive rafts.HARLEQUIN DUCKS, and more COMMON MERGANSERS hugged the shoreline.

Forcomic relief, at least 50 GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS crowded together on a large iceraft like clowns in a phone booth, some sitting, most standing in a few inchesof ice water, preening nonchalantly as they drifted backwards from the mouth ofthe boat harbor out to sea. Another group of about 7 Steller sea lions surgedpast, snorting and splashing, but the gulls didn't even flinch. Surf scotersflew up and relocated when the sea lions got too close.

Ifanyone knows what is attracting this mass of seabirds and sea lions, I'd bevery interested.

Myattention was diverted when a SONG SPARROW flew up to inspect the interior ofmy car and both the rear view mirrors. I assume it passed, as the inspectorsoon flew off, apparently satisfied.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Sunday, January 22, 2012 Great Gray Owl!

2012-01-23T17:26:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report travels to Homer, Alaska

Whata thrill to finally find a long-anticipated Life bird, the GREAT GRAY OWL!

Idecided to drive the 176 miles to Homer instead of waiting for possible localdelivery. On Friday evening just before sunset, Alice the good dog, and Iwalked along Beluga Lake to the Calvin and Coyle Trail observation platform,following hardened tracks of snowshoers, skiers, and snowmachines to avoidpost-holing. In addition to the numerous snowshoe hare tracks, I found delicatewing brush traces and foot plunge marks where the hare tracks ended. I assumethese were made by owls hunting hares traveling at night.

BALDEAGLES perched at the tops of the spruce crying out to each other; a small flockof REDPOLLS swooped overhead, and I heard the "peek!" of awoodpecker. I trudged back as the red-orange sun melted into the horizon, atreat not ever seen in mountainous Seward.

Saturdayafternoon I snowshoed the C&C Trail to the platform itself, wondering ifany owls might be resting in view. Snowshoe hare tracks covered almost verysquare inch of snow; an incredible population boom! The dog was very interestedbut we didn't see any hares. Moose tracks wound through the birch/spruceforest; I saw numerous places where the huge mammals had bedded down and loadsof droppings. Fortunately, I only saw one moose in a meadow, watching us plodaway.

Arounddusk at 4:30 pm, I set up the scope at the Beluga Lake observation platformpast the airport. Aaron kindly stopped by and pointed out where the owls havebeen seen, just east of the C&C platform. He also pointed out a HAWK OWLsitting quietly, hunting, on a spruce tip nearby. We watched for a long time,the cold penetrating deeper and deeper, until Aaron had to leave.

Iwatched intently, scanning back and forth with my binocs. Alice woofed and Iturned around to see a huge moose on the other side of the cul-de-sac! Whoops!I quickly loaded Alice in the car. The moose seemed uninterested in me andambled over to a well-browsed bush nearby to feed. I then scanned the lake andthe moose alternately. Finally around 5:30, just when the light began to fadefor good, I saw two dark shapes dive down from dead snags far across the lake.It was very possible that these were Great Gray Owls, but I couldn't reallycount them. Regardless, it was wonderful to know they were there.

Thebright sunshine disappeared by Sunday, replaced by 2" of fresh snow anddark clouds. I decided to try for a closer view of the owl along East End Roadand headed out just after dawn at 9:45 am in a light snowfall.

Itwas silhouette time: eagles hunched in the naked trees, ravens perched onspruce branches. Suddenly, just east of Kachemak Drive, there was theunmistakable silhouette of a bulky owl with an enormous, sleek, helmet-shapedhead. I turned around as quickly as I could and parked as far over as possiblewithout going into the snowy ditch. The GREAT GRAY OWL perched in the top of atree by a clearing, hunting intently, peering and listening, scanning the wholeclearing below for voles.

Icould not believe that I was watching North America's largest owl, the Phantomof the North. After all the reports from the Tolsona Campground, Anchorage,Kenai, and Homer, I finally found one!

Aftera bit, the magnificent owl dropped off the branch and sailed across theclearing, stalled, then landed lower in a bush. It seemed so strange to see asuch a flat face without a prominent protruding bill like other birds. Thecorvids were waking up by now, and first a magpie, then a raven flew over toharass it. The owl merely looked straight up at them and sat firm, minding itsown business. Once again the owl flew, this time across the road and into analder. I quickly drove up and into a conveniently located driveway.

NowI could really see it even though the light was still dim. What an elegant owl!The facial disk of concentric light and dark feathers framed piercing yelloweyes accented by large vertical light gray arcs and smaller dark arcs, almostlike shaggy sideways eyebrows. The small orange beak rested just above asurprisingly flashy white "bowtie" with a black "knot."Long loose feathers concealed the feet and long fluffy feathers extended belowlike a layered skirt above the darker brown tail feathers. The tail feathertips looked quite ragged and worn.

Alltoo soon, the owl flew off to perch on a power line nearby. A few more ravensdetoured from their errands to dive and harass it. A NORTHERN SHRIKE boldlymade a swift pass at the owl but did not slow down. The owl faced them all, butmade no aggressive moves. It sure was hard to focus on breakfast with all thesedisruptions! The owl made several swoops over the snow, returning without success to the powerpole. Finally, it flew back across the road to hunt from thetrees below the clearing. Satisfied with my incredible 40 minutes of goodfortune, I left. While I would love to see the owl in better light, it was time for the long drive home to Seward.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, January 20, 2012 McKay's Buntings!

2012-01-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report on the road to Homer

Onthe journey to Homer, I detoured to the beach at Ninilchik to stretch and walkthe dog. The first thing I noticed was the beach rye grass poking out of thesnow in the day use area. The second thing was a small group of BUNTINGS ridingthe seed heads to the ground. Almost incidentally, I did notice the spectacularscenery featuring rugged snowy volcanoes across Cook Inlet. I slipped into mywinter gear as the north wind was brisk, and grabbed my cameras and binocs.

Ieased past the five Buntings to get the sun behind me, then turned and startedclicking away. Two of the group (40%!) were stunningly white McKAY'S BUNTINGS!By walking slowly, at times sinking past my knees in the soft snow, I managedto get quite close. The plucky birds left interesting, erratic tracks, pushingthrough the light snow like little plows.

Thetwo McKay's posed together at times, but seemed to mingle freely with the other3 SNOW BUNTINGS. What a show!

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, January 19, 2012 Loons and sea smoke

2012-01-19T19:30:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise9:40 am, 4:37 sunset pm, length of day 6 hours, 57 minutes; tomorrow will be 4minutes and 14 seconds longer.

Weather:Clear skies dropped the temp this morning to 0º downtown and to 8º below inForest Acres. A waning fingernail moon hung in the early morning sky. Goldenbillows of steam boiled off the bay, piling up an impressive layer of seaclouds, only slightly stirred by a northern breeze. Ominous gray sky clouds from the Gulf overpowered the brilliant sun byearly afternoon, snuffing out the magical light. But by late afternoon, theskies cleared once again. Bright points of light, Venus and Jupiter, suddenlyappeared as Mt Alice turned a delicate pink then faded to lavender, and thespectacular day changed to night. What a day!

Luredby the light on the smoking bay, I headed to Lowell Point Beach. A wealth ofseabirds floated in the ghostly vapor, appearing and disappearing. OneYELLOW-BILLED LOON, at least fourCOMMON LOONS, three PACIFIC LOONS, a pair of HORNED GREBES, several RED-NECKEDGREBES, 12 COMMON MURRES, at least one PIGEON GUILLEMOT, several PELAGICCORMORANTS, BARROW'S GOLDENEYES, SURF SCOTERS, HARLEQUIN DUCKS. Three NW CROWSwalked the beach, shared by the resident SONG SPARROW. Three GLAUCOUS-WINGEDGULLS patrolled the shore.

Whata thrill to hear the explosive exhales of two Steller's sealions, one a largebull. The pair swam and dove side by side back and forth in front of the beach,the vapor of their breath merging with that of the sea.

Thewavelets gently lapped the shore; the seabirds preened, stretched, and dove,revealed and concealed by the mist; the sealions glided along peacefully; thesun warmed my face. Another priceless gift from Mother Nature: northern beautyand resilient life wrapped in sunshine and tied with a sea smoke bow.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Wednesday, January 18, 2012 Black Scoters

2012-01-18T22:05:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise9:42 am, sunset 4:35 pm, length of day 6 hours, 53 minutes; tomorrow will be 4minutes and 10 seconds longer.

Weather:Cold and clear continues. Temps dropped to 1º in town and below zero just outof town. Fortunately, the north wind was light. The relatively "warm" bay relinquished heat to thefrigid air in ghostly vapor streamers.

Justbefore dawn this morning (it sounds so righteous to get out before dawn!), Inoticed several small groups of STELLER'S JAYS and PINE GROSBEAKS quietly standingguard at their posts at the tops of spruce trees. Watching, watching forraptors. A VARIED THRUSH perchedin a cottonwood, warily checking out the neighbor's feeder before diving down to jointhe JUNCOS.

Downthe street, six RAVENS tackled an unknown banquet next to the snow berm. A BALDEAGLE cruised overhead, but nothing was left worth snatching.

Aroundnoon, I found 7 BLACK SCOTERS in a tight raft just offshore by the SchefflerCreek Bridge. About 50 -100 gulls, SURF SCOTERS, and BARROW'S GOLDENEYES raftedup by the buoys south of the boat harbor where the seafood processing plantpipe feeds chopped fish waste. It was hard to discern the numbers and speciesdue to the sea smoke. A single RED-BREASTED MERGANSER dove by the harborbreakwater; goldeneyes rested in the sun out of the wind on the rocks. No loonsseen.

Ava'syard boiled with birds: PINE GROSBEAKS, PINE SISKINS, COMMON REDPOLLS,RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, DOWNY andHAIRY WOODPECKERS, and at least 2 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS.

Backhome, while I was away, my neighbor reported a NORTHERN SHRIKE, GRAY-CROWNEDROSY-FINCHES, and about 20 PINE GROSBEAKS in addition to all the usual feeder birds. A NORTHERN GOSHAWK took out a PIGEON. Yea!

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Sunday, January 15, 2012 Snow Buntings

2012-01-15T23:29:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise9:46 am, sunset 4:28 pm, length of day 6 hours, 41 minutes; tomorrow will be 3minutes and 52 seconds longer.

Weather:Sunny with patchy overcast, temps in the single digits above zero, andnorth-northeast winds barreling down the smoking bay around 20 mph with guststo 43 mph. More clear, cold, and windy in the forecast.

Onceagain the STELLER'S JAYS and MAGPIES gathered around a cluster of spruce thismorning, very upset. Even a brave little flock of BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEESchimed in. It was scarcely light around 9 am, so I was unable to find thesuspected raptor. Lovely sunrisean hour later with ribbons of colors behind a Mt Ash stacked with jays.

Iheaded to Lowell Point beach to escape most of the wind and exercise the gooddog. On the way out, an adult BALD EAGLE tore into a fresh red carcass by thebeach, feathers strewn downwind, the surf booming behind it. SURF SCOTERSsurfed with several pairs of HARLEQUINS riding along behind. They were socomfortable; several dozed with their head tucked under a wing, still able toblindly maneuver into the waves.

Atthe beach, a COMMON LOON, RED-NECKED GREBE, COMMON MERGANSER, and a tightplatoon of BARROW'S GOLDENEYES patrolled close to shore. I watched a PELAGICCORMORANT emerge with a wriggling fish; after carefully working the fish headfirst, down the hatch it went. A huge bulge in the long neck showed theprogress of the live fish. After it was successfully swallowed, the cormorantwriggled quite a bit itself, splashing and stretching. It must feel prettyweird to have a live fish in one's belly!

Anoisy flock of COMMON REDPOLLS flew across the blue sky heading for somealders. Suddenly, a whirlwind of large snowflakes burst upwards from the nearlyburied beach ryegrass. SNOW BUNTINGS! What a treat to find them here! About 20birds walked along the crusty snow, picking up fallen seeds, and jumped up onupright stalks to ride them down and knock down more. I watched for a long timeas they fed and whirled up and down.

Thegood dog chewed contentedly on her stick while I enjoyed the show. Just when Ithought they were flying off for good, they veered and landed quite close,chittering and chattering. Closer and closer, feeding as they walked, longblack toes contrasting with the white snow. Finally, they were too close for mylens! I just enjoyed being another piece of driftwood while they disputedparticular seeds and knocked down more. Then off to the sandy beach for grit,leaving tiny tracks in the softer snow along the edge. Finally, the flock hadenough and whirled away. I hope they didn't go far!

Unwillingto leave the sun, I then checked out the calm water south of the Uplands by theboat harbor. At the mouth of Scheffler Creek, I found 16 GADWALL feeding only afoot away from the shore. One drake was particularly handsome and quite a bitlighter than the others. GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS sat in the cold riffles whileNORTHWESTERN CROWS flocked overhead looking for food.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, January 13, 2012 Breakfast at dawn

2012-01-13T19:07:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise9:49 am, (over the mountains at 10:23 am), sunset 4:23 pm, length of day 6hours, 33 minutes; tomorrow will be 3 minutes and 40 seconds longer.

Weather:Brrrr! Beautiful, cold, clear, and icy today; temperatures plunged to lowteens. A biting 24 mph north wind with gusts to 33 mph blasted down the bay andthrough town, cracking icy armor off swaying, protesting branches; gauzy snowstreamers swirled from every mountain peak. The bright sun provided heat asfalse as the "amazing, miraculous" electric heaters advertised in themedia.

Iventured outside in the rosy predawn around 10 am. Immediately, I heard a sharp"ching" against the fence exclosure around my bird feeder. I peeredinto the shadows under the spruce thicket and spied breakfast underway nearby.A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK readjusted its taloned grip on a slightly smaller VARIEDTHRUSH lying prone on the snow. Unwilling to be observed, the hawk hauled offits prize with difficulty to a more secluded spot to finish dining in private.

Throughoutthe day, I glimpsed a NORTHERN GOSHAWK flashing over the neighborhood and myyard; a clump of gray feathers blew across the snow. Junco? Hunger perchessilently in the spruce, danger sails boldly on the wind.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, January 12, 2012 snowy winter day

2012-01-13T19:06:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 Eeyore the Great Blue Heron

2012-01-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

Seward, Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Wikipediacharacterizes Eeyore, the old gray donkey in Winnie-the-Pooh books, aspessimistic, gloomy, and depressed. This perfectly described the hunched overGreat Blue Heron perched forlornly on one leg on the icy piling by theGreenbelt. A blinding snowstorm pummeled the poor bird and the equally stoicGLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS standing on adjacent pilings, facing into the sullen north wind.

Actually,I'm impressed with its optimism, surviving another Alaskan winter day. Cheers,Eeyore!

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, January 9, 2012 Three fabulous species!

2012-01-10T17:36:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise9:54 am, sunset 4:15 pm, length of day 6 hours, 20 minutes; tomorrow will be 3minutes and 11 seconds longer.

Weather:Yesterday's heavy clouds vanished by show time last night. The full moon arcedacross a completely clear sky, casting brilliant moon shadows on the snowylandscape and shimmering sea. Today, the sun ruled a clear sky all dayproviding psychological warmth despite temps in the low to mid teens and afreezing north-northeast wind. By early evening, the wind died down and a thickgray cloud blanket returned to tuck Seward to bed with a dose of steady snow.

Onceagain, there's a blizzard warning in effect from midnight to Tuesday eveningnorth of Moose Pass with heavy snow, strong winds and limited visibility. A massive storm is on its way; hold onto your snow shovels!

TodayI heard the excited racket of MAGPIES and STELLER'S JAYS in my neighbor'sspruce trees as soon as I stepped outside. These guard birds are one of the bestways I know to find a hidden raptor. I grabbed my binocs and camera and stakedit out from a vantage point across the street. As I peered into the shadowybranches, a soft clucking led to a VARIED THRUSH. Two more glowing orangethrushes hopped nervously from one branch to the next. The jays and magpiesfussed; some left as others arrived. I heard an occasional unfamiliarchattering that rose at the end. What was it? Jim H happened by on his errandsand stopped to help look. No luck. Nothing flashed from the tree but magpiesand jays.

Myneighbors came out, on their way to buy more birdseed. After a briefexplanation of what we were doing scrutinizing their trees, they looked up andexclaimed, "There's a owl!" We hurried over, and sure enough, apetite

NORTHERNSAW-WHET OWL perched on a dead twig next to the spruce trunk about 12 feet up.It looked at us calmly, hardly opening its eyes. What a treat to see the makerof the endless and remarkably loud "back-up bell" call.

Aftera short while it seemed the Corvid cousins got tired of their security guardduty and flew off. GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS hopped on the ground right under theowl. A pair of noisy RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES bravely tooted their little horns,nervously dancing down and retreating up the scaly trunk, just a foot or twoaway from the menacing predator who completely and graciously ignored them.

Isuspect the little owl is very hungry, perhaps hoping for a juicy voleattracted to the birdseed scattered on the ground. Saw-whets have been known tostake out bird feeders and even grab a songbird in desperate times.

It'sbeen a very cold, snowy winter. I hope he feasts tonight!

Thegood dog still needed her walk, so I checked the salt marsh. Two adult BALDEAGLES perched in their usual spots on the lee side of protective spruce trees.Suddenly, I saw another raptor flying in the distance. The long tail and distinctive eyebrow stripe spelledout an adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK! Well worth the cold, windy walk!

Thebright sunshine and forbidding forecast lured me to the east side of the bay. Ichecked out the boat basin, nothing; the shoreline, nothing; the wetlands,nothing. Pretty quiet. Suddenly, in the ryegrass past the wetland pond, I sawthe flash of about 100 SNOW BUNTINGS! I bailed out and headed down the beachinto the wind. Another adult bald eagle graced the lee side of a spruce; apopular idea it seems. A curious harbor seal poked its nose above the graywater and as quickly submerged. Still no sign of the buntings. I was almostready to give up when they flew up and landed at the far end of a grassy area.

Workingtheir way among the beach rye stalks, they gleaned fallen seeds and quicklypeeled away the chaff. Like rodeo riders, one bird after another leaped up on aloaded seedhead and rode the flexible stalk to the ground, grabbing seeds foritself while scattering more seeds for the flock. Without apparent provocation,the flock burst into the air, then just as suddenly wheeled and landed,instantly going back to work, eating, eating, eating.

Itwas hard to tell in the field if any McKay's were with them, but when I gothome and checked my photos, I'm pretty sure there was at least one McKAY'SBUNTING.

Whatan amazing day for birds!

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Sunday, January 8, 2012 Three-toed Woodpecker

2012-01-08T18:36:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise9:55 am, sunset 4:13 pm, length of day 6 hours, 17 minutes; tomorrow will be 3 minutes and 3seconds longer.

Firstfull moon of 2012 tonight, if the thickening clouds permit viewing.

Weather:Partly cloudy today, temps in the mid 20s, blowing snow, roiling bay. More clouds and a chance of snow in the forecast.

Todaywas a great day for a hike to Tonsina Point through the calm, quiet, snowy woods. The high tide surfed upthe beach, making it temporarily inaccessible. A DIPPER paddled busily about the middle of TonsinaCreek, acting for all theworld like a tiny diving duck. Several real sea ducks, BUFFLEHEAD, dove at the creek's mouth andin the incoming surf.

COMMONREDPOLLS flocked around the alders, quickly gleaned seeds and moved on.

Deepin the Enchanted Forest, festooned with green mosses and lichens, a female AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER methodically worked her way around a thick treebranch, clearing snow and flicking bark all in one move. Ihaven't seen this species in a long time; they aren't common here. Her photo is small as I only had my point-and shoot.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, January 5, 2012 Unusual Sightings

2012-01-05T21:41:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise 9:58 am, sunset 4:07 pm, length of day 6 hours, 9 minutes; tomorrow will be 2 minutes and 38 seconds longer.

Weather: The wind shifted to the south today, raising temperatures to the mid to upper 20s, a welcome relief from the recent single digits. About a foot of fluffy, marvelous snow dumped on the town this morning around 6 am, burying freshly delivered newspapers until spring. Everyone seemed to be shoveling out and the busy plows piled the snowinto 10-foot mountains along the streets. All day long, a series of squallsrolled through like a maniac surfing the weather channel. Snow flurriesmorphed to hail resembling Styrofoam beads called "graupel", thencleared with large patches of incongruous blue sky, then back to the gray wall ofsnow marching down the bay. More snow showers in the forecast. Let's hope thewind lies low!

Yesterday,a ski groomer on snow machine discovered a dead RED-NECKED GREBE on the snow inthe middle of Bear Lake, 7 miles from the ocean. Perhaps it never left the lakewhere this species nests, and tried to live at the very small open area at theoutlet until an eagle grabbed it and dropped it. Very interesting!

Alsoon Wednesday, I photographed the LINCOLN'S SPARROW feeding with REDPOLLS,JUNCOS, a VARIED THRUSH, BLACK-CAPPED and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, and aDOWNY WOODPECKER.

Iwonder where this sparrow has been until now?

Today,a Coast Guard helicopter circled the bay, continuing yesterday's unusual late night search by plane, following a report of an emergency flare and possibleboater in distress. This unusual event preceded the uncommon sightings of aPIGEON GUILLEMOT off Lowell Point Beach, and a very lethargic-lookingBLACK- LEGGED KITTIWAKE. The gull seemed cold and slow, broadcasting an "EatMe" signal. I doubt it will last long with our hungry eagles on patrol.

Alsospotted along Lowell Point: COMMON LOON, PELAGIC CORMORANTS, BARROW'SGOLDENEYES, SURF SCOTERS, HARLEQUINS, GLAUCOUS- WINGED GULLS, RAVENS,NORTHWESTERN CROWS, a BALD EAGLE, and two river otters.

Towardsthe end of the ever-lengthening but still short day, I found a moose, GADWALLS,BUFFLEHEAD, and a scolding DIPPER. Just at dusk, a GREAT BLUE HERON flew rightoverhead on its way to its secret roost for the long night.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, January 2, 2012 Fox Sparrow and solo Gray-crown Rosy-finch

2012-01-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise10:00 am, sunset 4:02 pm, length of day 6 hours, 2 minutes; tomorrow will be 2minutes and 10 seconds longer.

Weather:8º, clear and cold, north wind subdued to 12 mph. Partly cloudy with scattered snow showers in the forecast.

Sunrisemay officially be 10 am, but the sun did not actually show its welcome face until10:42, igniting the snowy landscape and sparking brilliant long blue shadows. The skyconstantly changed hues from pink to pale yellow, through a graduated sequence oftints, tones, and shades of blues, then slowly deepened to twilight lavenders. At 4:20 pm theEvening Star Venus chased the sun over the western mountains and Jupiterappeared below the growing half moon suspended high in the sky.

PINEGROSBEAKS sang the sun awake, BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS chirred softly from theirsecret roost. A visit to Ava's added a few new species to 2012: DOWNY and HAIRYWOODPECKERS, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, REDPOLLS, and PINE SISKENS plus dozens ofPINE GROSBEAKS and her usual feeder birds. The interior red FOX SPARROW sat ina tree by a town feeder, its rufous tail almost glowing in the sun. A ROBIN dashedacross the road. Two VARIED THRUSHES scrabbled under low spruce boughs.

Justafter sundown at Fourth of July beach, a single GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHsuddenly landed on a nearby bent-over beach rye seed head. It seemed unwillingto land on the snow and gripped the stalk tightly, reaching awkwardly to harvestthe fallen seeds. Finally it gave up and hopped around, deftly working theprecious seeds out of their papery wrappers. I was very surprised to see it"in the wild" away from the town feeder, and even more surprised tofind only one of this species usually found in a flock.

RobinC found 28 species yesterday, a great start for the New Year.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

January 1, 2012 Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise10:01 am, sunset 4:01pm, length of day 6 hours, 0 minutes; tomorrow will be 2minutes and 0 seconds longer.

Weather:BRRRRRRR!!!! 10º, north-northeast wind whipped snow off the mountains, howledthrough town and down the smoking, writhing, white-capped bay. The sunstruggled to rise above the muttering dark clouds ringing the bay. Just past noon,it escaped to cast pale shadows and illuminate the blowing snowscape beforeexiting stage west. Clear and cold in the forecast with 20 to 35 mph north windgusting to 50 mph.

Firstbird of the New Year, the indomitable RAVEN, delighted to play in the powerfulwind swirls. A short drive to Lowell Point Beach turned up frosty MALLARDS huddled together on the ice rimming the sewage lagoon, COMMON GOLDENEYES, and the usual loneGLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL.

Thewind twirled the blowing snow into snow devils and white streamers even at theusually protected south beach. A trio of seabirds dove together in the surfingwaves: SURF SCOTER, RED-NECKED GREBE, and COMMON GOLDENEYE. The goldeneye threwhis head back in a courtship display, but no female was seen. Perhaps justpracticing. A COMMON LOON rode the waves farther out.

ABALD EAGLE adult snuggled into the lee side of a protective spruce tree with aview of the sea duck buffet bobbing in the waves, including HARLEQUINS,GOLDENEYES, and PELAGIC CORMORANTS. A sea otter cruised along on its back,possibly warmer in the water than out.

Swarmsof NORTHWESTERN CROWS mingled with GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS along the Greenbelt in search of food. Pigeons flew across town from one feeder to another, displacingsongbirds. A DIPPER dove into the frigid water of the Lagoon, untroubled by the cold, wind, and encroaching ice.

Feederbirds included STELLER'S JAYS, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS,SONG SPARROW, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BLACK-CAPPED and CHESTNUT-BACKEDCHICKADEES. All very hungry.

Keepthose feeders full of seeds and suet before you retreat back into your warmhouse.

Here'sto another wonderful year full of birds and friendship!

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Wednesday, December 28, 2011 Robin and Golden-crowned Sparrows

2011-12-28T23:11:00.001-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise10:02 am, sunset 3:56 pm, length of day 5 hours, 53 minutes; tomorrow will be 1minute and 19 seconds longer.

Weather:Cold and clear, 16-18º, and for several glorious hours, sunny! The howling 20mph north wind with gusts to 45 tried to sweep away the joy, but O, it was sogreat to see the sun after so many dark, gray days! Scattered snow showers andcontinued wind is the forecast for the next several days, with a possibility ofa bit of sun.

Thanksto the clear sky, pink snowy mountains heralded the leisurely10:30 am rising of the low winter sun. I looked for the silhouette of the beautiful immature Northern Goshawk lurking in the bare cottonwoods and listened for the mobbing call of the ravensand magpies. But the sentinels were silent and I saw no raptor. As the lightgained a bit of strength, I discerned two ROBINS perched in a Mt Ash tree,gobbling up the few remaining berries, looking very cold indeed.

JUNCOStwittered from their protected spruce boughs, CHICKADEES repeated their name,PINE GROSBEAKS sang musically from the tops of the trees. I spied twoGOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS picking up seeds scattered under a tree near a feeder,too hidden for a photo.

Abit later, I checked out the gulls, crows, and ravens along the Greenbelt. TheGLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS looked like white angels against the blue sky. One youngHERRING GULL or hybrid blended in except for its black primary feathers. Theyquickly settled to the ice and hunkered down facing the wind, saving energy andconserving heat.

Iheaded out Lowell Point Road. Only a few GOLDENEYES and SURF SCOTERS bouncedalong on the waves. The sewage lagoon hosted a large flock of MALLARDS, COMMONGOLDENEYES, and a few GW GULLS. Most of the mallards napped on the ice withtheir beaks tucked under a wing, facing the wind like the gulls.

Atthe beach, the wind curled around the point just like it did when the Redwingwas pinned there. Brrrr! Out of habit and without much hope, I checked thefence line by the Mt Ash trees, but nothing stirred. Over on the far west end,the two resident SONG SPARROWS hopped along the wrack line, picking up tinymorsels to fuel them for another cold day and long night. Tough birds all!

Bymid afternoon the sun said farewell and blew over the western mountains. I hopeto greet it again soon!

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

2011 Seward Christmas Bird Count results

2011-12-27T22:58:00.000-08:00

61 Count Day species, 6 Count Week species, and 2,461 birdsin all.

December 24, 2011 Seward CBC

Sunrise 10:02 am, sunset 3:52 pm for a total of 5 hours 50minutes of daylight.

Weather: 18º -20º, brisk 24 mph north-northeast wind with gusts to 24 mph, gray skies, andbrief afternoon snow flurries. Sea smoke and six foot waves created challengingconditions for the boat crew trying to find birds, hold binocs steady, identifyspecies, and count.

A small but dedicated group of twelve Field Counters, includingtwo young birders, and the four ever-intrepid Boat Crew, birded the SewardCircle from 10 to 4 pm while another ten Feeder Counters kept vigil at theirfeeders. The Tonsina Trail Route was not covered this year, usually a good areafor Pacific wrens, spruce grouse, dippers, chestnut-backed chickadees, andkinglets.

Many Field Counters wondered where all the birds were,finding few to no birds on their routes. The data showed that many birdsdepended on feeders in this cold, windy weather. Town routes were veryproductive thanks to several very well supplied and active feeders.

The rest of the songbirds apparently spent the day at AvaEads' phenomenal feeder off Nash Road. She counted 22 species and 340 birds including:14 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, 160 PINE GROSBEAKS, 30 DARK-EYED JUNCOS, 10 OREGONJUNCOS, 40 REDPOLLS, and 12 PINE SISKINS. The raptors knew all about her birds.A MERLIN and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK popped in to be counted and check for asnack. Ava noted that the siskin and redpoll numbers have been increasing dailyover the past week, and this is the most American Tree Sparrows ever. The birdsare ravenous, consuming 40 pounds of sunflower seeds a WEEK! Donations are mostwelcome!

The Boat Crew found an unusual species for Seward, aRED-THROATED LOON, which was not seen before or since. Of the 50-60 PACIFICLOONS seen earlier this winter, only one remained. 7 COMMON LOONS were counted, but no YELLOW-BILLED LOONS,which are usually present. Only two MARBLED MURRELETS were found, a low number,and no PIGEON GUILLEMOTS.

Other species of note: the male HOODED MERGANSER, 7 SNOWBUNTINGS, 1 GRAY JAY, 3 BOREAL CHICKADEES, 13 BROWN CREEPERS, 3 WHITE-CROWNEDSPARROWS, 8 GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS, and 31 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES.

The last bird of the day was the only GREAT BLUE HERON,spotted at 6:30 pm by streetlight at the north end of the Lagoon.

Count Week turned up six species including: AMERICAN WIGEON,NORTHERN GOSHAWK, SHORT-EARED OWL, NORTHERN SHRIKE, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, andLAPLAND LONGSPUR.

Special thanks to Captain Mike Brittain, of Alaska ExplorerCharters for once again donating the use of the Dora, fuel, maintenance,preparation, expertise, and time for the 23-mile ocean route. Thanks to Wendy for encouragingher two young boys to explore nature and contribute to citizen science. Manythanks to the folks who feed the birds and to everyone for their time, effort,and enthusiasm counting birds on a cold, windy day.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward CBC Compiler

FinalCount Species * Count Week

19 Gadwall

149 Mallard

*AmericanWigeon

1 duckunknown species

5 BlackScoter

3 White-wingedScoter

127 SurfScoter

70 HarlequinDuck

12 Long-tailedDuck

51 CommonGoldeneye

266 Barrow’sGoldeneye

53 Bufflehead

50 CommonMerganser

8 Red-breastedMerganser

1 HoodedMerganser

1 Red-throatedLoon

1 PacificLoon

7 CommonLoon

17 HornedGrebe

6 Red-neckedGrebe

1 grebeunknown sp

27 Pelagic Cormorant

1 GreatBlue Heron

26 BaldEagle adult

7 BaldEagle immature

1 Sharp-shinnedHawk

*NorthernGoshawk

1 Merlin

1 MewGull

2 HerringGull

76 Glaucous-wingedGull

29 CommonMurre

2 MarbledMurrelet

115 RockPigeon

*Short-earedOwl

1 BeltedKingfisher

11 DownyWoodpecker

8 HairyWoodpecker

*NorthernShrike

1 GrayJay

49 Steller’sJay

59 Black-billedMagpie

123 NorthwesternCrow

105 CommonRaven

82 Black-cappedChickadee

73 Chestnut-backedChickadee

3 BorealChickadee

44 Red-breastedNuthatch

13 BrownCreeper

1 PacificWren

6 AmericanDipper

15 Golden-crownedKinglet

10 AmericanRobin

3 VariedThrush

*Townsend’sSolitaire

2 BohemianWaxwing

14 AmericanTree Sparrow

2 FoxSparrow

16 SongSparrow

3 White-crownedSparrow

8 Golden-crownedSparrow

2 sparrowunknown species

98 Dark-eyed(Slate-colored) Junco

15 Dark-eyed(Oregon) Junco

*LaplandLongspur

7 SnowBunting

31 Gray-crownedRosy-Finch

359 PineGrosbeak

123 CommonRedpoll

40 PineSiskin

Some photos from Count Week and Count Day. Click on any photo to enlarge.

Seward Christmas Bird Count Week Day ONE

2011-12-21T22:33:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

December21, 2011 Happy Solstice!!!

Sunrise 10:01am, sunset 3:50 pm, length of day 5 hours, 49 minutes; tomorrow will be 2seconds LONGER!!

Weather:After a horrendous day of cold rain and sleet driven by a south wind onTuesday, today dawned clear as if asking forgiveness for that little mishap. Abright fingernail moon hung in the pale morning sky, the last of the dazzlinglunar moon.

Bymid-day, however the dark clouds swept in from their lair over the Gulf ofAlaska. The low sun valiantly tried to smile but was soon buried in the snowsquall. At least it wasn't liquid! More snow, high winds, and temps dropping tothe teens are forecast for the rest of the week.

37species were found today. Highlights include a red interior FOX SPARROW,several TREE SPARROWS, nine GADWALL, and two LAPLAND LONGSPURS. Also spotted:LONGTAIL DUCKS, HOODED MERGANSER, three GREAT BLUE HERONS, BELTED KINGFISHER,BROWN CREEPERS, and DIPPER.

Adead MURRE washed up on Lowell Point Beach. It felt underweight. Also spotted,a quick, curious, and very, very cute weasel. Not sure if it's a least orshort-tailed.

AWHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN was reported yesterday by Lowell Creek waterfall. The quick thinking driver providedcamera phone photos for verification. Perhaps the rainstorm drove it to town,or it needed gravel for its crop. Tough to spot such a white bird against thesnow!

Thebirds really appreciate well-stocked feeders to survive these long cold nightsand squally days. Black oil sunflower seeds and suet blocks are the bestbasics. Niger seeds in special socks, peanut butter dipped in seed mix stuffedin a pine cone or hollowed out block, Mt Ash and Mayday Tree berries, and othertreats are welcome gifts for our feathered friends and neighbors.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, December 12, 2011 Eclipse and Loons

2011-12-13T00:24:00.000-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise 9:52am, sunset 3:50 pm. Length of day 5 hours, 57 minutes. Tomorrow will be 1minute and 36 seconds shorter.

The lunareclipse on December 10^th was stunning. Serendipitously, I awoke at 5am and leaped out of bed, jumped into my winter coat, wind pants and snowboots, and bolted out the door. A copper penny floated in the clear sky abovenearby Mt Marathon. The streetlights overpowered the stars, so I walked upLowell Canyon leaving them all behind. What a wonder! I gazed at the alienobject, silently suspended in space surrounded by sparkling stars.

With mybinoculars, I could see craters and the round dimensionality of this normallyflat-looking disk. The coppery glow gradually shifted as it arced acrossthe sky. A bright white crescent like a new fingernail moon appeared onthe lower left as the earth's shadow eased away. Closer and closer it sailedtowards the snowy mountain peak. As I crunched my way back down the icy road tocivilization and my warm bed, the marvelous, mysterious moon slipped behind themountain.

December 11^thdawned clear, but clouds soon rolled in. A huge storm hit Seward by earlyafternoon with lashing winds and cold rain. The temperature rose from 25º to38º in a few hours. I checked Lowell Point Beach for the Redwing butfound only a small flock of JUNCOS and a very soggy PINE GROSBEAK at the fenceline, eating fallen Mt Ash berries. The heavy snows knocked trees into thetransmission lines at Mile 20-23 and plunged everyone south into darkness at5:30 pm for several hours.

December 12^th:The winds finally died down in the night, but the dark clouds remained. Ichecked the beach for SNOW BUNTINGS but only found three who quickly flew away.A juvenile BALD EAGLE posed majestically on a stump, regarding me closely withits dark brown eyes. The boat harbor, ice free at 34º, hosted a nice flock ofCOMMON MERGANSERS, RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, COMMON and BARROW'S GOLDENEYES, 2HORNED GREBES, 3 PACIFIC LOONS, 1 COMMON LOON, and 1 YELLOW-BILLED LOON.

As I watched11 more horned grebes and 3 surf scoters at the harbor mouth, the yellow-billedloon paddled out of the harbor and cruised serenely right along the breakwaterbelow me. Wow! What a beauty! I managed to snap some photos before it disappeared.Soon, however, it came flying past, winging its way to the other side of thebay, startled by something I couldn't see.

Two riverotters pulled out on the ice surrounding the small remaining open area at thenorth end of the Lagoon and rested briefly before plunging back in. A tinyDIPPER paddled about like a duck, then hopped up on the ice to peer into thecold water from the edge.

Towardssunset around 3: 30 pm, I headed back outside for a little walk (that dog getsme out!) The heavy blanket of clouds lifted just enough to let the low sun peekthrough and paint the snowy range across the bay a delicate pink. I stoodtransfixed, enjoying the spectacular and unexpected show. What a place, Seward!

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

Seward SporadicBird Report Reporter

Friday, December 9, 2011 McKay's Bunting!

2011-12-09T18:42:00.001-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise9:48 am, sunset 3:51 pm, length of day 6 hours, 3 minutes; tomorrow will be 2minutes and 6 seconds shorter.

LunarEclipse Alert!

Jupiterleads the full moon across the sky tonight, but in the early morning hours adrama will occur: the second and last total lunar eclipse of 2011! In the US,only Alaska and Hawaii will be able to see the whole lunar eclipse from startto finish. In Seward, the partial eclipse begins at 3:45 am, the total eclipsebegins at 5:05 am, the greatest eclipse will be at 5:31 am ending at 5:58 am, andthe partial eclipse ends at 7:18 am. For times in other locations, go to the Lunar EclipseCalculator at <http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/LunarEclipse.php>

Weather:O joy, another blizzard warning in effect for Saturday evening along TurnagainArm. Driving the Seward highway will be hazardous. Today was lovely: sunny witha gentle 10 mph north wind and temps just above freezing. The recent snowfalltransformed Seward into a bright winter wonderland, leaving just a little bareground under the spruce trees for the birds to continue to forage for frozeninsects and invertebrates under the brown leaves and needles.

Amuch more welcome blizzard surrounded me yesterday at the salt marsh. Mistrising from the open river and patches of fog shrouded everything in mystery. Offin the distance, I spied a large flock of birds flushing from one patch ofbeach rye grass to another. The little birds landed at the top of the grass androde it down to the snow where the seeds could be more easily extracted. Itlooked like fun! To my amazement, they flew ever closer and closer, feedingfrantically, then exploded into the air, back down, and up. Suddenly, I was intheir midst! Over 100 SNOW BUNTINGS flashed over and around me. I could heartheir soft chirps and rush of their wings. I might have caught one if I heldout my hand! Off they flew and then back again! This happened three times! Whata thrill!

Isnapped photos, trying to capture their beautiful black and white patternsembroidered with soft brown hues. One in particular seemed much, much lighterthan the others. When I sent photos to Buzz Scher, he agreed that it was aMcKAY'S BUNTING. His observations noted the lack of black on the back, no blackon the bend of the upper wing, very little or restricted black at the tips of thecentral tail feathers, pale buffy face, and notably less black in the outerprimaries. Another LIFE BIRD for me! Thank you, Buzz!

Thebirds seemed extremely nervous and soon I saw the reason: an adultSHARP-SHINNED HAWK materialized out of nowhere and plunged into the flock. Itmissed and continued flying over to a perch on a stump, reconsidering optionsfor dinner. Many thanks to Paul Fritz for helping me decipher the ID of thisbird. I really appreciate the support of other birders to help me learn.

Today,I refound the large flock at a distance. Once again, they approached and fednearby, but did not surround around me as before. As they flew high into thesky and plummeted back to earth, they resembled snowflakes blown by the wind, amini-blizzard of feathers from the far north. On the way back, the Sharpiereappeared and landed in the spruce grove, waiting its chance for a good mealto last it through the long cold night.

Otherbirds of interest:

RobinC also found the buntings today, including one McKay's, and a juvenile SHRIKE.

NoRedwing at Lowell Point Beach. We have checked every day since it was last seenon November 26 without success. Reports of IT turned into song sparrows, variedthrushes, and even grosbeaks, but we'll keep looking.

Birdsaround town include a HAIRY WOODPECKER, female, (banging on my house), 22GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES, 10 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, a few GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS,12 ROBINS, 2 VARIED THRUSHES, and the usual STELLER'S JAYS, CHESTNUT-BACKED andBLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, GROSBEAKS, NUTHATCHES, DARK-EYED JUNCOS,GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS et al.

Avahas a cloud of grosbeaks, a growing flock of PINE SISKINS, many TREE SPARROWS,and the usual wonderful yard birds.

Atip from Duane and Sanna: to reduce the number of crows and pigeons, do notfeed black oil sunflower seed. Instead use millet and Niger seed. This hasworked well for them.

Checkout this amazing footage of an Eurasian Eagle Owl flying to the camera holder for a food reward at

< http://www.petapixel.com/2011/08/09/eagle-owl-attacking-camera-at-1000fps/.

Here's a link from a little different angle and shows more of the ending:<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji_x8RU4zIo>

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 the Dipper and the Whale

2011-12-07T19:27:00.001-08:00

Seward,Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

The Great andthe Small

Sunrise 9:45am, sunset 3:53 pm, length of day 6 hours, 8 minutes; tomorrow will be 2minutes and 25 seconds shorter.

Today'spalette is mostly monochrome with an excess assortment of grays.

Weather: 100%low clouds, south wind, temperatures in the mid to high 30s. Heavy snow showerscompletely obscure the surrounding mountains and most of the bay. A scruff ofcrusty snow covers the ground, but greenish grass patches show under shelteringspruce. It's tricky walking without ice grippers as the snow conceals a lot ofice.

The weatheris channel surfing, rushing from biting winds and subzero temperatures to rainon ice like a Zamboni, then a sunny, calm, mid-20s respite complete withbrilliant stars, moon, and Jupiter at night, switching to a dash of snowshowers to hide the ice and challenge optics, and repeat in random order.

The beach atLowell Point today featured wet snow plastered onto my glasses, binocs, andcamera. The two resident SONG SPARROWS hopped around in their favorite cornerof the beach, rummaging though the seaweed, blending in with the dark cobbles.A BALD EAGLE cruised up and perched on the lookout at the top of Pinnacle Rock.A COMMON LOON and a female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER heedlessly chose to ignore itand continued fishing close by. One HORNED GREBE, one PELAGIC CORMORANT, and afew GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS bobbed on the waves, barely visible in the slantingsnow.

Up by thebeach houses, several DARK-EYED JUNCOS flitted among the Mt Ash trees and onthe ground, their white outer tail feathers flashing. A MAGPIE stopped by toboss them around a bit. A good supply of Mt Ash berries remain on the ground,but sadly, no Redwing to gobble them up.

Back towardstown by the waterfall, an eagle ripped into a freshly caught sea duck(goldeneye?) with gusto, dark feathers falling like snowflakes. One dies soanother lives.

Robin Creported two PACIFIC LOONS feeding in the boat harbor.

Tuesday,December 6, 2011
Ah! The dayof respite! Sunny, calm, mid 20sº. The short trip over to Fourth of July Beachon the east side of Resurrection Bay turned back the clock. Here, the sun doesnot rise over the mountains until well after 11 am, more than an hour laterthan town. Just as we arrived, the sun lit up that corner of the bay. Transienttendrils of golden yellow mist curled up and wafted seawards, the delicatebalance of air and water temperatures suddenly disrupted. Inch-thick polygonsof clear ice decorated the beach, stolen from the creek by the outgoing tideand just as casually discarded.

A flash ofdark feathers caught my eye. Ah! A DIPPER paddled about the outlet of thelittle pond. As I approached, he flew, but towards me! Unconcerned, he stood onthe nearby ice, totally dry. His bare pinkish legs and feet reminded me of ateen wearing shorts in the winter. After regarding me for a second, he plungedhis whole head underwater, and peered around, short tail pointing skyward. Thenhe dove in the water and snorkeled, paddling around with his long skinny,web-free toes, resembling a very tiny, gray duck. After that short exploration,up he flew to perch on an ice-covered rock in the outlet waterfall, and leanedover to look under the murmuring water. Then up a bit higher to a dry rock to preenand adjust his remarkable dry suit, and finally back up again to the open waterof the pond by the outlet. After a brief headlong dive off the ice edge, hecaught a fine stickleback, repositioned it, and down it went, headfirst. I lefthim, dipping on the ice, completely content in his liquid and frozen world.

By now, thepale sun warmed the air just enough to absorb the ephemeral mist. Suddenly myson called out. A small whale surfaced just offshore! The water seemedinconceivably shallow to contain a whale of any size. Twin vapor clouds shotfrom its paired blowholes, then hung in the air, followed quickly by a craggydorsal fin and a tight arc of its dark back. Then nothing remained but wisps ofthe blow. As they faded, another great exhale and shallow dive! It traveledquickly from one side of the bright sunbeams to the other. I snapped photos asfast as I could, dodging around the smiling sun.

We drove backto town, but now the sun raced ahead and it was almost twilight at 2 pm on thewest side of the bay. What a time machine! As soon as possible, I emailedphotos to marine mammal expert Kate Wynne. She identified it as a humpbackwhale, possibly a calf or juvenile that remained in northern waters while theadults migrated to Hawaii to breed and give birth. This theory has not yet beenproven, but makes sense. And there it was, definitely a small humpback. She hasobserved whales swimming in water less than 20' deep and less than 20' fromshore. Kate wrote that humpbacks love sand lance and it may have found a goodsupply there. How interesting that the diminutive dipper and the great whalewere both feasting on tiny fish!

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Seward SporadicBird Report Reporter

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 No Redwing

2011-12-05T10:23:00.001-08:00

Seward,Alaska

Overcastwith increasing dark clouds from the Gulf of Alaska, temps in the mid teens,moderate winds from the north, blizzard warning still in effect for thisevening.

Ichecked Lowell Point Beach this morning around 10:45. The tide was low; I sawonly frozen seaweed at the high tide line. This probably accounted for the lackof birds scavenging at the tide line. No crows, robins, song sparrows, rustyblackbird, or even an eagle in sight. The beach felt desolate.

Up bythe summer homes, a single magpie quietly flew away across the road, butnothing flitted in the bare branches of the alders or Mt Ash trees.

Iwaited and watched, scanning with my binocs. The rhythmic surge of the wavesechoed my thoughts: "Gone, gone, gone." How I wished I could shout,"There it is!" But there was nothing. This is the third day in a rowthat the Redwing has not been seen. I think the waves are right.

Congratulationsto all who saw this "cracking little bird" and condolences to thosewho tried so hard and failed.

HappyBirding!

CarolGriswold

SewardSporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, November 28, 2011 No Redwing

2011-12-05T10:21:00.001-08:00

Seward, Alaska

In brief, the REDWING was not seen today. This is the secondday in a row it has not been found.

Today was a perfect day to see the Redwing at Lowell PointBeach: 25º, sunny, and out of the north wind. As the sun rolled sleepily overthe eastern mountains far to the south around 10 am, John Vanderpoel, the 2011Big Year birder from Colorado, and Barrett Pierce from Texas cruised into town.Local birders, Joe, Robin, Jim, and I converged at Lowell Point to help findTHE BIRD.

The beach was under surveillance from about 10:15 am to wellafter 2:30 pm when the sun began to wander behind the western mountains. Weenjoyed more great close-up views of the single RUSTY BLACKBIRD adult workingalong the tide line, picking through the seaweed. Five AMERICAN ROBINSdistracted us countless times, looking somewhat like THE BIRD, hopping along,feeding just like IT did. The robins are a recent addition to the beach sceneas none were seen last week. Two very dark, long-tailed SONG SPARROWS stayed atthe far west end of the beach, their preferred dining area. NORTHWESTERN CROWSand BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES also strolled along the tide line, snacking steadily.None of the birds seemed particularly concerned about our presence and mostcame very close, often too close to focus the camera.

A small group of birders split off to search other areas ofLowell Point (one GREAT BLUE HERON perched in a spruce), the rest of the beach,likely spots in town, and even across the bay in case THE BIRD had moved.

Two PACIFIC LOONS fished just off shore. Two RED-NECKEDGREBES, a HORNED GREBE, a small flock of BARROW'S GOLDENEYES, a smattering ofHARLEQUINS, a few COMMON MERGANSERS and a BALD EAGLE perched in a spruceprovided a diversion from the hours of scrutinizing robins, counting crows, andstaring at the favorite spots where THE BIRD should be.

For a dozen days straight, the Redwing provided magneticmystery and magic to this special place. Without IT, the beach seems a bitempty. Far more empty than a couple ounces of missing feathers.

Tomorrow is another chance to find IT. The next regularlyscheduled blizzard is expected late Tuesday night, bringing snow and strongwinds. Maybe the nasty weather will pin the Redwing back down at the beach, ormaybe it will bring in another fascinating bundle of feathers from afar.

KTUU web story:<http://www.ktuu.com/gotoak/ktuu-ultra-rare-sighting-has-birders-flocking-to-seward-20111128,0,7935362.story>

John Vanderpoel's blog: <http://www.bigyear2011.com>

Toby Burke's Refuge Notebook article:<http://peninsulaclarion.com/outdoors/2011-11-25/ultra-rare-eurasian-bird-discovered-along-seward-beachfront#.TtSCbGDOde4>

John Lofgreen's blog:<http://johnlofgreen.blogspot.com>

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Sunday, November 27, 2011 No Redwing

2011-12-05T10:17:00.001-08:00

Seward, Alaska

In brief, the REDWING was not seen today. The last verified sighting was around 1 pm yesterday at Lowell Point Beach.

Poor visibility and low light due to heavy cloud cover, frequent snow showers, and temperatures warming from 18º to 34º did not help birders today. John Vanderpoel finally arrived from his far-flung 2011 Big Year adventures and a flock of Alaskan birders worked hard to help him find The Bird.

A juvenile NORTHERN SHRIKE caused a bit of a stir momentarily, but all judged it was too large to be a Brown Shrike. AMERICAN ROBINS patrolling the seaweed also caused numerous double and triple checking. A single RUSTY BLACKBIRD walked purposefully along the wrack in the narrow band between the wet snow and the waves, often coming with a few feet of appreciative birders.

Despite our best efforts, the Redwing proved elusive. Tomorrow is another day. John plans to return for one last try.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, November 24, 2011 Redwing yes! and Homer report

2011-12-04T21:16:00.001-08:00

Yes, the REDWING was again seen today in Seward, but I wason the road to Homer, Alaska.

I was fortunate to ramble about Homer for about an hour onThanksgiving Day. I headed out East End Road to seek the extensive Mt Ash treeson Fernwood. A cloud of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS arrived just as I did, but werenervous and whirred away before I could turn the car around. I soon discoveredthe source of their apprehension. Across the open field, sitting at the top ofa spruce, I spotted a light morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. It perched there just likethe many adult Bald Eagles I had passed, but instead of a pure white head, itsported a streaky brown and white head and cape. The hawk swiveled its headfrequently, checking all around. Suddenly, a feral pheasant cock exploded intothe field, a gorgeous adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK right on its tail. Suddenly thegoshawk veered upwards to dive bomb the peaceful Rough-legged hawk. They bothtook off and soon vanished, a beautiful sight against the pearly gray sky.

A short time later on the way back, I screeched to theside of the road. What luck! A HAWK OWL perched near the top of an alder,peering all around, looking and hunting, then dove into the grassy field anddisappeared. I hope it enjoyed a tasty Thanksgiving feast!

On Friday, November 25, 100s of ROCK SANDPIPERS swoopedover the Spit road in front of my car, flowing in a tight black and whitepattern like a swarm of bees as the thundering surf boiled and spat onto theroad. A large raft of BLACK SCOTERS gathered just outside the surf zone. Alsospotted a PACIFIC LOON, a few WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, LONG-TAILED DUCKS,RED-NECKED GREBES, and COMMON MERGANSERS. ROSY FINCHES flitted in the beachrye. A SONG SPARROW sat on a dumpster with NORTHWESTERN CROWS.

Back in town, another adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK sailed overhouses just as we were leaving.

No luck looking for the Great Gray Owls on Adkins Road atMile 77 Sterling Highway on the way home, but it was nice to know they werethere. It was fun to find birders there too, none other than my neighborsPeregrine Joe, Mary, his sister, and Robin C.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Reporter Reporter on the road

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 Redwing update

2011-12-04T20:54:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 Redwing update

Seward, Alaska

In brief: the REDWING was spotted again today for theeighth day in a row, in the same place by the row of trees along the fencebetween the second and third house at Lowell Point beach.

The blizzard shut down school buses from Girdwood toAnchorage this morning, but spared Seward and the 55 mph winds that wereforecast. Temps dropped to 9º with blowing snow from a brisk north wind around20-30 mph in the am. Ghostly sea smoke obscured the bay and streamed around awaiting tug and barge as the warmer ocean reluctantly released its heat to thefrigid air. The winds diminished by late afternoon as a light snow began tofall.

I raked up another 5-gallon bucket of frozen Mt Ashberries from some town trees for the Redwing. It's getting harder to find wholeones and many have been de-seeded. It's lucky that pine grosbeaks prefer theseeds and spit out the pulp, whereas the Redwing eats the whole fruit. At leastit will get a little snack if the crows and magpies don't eat them all first. Itossed the berries along the whole fence line to spread out the competition.

On the way back, I stopped to watch an adult BALD EAGLErip into a fresh duck dinner laid out on a piling without benefit of tableclothor cutlery. Its deadly yellow talons anchored the feast firmly. Wow. Nodelicate table manners here either! A MAGPIE danced around just out of reach ofthat deadly beak, hoping for scraps. Another adult eagle flew in and perched ata barely respectful distance. It too had blood on its forehead, evidence of arecent meal. Maybe it was still hungry or just enjoyed being part of the royaldining ambiance.

Robin C watched a PEREGRINE FALCON chase pigeons byseafood processing plant on the north side of the harbor around noon today, andsaw a PACIFIC LOON in the harbor.

Of special note over the past few days: Tasha reported 2CEDAR WAXWINGS feeding with BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS at Lowell Point. On Sunday, Luke,Nick, and Wendy found a THAYER'S GULL hanging out with the mallards at theLowell Point Sewage Lagoon. Peregrine Joe spotted a GLAUCOUS GULL and has anOREGON JUNCO at his feeder.

Watch for a few more Oregon juncos with the DARK-EYEDJUNCOS and the TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE reported by Scott H by the hospital onFirst Ave. Luke et al also found a single GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCH with thenumerous PINE GROSBEAKS along Second Ave.

Yes, Seward does have a few birds besides the REDWING!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, November 21, 2011 Redwing update

2011-12-04T20:43:00.001-08:00

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 9:11 am, sunset 4:15 pm, lengthof day 7 hours, 3 minutes; tomorrow will be 4 minutes and 16 seconds shorter.

Weather: A waning crescent moon sailedthe sky, a bright sideways smile, above the dark bank of clouds hovering overthe Gulf of Alaska. The winter sun rose above the curtain by 11 am, instantlychanging the mood, casting its sparkling light on the fresh snow. Despite the15º temperatures, it actually felt a tiny bit warm out of the buffeting 20 mphnorth-northwest wind with gusts over 30 mph.

The eastern Kenai Peninsula north toGirdwood is bracing for another blizzard for the next 24 hours, withtemperatures 10 to 20 above, blowing snow with accumulation of 8 to 17",north to west winds from 30 to 45 mph with gusts to 65 at times, white-outconditions and dangerous travel conditions. The National Weather Service didnot mention the chances of more rare birds blowing into Seward, but we'reready!

The very cooperative REDWING remainedreliably in its new home at Lowell Point Beach. For long periods of time, itrummaged through the seaweed with the Northwestern Crows and occasional Magpie,hopping along looking quite small and out of place. When thirsty, it flitted tothe cliffs to sip at the seeps, and then flew straight back to the fencebetween the summer homes. There it rested, then hopped on the snow, gobbling upred Mt Ash berries.

Only a few fans came today to admire theRedwing and take photos. The bird seems well aware of its visitors, and contentto eat, rest, and preen in view. The driftwood and rocks along the propertylines form a perfect boundary that satisfies the birders and the bird.

Given the nasty weather, I may not beable to check on this beautiful guest for a while. I strongly discourage anytravel on the Seward Highway until this blows over.

Ed Clark researched the Redwing and basedon the photos, determined that it is the Eurasian subspecies. For aninteresting lesson in geography, get out the globe! He calculated that thisbird weighing 80 grams (or 2.8 ounce or 16 nickels) flew, or was blown, over3,000 miles!

According to Ed, the most likely routefrom the eastern Siberian coastal plain was over the Sea of Okhotsk, down thePacific side of the Kamchatka Peninsula, over the Commander Islands, up theAleutian Chain, along the Alaska Peninsula, across Cook Inlet, along thesouthern edge of the Kenai Peninsula, and finally to a short fence line withtiny Mt Ash trees next to the beach at Lowell Point. As the Brits say, "What a cracking little bird!"

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Sunday, November 20, 2011 Redwing update

2011-12-04T20:33:00.001-08:00

Seward, Alaska

For the sixth day in a row, the mere sighting of the Seward REDWING has given joy to every visiting birder, and a life bird for most. Scott and I heard its short flight call today as it sailed over the roofs and back. It seemed non-musical and dry, and perhaps on two or more pitches. It will be interesting to try to hear it again as my sound memory is fleeting.

Despite being thousands of miles away from home and all alone, this adventurer has figured out how to survive in a foreign land in the dead of winter. At least for now, it enjoys the Mt Ash berries by the fence, industriously flips the seaweed for protein-rich invertebrates delivered twice daily by the tide, and sips fresh water from a icy seep next to the cliff at the end of the beach. The spruce trees provide a safe roost for the night. It's all good!

Last night's snowfall covered most of the Mt Ash berries blown to the ground. It would be wonderful if visitors could bring Mt Ash berries when they come. Just scoop up the loose clusters and single berries and put them in a 5-gallon bucket or plastic bag. I'd be happy to transfer them to my bucket and distribute them as needed to help keep the bird here.

Overcast skies today brought the temperature up to the low 20s and the north wind moderated to around 15 mph with occasional gusts to 26. A blizzard watch is in effect from late Monday through Tuesday afternoon, so it's best not to travel until that blows through. Who knows? Maybe it will bring something else!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Saturday, November 19, 2011 Redwing update

2011-12-04T20:24:00.001-08:00

Seward, Alaska

A steady stream of birders enjoyed great views of the REDWING again today. It has been active from dawn to dusk (meaning about 8:30 am to 4:30 pm).

It is most easily found resting and feeding on the Mt Ash berries along the fence line to the west of the second beach house, with good views from both the road and the beach. If it's not there, wait for it to return from a short visit to the beach where it picks through the seaweed buffet left by the receding tide.

It appears to be healthy and well fed, despite the low temperatures and bitter winds the past several days.

The wind died down this evening as the snow-laden clouds rolled in. The temp as of this post at 10 pm is 20º and snowing.

Safe travels to all who come to see this beautiful bird. It is a pleasure to have you here!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter