Friday, September 18, 2015 SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER in SEWARD!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:32 am, sunset 8:09 pm for a total day length of 12 hours and 37 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 24 seconds shorter.

Mostly sunny today with occasional light rain squalls; high of 50, low of 35ºF. More sun is in the forecast for the next several days.

A day of good omens started with the welcome sunshine and blue sky. A single TRUMPETER SWAN, surrounded by a smattering of ducks including PINTAILS and AMERICAN WIGEONS, ruled the pond at the head of the bay. This is a new arrival as the resident swan family of 8 was feeding at the Lagoon in town. Nine tiny BONAPARTE’S GULLS floated daintily a short distance away.

For the next hour or so, I admired the new termination dust decorating the mountain tops, cloud formations, watched the squalls march up the bay, and enjoyed a rainbow to the north. The only birds were the BONAPARTE’S, MEW, and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS, occupied with the spawning pink salmon. A lone HERRING GULL, heavy-bodied by comparison, with a cold, calculating look, flew by.

While crossing through the fading Lygnbey’s sedge meadow, I flushed a medium-sized bird whose call I did not recognize; not high, or deep. It landed nearby at the edge of a small creek and I was able to sneak up on it.    I got several photos before it flushed again, flying low, vocalizing.

The size, bright red crown and buffy, unstreaked breast locked it in as a juvenile SHARP-TAILED SHOREBIRD, a Life Bird! This is a species I have been looking for quite some time. This might be the first documentation of this species in Seward and possibly the eastern Kenai Peninsula. It's a rare bird, but, ‘bout time!

Once again, it landed nearby and again, I was able to sneak up and get more photos. This time, it pecked in a small puddle, waded around, preened, checked the sky by cocking its head sideways, and generally looked pretty relaxed, even as I clicked away. I slowly backed off and made a wide detour around it, leaving it to enjoy its brief stopover in Seward.  The Life Bird Dance would have to wait until I was well away.

Watch me dance, now!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

According to http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/avian–influenze/species/species.php?code=SHAS, the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper nests in NE Siberia, and migrates to SE Australia. Curiously, and uniquely, the adults fly from the breeding grounds overland through Mongolia, China, and Manchuria to coastal Asia, while the juveniles fly east across the Bering Strait to western Alaska, and then fly nonstop directly to Australasia (Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and nearby islands).

This amazing shorebird has a very long trip ahead! Bon Voyage!

Wednesday, September 16, 2015 Brown Creeper and Trumpeter Swans

Seward, Alaska

The morning began with remarkably close views of a BROWN CREEPER, busily inspecting my front yard spruce trees for tiny tidbits, likely spiders, eggs, larvae, and insects, invisible to me. It hopped UP the tree seemingly without effort, braced by a strong tail and hooked with long toes. Poking in the cracks of the scaly bark, it went up, and up, and out of sight. Then in a blur, down it flew, sticking on the vertical trunk as few birds can, to repeat the ascent. At times, it detoured onto the branches where it seemed to prefer walking upside down on the underside, no problem!  I watched, fascinated, until it flew off to the neighbor’s spruce trees, then I resumed my work.

Towards the end of the day in dimming light, I received a tip that the TRUMPETER SWAN family was at the Lagoon. I hurried over to find all six cygnets and both parents feeding quietly at the south end.

The cygnets are as large as the adults, and are thriving under the watchful eyes of their excellent parents. While they still appear light gray, when they stretch, the underside of their massive wings is all white. A few white feathers poke through on their backs. Their pink bills are gradually turning black, starting at the base and the tip, each with varying amounts of pink remaining in between. 

Often, all eight swans were busy underwater simultaneously, apparently able to eat their pond plant salad while submerged. They remained underwater for long minutes, popped up, and plunged down again, their graceful, looping necks moving rhythmically.

It appears the adults are showing their babies all the places to feed, just as they did their previous summer’s four cygnets. This might mean that they plan to spend the winter here together instead of migrating. It will be a long, lean winter, but with the exception of the unmarked power lines, possibly safer than migrating.

Two noisy RUSTY BLACKBIRDS cackled and creaked from the leafless trees along the Lagoon. Nice to see them! A BELTED KINGFISHER rattled low across the water; a chittering BALD EAGLE took off from a cliffside spruce and sailed overhead.  

I checked out the north end of the Lagoon and found, to my delight, a majestic GREAT BLUE HERON standing in the outfall creek with spawning pink salmon, mallards, and gulls. It is remarkable how this elusive, large heron can be here year-round, and yet seen so rarely.

Meanwhile, the whole swan battalion paddled serenely but swiftly from south to north, joining the stealthy GREAT BLUE HERON, noisy gulls, and ducks at the fishy feast at their feet. A perfect ending to a special bird-day.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, September 14, 2015 Bonaparte's Gulls

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:23 am, sunset 8:22 pm for a total day length of 12 hours and 58 minutes. Fall Equinox is just around the corner!

Temps in the mid 50s, flat calm, cloudy with a much appreciated sunny break mid-afternoon. Forecast calls for a chance of rain until Saturday.

Today at the head of the bay, upwards of a 1000 gulls twinkled and flashed in the distance over the tide flats, a raucous mix of GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, MEW GULLS, and at least 3 BONAPARTE’S GULLS.

The first year BONAPARTE’S seemed to make a point of being seen as the trio flew straight for me and soundlessly circled overhead. “See my cute little black bill? My charming dark earspot? The thin, black trailing edge of my wings? Check out my dashing black tail band!” Impossible to ignore this truly handsome, dainty gull with helpful behavior like that.

I think I have seen more Bonaparte’s this year than ever, or perhaps I’m just more aware of them. It’s a gull that deserves a second look.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter