Tuesday, June 10, 2014 Bonaparte's Gull

Seward, Alaska

I thought I heard the growl-y voice of a BONAPARTE'S GULL, but after an eager search, dismissed it. They just aren't very common in Seward. Then, I found one standing near some MEW GULLS. It looked so small!

   

In addition to the small size, note the thin black bill, dark smudge on the head, remnants of brown coloration on the wings, narrow black tail band, and pinkish legs.

Many thanks to Steve Heinl who identified it as last year's chick, now in its first summer (first molt cycle) plumage. This year's chicks, if there are any Bonapartes nesting around here, should start appearing in mid-July.

Check out the Anything Larus website at http://www.anythinglarus.com/2010/11/preformative-molt-and-bonapartes-gull.html for more photos and detailed explanations of the Bonaparte's and other gull's molting cycles. They are an interesting and challenging group!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, June 6, 2014 Least Sandpiper Study

Seward, Alaska

A useful birding tip, oft repeated, is to get to know the local, common birds really well so that when a rarity shows up, you will at least know it is different. The trick is to actually be able to find and observe the local birds, and then do it with minimum disturbance. They need to go about their business of survival, find shelter, safety, food, and a mate, evade predators, build a secret, safe nest, and raise their precious family without worrying about our prying eyes and invasive presence.

So, I was very surprised and pleased when a LEAST SANDPIPER presented itself on a handy piece of driftwood and posed with the utmost cooperation and patience while I staged a photo shoot. It allowed me to move slowly around it for different angles without any apparent distress. At one point, the little sandpiper caught a fly with the tip of its black bill, but gently let it go, then ignored it as it perched on the very bill that caught it. I suppose they were both living dangerously with potential predators close by. Hold your friends close but your enemies closer?

When my study was done, I slowly rose to my full, scary height, and quietly walked away. I looked back, and the little peep was still standing there on the log, maybe in the company of the fly, as the sleepy afternoon rolled on.

Now, if a rarity like an Asian LONG-TOED STINT shows up, hopefully I will be better prepared to recognize the difference. It's tricky though. There was quite a discussion on Sporadic Bird on May 8, 2012 about the subtle differences between the two species.

Another useful birding tip is to be vigilant and look closely at those local, common birds. They may not all be what they seem. That's where a good, documentary photograph is essential. Otherwise, no one will believe you!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, June 6, 2014 Yellow-rumped Warbler pair

Seward, Alaska

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS are easier to hear than see, now that the leaves are fully unfolded and fluttering in the breeze. The males might be detected by tracking their relatively slow, rolling warble, but the quiet females are elusive. I was lucky to watch this pair chase after one another at Exit Glacier, pausing briefly to snatch up a small insect here and there in a tangle of branches and foliage. There are few birds more erratic than warblers; a real photographic challenge.

The range of this white-throated subspecies AKA "Myrtle Warbler" includes eastern USA but the breeding range extends north through Canada's boreal forest all the way to Alaska. The yellow-throated "Audubon Warbler" is common in the Lower 48 western mountainous region but not in Alaska. Where the ranges overlap, they hybridize. Some references (including the Audubon.org website) refer to the Myrtle as the eastern variation and the Audubon as the western, but they are forgetting about all the Myrtles nesting in the vast boreal forest of Canada and Alaska.

Try to find these fairly large, strikingly patterned warblers while they are still singing, unless you prefer to wait for a really big challenge!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, June 6, 2014 Swainson's Thrush and Blackpoll Warblers

Seward, Alaska

Today I finally heard a SWAINSON'S THRUSH from the road in Kenai Fjords National Park at Exit Glacier. It was near the 1815 marker. Also, between the bridge and Welcome sign, I heard several BLACKPOLL WARBLERS singing. They must have tiny territories or excellent hearing as their thin, high song doesn't seem to travel very far. This is a species of interest in the Park, and is not often seen or heard.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Wednesday, June 4, 2014 Exit Glacier Gray-Cheeked Thrushes

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 4:41 am, sunset 11:12 pm for a total day length of 18 hours 30 minutes. Tomorrow will be 2 minutes and 44 seconds longer.

Another spectacular, blue-sky sunny day similar to yesterday but with a strong wind from the south instead of the north. Temps rose into the very pleasant mid-60s. Thursday is forecast to be mostly sunny, with a chance of rain starting on Friday through next week.

Today was a perfect day to go birding at Kenai Fjords National Park at Exit Glacier. I chose to walk a loop starting with the Glacier View trail which heads off the main trail and winds into the pioneering cottonwood forest with an understory of young spruce trees, alders, and willows.

I heard YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and YELLOW WARBLERS all along the trail. The fluttering cottonwood leaves are fully out and easily hide a leaf-sized warbler, but with luck and persistence, it is possible to track at least a few for the pleasure of watching them sing. In the distance, I heard VARIED and HERMIT THRUSHES.

Back on the main trail, the emphatic warble of Mr. WILSON chimed in with the others. Walking slowly past the 1926 marker, I heard a different song, a ways back in the woods. A GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH! What a thrill to hear this northern breeder. Some years, I miss them completely. The voice is described on http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/gray-cheeked_thrush/sounds as a "complex song of burry flute-like notes, usually ending on a downslur."  Take a listen!

Back on the road, traffic was sparse so I drove slowly with the windows down. Another GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH called several times quite close to the road. I stopped and saw a flash of the bird flying to a nearby cottonwood, but was unable to get a decent view. This species has flown a long ways from Venezuela and Colombia to Alaska. It's just amazing how they manage to find their way back home!

I parked at the Welcome sign and walked along the road next to a babbling  creek. In addition to the YELLOW, YELLOW-RUMPED, and WILSON'S WARBLERS, I heard the loud, relatively slow, rich warbling of a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH. This is another warbler that I don't always find every year. This area of shrubs and trees near the creek and wetlands is great habitat for them. The Northern Waterthrush overwinters in Central America and also south to Colombia and Venezuela.

Along Resurrection River by the bridge, I saw and heard a pair of SPOTTED SANDPIPERS. It is likely they are nesting here. A COMMON REDPOLL flew overhead, calling, also a local nester. It was nice to hear and see one as they did not show up this past winter as they normally do.

As warbler songs are tricky and sound is ephemeral, I found recording them with the video on my little point-and-shoot camera was invaluable. I highly recommend this technique. Even if you can't find the songster in the maze of leaves, listening to the audio and comparing it to any number of excellent on-line resources and apps will help identify the bird, solidify the sound, and make it more familiar.

I plan to return soon to listen for the Swainson's Thrush, who has flown from as far as Argentina to come home. Its beautiful song spirals upwards, which makes it easy to remember.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Go to the left.

Monday, June 2, 2014 Trumpeter Swans nesting

Seward, Alaska

On May 1^st, I noted a TRUMPETER SWAN standing on a small island of vegetation in the middle of the wetlands at Mile 1 Nash Road. She was industriously pulling the sedges and grasses towards her, as if making a nest. Over the next several weeks, I saw her sitting there, but not every time. Sometimes she and her mate were off feeding around the pond; sometimes they were nowhere to be found, so it wasn't certain if the nest was active.

But this afternoon, when I saw her sitting there, I think they really meant business. While she presumably incubated her 3 to 8 eggs, the male, called a "Cob," voraciously ate water horsetails right near the road. I wonder how many calories these silica-packed horsetails provide?

According to the Trumpeter Swan Society website, http://www.trumpeterswansociety.org/faq.html only the female incubates the eggs. The larger and heavier male's job is to guard the nest  from predators. Thus, the female swan, called a "Pen," has faithfully sat on her nest since early May. The female lays one egg every other day until the clutch is complete. Incubation takes about 34 days, so the cygnets could be hatching out in a few weeks, depending on when the last egg was laid.

The website has a link to swan identification information and a nice printable brochure at  http://www.trumpeterswansociety.org/swan-identification.html.

So why is a male swan called a "Cob"? According to Wikipedia, the word is from Middle English "cobbe" meaning "leader of a group."

And "Pen"? According to http://www.ypte.org.uk/animal/swan-mute-/180, the flight feathers from the female Mute swan were once used as writing implements, or "pen quills", later know as "quill pens" and then just "pens." Our present day pens take their name from the female swan feathers. Other sites had no idea, so this is a good guess.

Often, these swans are just white dots in the back of the wetlands or invisible, so discovering the handsome Cob right by the road, eating bright green horsetails in the sunshine, was quite a treat!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Sunday, June 1, 2014 Northwestern Crow with deformed bill

Seward, Alaska

It's been a long time since I have seen a deformed bill. This poor NORTHWESTERN CROW has a severely deformed bill. I watched it walk in the rain along the mowed roadside near the Williams Park Campground, a popular Northwestern Crow nesting area. It then strode into the road and, bending its head parallel to the pavement, drank from a puddle in a crack. This seemed to be successful, and was repeated a few more times.

The crow's plumage still looks groomed and waterproof, which is extremely important for every bird's health. Unfortunately, the deformed bill never stops growing and eventually it will become useless for preening, obtaining food, eating, and defense. The future is very bleak.

If you see a deformed bill, please try to document it with photos and report it to the USGS site at <http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/landbirds/beak_deformity> There is a photo gallery at this site and information. No cause has yet been determined.

American Birding has an interesting article on this sad mystery at

http://blog.aba.org/2010/11/the-mystery-of-deformed-beaks.html>

Birding on a rainy afternoon,

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter