Sporadic Bird from Seward, Alaska

2019 Seward CBC Results Checklist

Count Day: January 4, 2020

Count Week: January 1–7, 2020

Carol Griswold, Compiler

15 Bufflehead

26 Bunting, Snow

1 Canvasback

28 Chickadee, Black-capped

2 Chickadee, Boreal

29 Chickadee, Chestnut-backed

4 chickadee unknown species

14 Cormorant, Pelagic

8 cormorant unknown species

3 Creeper, Brown

2 Crossbill, Red

702 Crossbill, White-winged

125 Crow, Northwestern

8 Dipper, American

24 Duck, Harlequin

1 Duck, Ring-necked

10 duck unknown species

41 Eagle, Bald total

31 Eagle, Bald adult

5 Eagle, Bald immature

5 Eagle, Bald unknown age

1 Eider, King

5 Gadwall

253 Goldeneye, Barrow’s

60 Goldeneye, Common

5 Grebe, Horned

2 Grebe, Red-necked

81 Grosbeak, Pine

1 Grouse, Spruce

61 Gull, Glaucous-winged

1 Gull, Herring

36 Gull, Mew

3 Gull, Thayer’s

2 Hawk, Sharp-shinned

1 Heron, Great Blue

1 Hummingbird, Anna’s

36 Jay, Steller’s

88 Junco, Dark-eyed (Slate-colored)

64 Junco, Dark-eyed (Oregon)

3 Kingfisher, Belted

68 Kinglet, Golden-crowned

4 Kinglet, Ruby-crowned

CW Kittiwake, Black-legged

1 Loon, Common

1 Loon, Pacific

1 Loon, Yellow-billed

60 Magpie, Black-billed

168 Mallard

279 Merganser, Common

1 Merganser, Hooded

19 Merganser, Red-breasted

5 Murrelet, Marbled

25 Nuthatch, Red-breasted

2 Owl, Great Horned

1 Owl, Northern Saw-whet

2 Owl, Short-eared

224 Pigeon, Rock (feral)

1 Ptarmigan, Willow

2 ptarmigan unknown species

114 Raven, Common

461 Redpoll, Common

1 Redpoll, Hoary

44 Robin, American

15 Sandpiper, Rock

1 Sandpiper, unidentified

1 Scaup, Greater

18 Scoter, Surf

1 Shoveler, Northern

1 Shrike, Northern

298 Siskin, Pine

3 Sparrow, American Tree

2 Sparrow, Fox

4 Sparrow, Golden-crowned

CW Sparrow, Lincoln’s

11 Sparrow, Song

CW Sparrow, White-throated

7 Sparrow, White-crowned

4 sparrow unknown species

4 Swan, Trumpeter

1 Teal, Green-winged

69 Thrush, Varied

47 Waxwing, Bohemian

13 Woodpecker, Downy

8 Woodpecker, Hairy

1 Woodpecker, Three-toed

2 Wren, Pacific

162 unidentified species (mostly redpoll and siskin flocks)

72 Species for Count Day, 3633 total individuals

3 species for Count Week: Black-legged Kittiwake (2),

Lincoln Sparrow (1), White-throated Sparrow (1)

2019 Seward Christmas Bird Count: Anna's Hummingbird!

Seward, Alaska

The north wind screamed, steam rose off the white-capped bay, the thermometer hovered in the mid-teens, heavy overcast threatened snow, the sun rose at 9:54 am and set 6 hours and 11 minutes later at 4:06 pm.

Tucked in the woods, a tiny Anna’s hummingbird perched on top of his sugar water feeder, inspiring and humbling the bundled-up 2019 Audubon Seward Christmas Bird Count volunteers.

Winter storms postponed the Count twice, hoping for better weather that never came. As we reached the last possible Saturday on January 4, a small craft advisory with a heavy freezing spray warning, north wind to 25 knots and seas 5 feet effectively canceled the Resurrection Bay survey. That cut out about 15 square miles of the Count Circle centered at Nash Road and the Seward Highway.

Nonetheless, 17 intrepid field counters collectively drove 79 miles, walked 16 miles, skied 4 miles, snowshoed 4.23 miles, and hand-cycled 3.5 miles, starting in the predawn hour of 8 am to the darkness of 5:30 pm. Eight feeder counters collectively watched their feeders for 30 hours.

In addition to the incredible Anna’s hummingbird, other exciting discoveries awaited. A Canvasback, Northern Shoveler, and a Ring-necked Duck made the Count for the first time. A remarkable 4 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, another species that should have migrated, endured the cold winter. Owls were well represented with 2 Great-horned Owls, two surprise Short-eared Owls, and a Saw-whet Owl.

Varied Thrushes seemed to be everywhere this winter, scoring a record 69 birds. Robins weren’t far behind with 44, almost reaching the previous record of 49 in 2001. Twenty-six Snow Buntings, which hadn’t yet been seen this winter, popped up at Tonsina Point.

17 species only had one individual including Green-winged Teal, Greater Scaup, King Eider, Hooded Merganser, Spruce Grouse, Willow Ptarmigan, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Yellow-billed Loon, Great Blue Heron, Three-toed Woodpecker, Northern Shrike, and a Hoary Redpoll. Only 4 Trumpeter Swans were seen, down from 11 last year.

The highest count was 702 White-winged Crossbills, close to the 2015 record of 855, mostly concentrated in Old Mill Subdivision. Honk if you see these birds on the road getting gravel. Pine Siskins and Common Redpoll numbers seemed to be increasing over the past few weeks, with 298 and 481 respectively. These irruptive species were mostly absent last year.

In all, 72 species and 3633 birds were counted, plus three additional species for Count Week, the 3 days before and 3 days after Count Day. This is 16 species more than the 61 species and 1649 more birds than the 1984 birds counted in 2018, a low count year.

Many thanks to the dedicated volunteers who spent many hours and effort to look for birds and keep track of statistics for this citizen science effort. Special thanks to Captain Mike Brittain for standing by, ready to safely transport the boat team around Resurrection Bay in the trusty M/V Dora.

Thanks to Resurrect Art Coffee House & Art Gallery for graciously hosting the birders before and after the Count.

The long winter is far from over. Keep those feeders full of sunflower seeds and suet. And sugar water, if you happen to have a hummingbird!

Happy Birding!

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter and Seward CBC Compiler

Carol Griswold

Sunday, January 5, 2020 Feathered Thugs

Seward, Alaska

A couple of thugs, those two sleek RAVENS. They leapt into the air over their prone victim, wary and watchful. Then boldly landed in unison, pecked hard, and leapt again in case. Gleeful, giddy, thrilled, and self-congratulatory. Up, then back down. I could tell they were up to no good.

I screeched to a stop, clambered out of the car, and raised my arms. Whoosh! Off flew the bullies in a panic, colliding in their haste.

Lying on his belly in the pure white snow lay a beautiful and very much dead, male SHORT-EARED OWL. His outstretched tawny wings fluttered in the cold north wind, as if willing its master to once again take flight. His enormous eyes were wide open; the black pupils dilated despite the bright sunshine, leaving only a rim of yellow fire around them.

I gently turned him over, folded his wings, and picked him up, stunned by how little he weighed. The thugs vastly outweighed him. One Raven is almost 3 ½ times heavier: 2.6# to 0.75 #, and armed with a deadly, strong beak.

I imagined the hungry Owl wafting about the vacant downtown lot on this cold, sunny afternoon, looking for a tasty vole, shrew, or even errant house mouse. Suddenly, the Ravens, not picky about species, spied their mortal enemy and gathering courage, dove down and struck. A struggle ensued, told by the broken slabs of crusty snow, the mayhem of tracks, and wing marks. No blood marred the scene, just the sad body of the Owl and a few loose feathers.

At times like this, Nature is hard to witness. The beautiful owl’s death seems criminal, but the perpetrators cannot be blamed or brought to justice. How I wish I was there sooner!

Bird on,

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, January 2, 2020 Mt Ash Bonanza!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 10:01 am, sunset 4:03 pm for a total daylength of 6 hours and 1 minute. Tomorrow will be 2 minutes and 7 seconds longer.

Temps in the low teens today shrank the snowflakes to shivering pellets that blanketed the sky to the ground. The snow showers and flat light made driving challenging, but I wanted to survey the Mt Ashes around town.

What a bonanza! Even non-birders noticed the variety of species plucking Mt Ash berries in the snowstorm: VARIED THRUSHES glowing like lit jack-o’-lanterns, puffy ROBINS, PINE GROSBEAKS in sunset hues, ever elegant BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, and even a few sleek, black NORTHWESTERN CROWS. I found them at Resurrect Art on Third and at the Alaska Sealife Center, though any Mt Ash with berries is bound to attract them sooner or later.

While watching the berry-eaters, I spotted a small flock of COMMON REDPOLLS nearby, hanging upside down off of alder cones, extracting the tiny seeds. These are the first Redpolls I’ve seen in a long time.

I briefly glimpsed the red, (interior) FOX SPARROW and two WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS at Second and Madison, along with more bright VARIED THRUSHES, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, STELLER’S JAYS, and a PIGEON.

Yesterday along the Waterfront, I found a large raft of COMMON MERGANSERS with at least two female RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS swimming close to shore, buffeted by the cold south wind. The female KING EIDER paddled along with them just on the edge of the raft. Great to know she’s still around!

In a nearby parking lot, I found an adult THAYER’S GULL standing behind GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS huddled forlornly on the snow. The Thayer’s Gull had a small bill, bright pink legs, heavily brown-streaked head and neck, and black primaries with large white spots.

Other January 1 reports: Sadie found a LINCOLN’S SPARROW at Ava’s Place with 2 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS. John and Robin found a female HOODED MERGANSER at Clear Creek by the Pit Bar.

Robin reported a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW at a friend’s feeder. The incredible male ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD was documented on January 1 by Robin and today by John. He puts all whiners to shame!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, December 30, 2019 King Eider female!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 10:03 am, sunset 3:59 pm, for a total daylength of 5 hours and 56 minutes. Tomorrow will be 1 minute and 37 seconds longer.

35º with sprinkles most of the day, and steady rain this evening. Icy and slushy. Tomorrow is forecast to be even warmer at 43º , 100% chance of rain totaling 1-2”. New Year’s more seasonal forecast is snow showers at 22º.

Just before sunset around 3:30, alert local birder Kristen spotted a female KING EIDER hanging out with three SURF SCOTERS just offshore along the Waterfront. She believes this is an adult female based on her binocular views and experience as an avian staffer who works with King Eiders daily at the Alaska Sealife Center.

Luckily, I was nearby watching gulls, including a THAYER’S, and NW Crows. After she tipped me off I was excited to see the Eider and pleased to get some diagnostic photos in the dim light.

Never know what’s going to pop up next!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, December 27, 2019 Seward CBC postponed again

Seward, Alaska

The Seward Christmas Bird Count is postponed To Be Announced due to very challenging winter weather and other considerations. Thanks to all for your patience, flexibility, and interest!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward CBC Compiler

Wednesday, December 25, 2019 No Common Pochard

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

On Monday, December 23, Sulli Gibson of Anchorage drove down to do a little birding in Seward. On his way out of town, he stopped at Bear Lake, 7 miles north of Seward, to check out the Canvasback and Redhead with the Greater Scaup that Tasha had reported on Saturday, December 21.

In the failing light on an overcast afternoon with snow flurries, Sulli found the Redhead and Greater Scaup, but after confirming his digiscoped photos, corrected the Canvasback to a rare Eurasian species, a male COMMON POCHARD! This is the second record for the Kenai Peninsula, the first being in 1981 in Homer.

I and two other local birders converged on Tuesday as the dim light grew slightly brighter around 11 am. We did refind the COMMON POCHARD actively diving with a mixed flock including one REDHEAD, 14 MALLARDS, about 30 GREATER SCAUP, 2 BUFFLEHEAD, about 6 BARROW’S GOLDENEYES, and 2 COMMON GOLDENEYES.

Unlike the large Canvasback, with a length of 21” from the tip of the bill to the tip of the tail, the Common Pochard is a small sea duck, at only 18”. The Redhead is slightly larger at 19”. A Mallard towers over all at 23”. No wonder the Mallards could bully the Common Pochard as Tasha observed; they’re bigger!

All males of the three species have a reddish head and neck, light gray back and sides, black tail, and black breast. In addition to size, the diagnostic feature of the Common Pochard is a light gray patch in the middle of the upper bill, with a black base and tip. The Redhead bill is shorter, lacks the black base, and is tricolor: mostly pale blue with a thin white band bordering a small black tip.

Given the tough viewing conditions of dim light, distance, waves, snow (heavy at times), ice, and wind, it’s amazing that anyone even saw these ducks. But with perseverance and luck, it was actually possible to discern the small red-headed, pale diving duck with the gray saddle patch on its bill.

This morning, the first day of the new Christmas Bird Count Week, I excitedly drove out to Bear Lake to look for the COMMON POCHARD, REDHEAD, GREATER SCAUP, GOLDENEYES, BUFFLEHEAD, and MALLARDS. To my great disappointment and amazement, all I saw was ice. Bear Lake froze up tight last night.

It's a mystery what happened to all the ducks when the ice suddenly closed in and froze in the night; did they fly in the dark? Did they know where to find open water and Resurrection Bay?

The next best hope is to look for the flock of ducks in the bay. The area south of the Seward Harbor uplands by Scheffler Creek is a good possibility, though I didn't see them there or anywhere along the waterfront from the cruise ship dock out to Lowell Point this afternoon.

After Sulli Gibson's post, it was like winning the lottery to see the mega rare Common Pochard. Two birders from Australia drove down from Anchorage to get a glimpse and another bird for his Big Year before they flew to Adak today. A birder from Arizona tried. Kenai birders arrived at the same time the snow storm hit. A handful of local birders saw it. And now it could be anywhere.

Tick tock. Time is fleeting to count this rare duck for the 2019 Seward Christmas Bird Count. Keep your eyes peeled!

Good luck!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter