Wednesday, January 5, 2022 Winter Swans and Sandpipers

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 9:50 am, sunset 4:09 pm for a total day length of 6 hours and 10 minutes. Tomorrow will be 2 minutes and 39 seconds longer.

 

Today was mostly clear with a low of 8º, a high of 18, and a northerly breeze that felt like a zephyr compared to the recent rages culminating with gusts to 53 mph on Saturday.

 

I loaded up the good dogs and headed to Afognak Beach to watch the dawn gently alight on Mt Marathon around 10 am then slowly descend to the homes and buildings perched on the edge of the bay. The surrounding spectacular mountains dwarfed the town. Golden plumes of steam rose from the calm bay.

 

As I walked along, the incoming tide rushed into the channels in the frozen ripples in the sand. It is always startling how quickly the tide fills this rather flat tidelands. Hurry, hurry, hurry! But away from the edge, close to shore, the urgency lessened for a bit. As the sun finally reached me around 11:15, I took photos of the high tide lines etched in ice on the rocks, a reminder of Monday’s 13.6’ high tide, the highest of the year. A bleached soft-shell clam lay open, adorning the icy ripple patterns.

 

A sudden wild trumpeting erupted over the wetlands at the head of the bay. An adult TRUMPETER SWAN and two cygnets flew low from the north, circled over the tidelands, and then flew even lower to join the rest of the family (I hope) waiting for them with joyful cries. From that distance, I could only see a few heads sticking up like periscopes over the banks where they were hunkered down.

 

Last week, I counted 33 Trumpeter Swans including the resident Swan family with 4 cygnets and another family with two cygnets feeding on eel grass in the bay. What meager winter resources for such large birds!

 

I also found about 70 ROCK SANDPIPERS and at least one DUNLIN feeding noisily at the tidelands like friends exclaiming about treasures found at a fabulous rummage sale. I did not find them today and hope they survived the tremendous winds and cold this past week.

 

The tide quickly filled in the remaining distance and I crunched briskly through the thin ice and splashed through the deepening water, grateful not only for my ice grippers and neoprene boots, but the joy of the dawn and beautiful morning.

 

Towards sunset around 4 pm, Robin C pointed out 13 ROBINS feasting on frozen Mt Ash berries in the 300 block of Second Ave. Where were they during the Count and how did they survive the bitter cold and wind? He also relocated the TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE perched on the top spire of a spruce.

 

Around 6 pm, the 13% waxing crescent moon passed the constellation Aquarius with the great, shining globe of Jupiter suspended above, sailing west to set behind Bear Mountain. I imagined the tide, trying to keep up with her gravitational pull, rising and falling all over the Earth in an endless and timeless flow.

 

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

 

 

Monday, December 20, 2021 Seward Christmas Bird Count

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 10:01 am, sunset 3:51 pm for a total day length of 5 hours and 50 minutes. Tomorrow, the Winter Solstice, will be 0 minutes and 6 seconds shorter.

 

Overcast today with a low of 19 and a high of 28. The wind took a restorative nap, planning to return with gust-o this evening at 20-35 mph through Friday. About an inch of snow is forecast for this evening.

 

We await the final results of the Seward Christmas Bird Count as the reports trickle in and Count Week ends tomorrow. Though Count Day was a lovely day to bird, my efforts did not yield many birds or species despite my wishful thinking. The first bird at 9:15 am in the twilight was a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, and also at dusk at 4:11 pm with hope and scattered species in-between. 

 

I was amazed to see so many huge ships in the bay: the 296’ trusty marine ferry “Tustumena” berthed next to the 261’ research vessel “Sikuliaq” in port. The 225’ navigation service US Coast Guard Cutter “Fir” waited finishing touches at the shipyard. And a dark gray 255’ US Naval salvage/rescue ship “Grasp” anchored just offshore.

 

While away on my distant routes, apparently my neighborhood was a hotspot with a NORTHERN GOSHAWK, a NORTHERN SHRIKE, TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, BROWN CREEPER, and a FOX SPARROW! I should spend more time birding at home.

 

I learned that the vacant birdhouse by my sunflower seed feeder provided a refuge to a resident RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH who peeked out cautiously when the Shrike popped ’round to see what was for lunch. Not the clever Nuthatch!

 

But what a pleasure to focus on birds all day. To watch the dark of night gradually disperse, the dawn sleepily awake, the sun slink low across the southern sky, twilight once again steal in, and the starry night reclaim her place. I happened to glance northeastward on my way home when the full moon reeled me back to the Waterfront to admire her rising over the spectacular moonlit snowy mountains. 

 

I found a NORTHERN SHIKE yesterday, and around 5 pm, I heard the steady beep-beep of a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL tooting from the Mt Marathon slope. Today, I found three WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS, a single BLACK SCOTER hen, a species I have not seen for a few years, a PIGEON GUILLEMOT, and a single SNOW BUNTING. Where were they on Count Day? Busy surviving, I know, and not at all concerned about my important checklist.

 

Tomorrow is the last chance to find any additional species for Count Week. I’ll be listening and watching the bird world, enjoying whoever happens to cross paths.

 

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

 

 

Wednesday, December 15, 2021 First Day of Christmas Bird Count Week

Seward, Alaska

 

Sunrise 9:57 am, sunset 3:51 pm for a total day length of 5 hours and 53 minutes. Tomorrow will be 1 minute and 1 second shorter if anyone is counting crumbs.

 

The north wind mercifully diminished to a mere 13 mph, meaning there were places where it couldn’t curl around where you were trying to avoid it. The temp ranged from a low of 9 to a high of 12 with a wan sun struggling low across the southern sky. A few inches of snow are forecast over the next few days.

 

Today was the first day of the Seward CBC Count Week where every bird arbitrarily became more special than usual. It’s fun to focus on birds and know that others are as well. With all those eyes looking, unusual species might pop up.

 

In the quest to find as many species and birds as possible, it’s important to remember that most of the birds are very stressed and hungry in these cold, short, dark winter days. Please take care to search and observe with as little disturbance as possible. Their survival is much more important than a check mark.

 

The first bird (heard) on this first day of CBC Count Week just before sunrise was a cheery PINE GROSBEAK. As the sky brightened, a handsome OREGON JUNCO with more conservatively attired DARK-EYED JUNCOS became visible, hopping and jump-scratching below the neighbor’s feeder. CHESTNUT-BACKED and BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES buzzed in to snatch sunflower seeds from the feeder and hauled them off to open in private.

 

I heard a plaintive sigh and found a cold ROBIN perched high in a cottonwood. It flew down; I believe there were more but couldn’t see them.

 

A nearby Mt Ash tree hosted a dozen PINE GROSBEAKS busily juicing the berries. Among them, to my delight, six BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS tossed down the frozen fruits whole. I haven’t seen any since mid-November. Their colorful waxy feathers glowed in the rising sunlight. 

 

Tasha later counted 42 Pine Grosbeaks in the Second Ave area, and one NORTHERN SHRIKE diving after them.

 

At a known Pigeon feeder site, a SONG SPARROW, dwarfed by feral PIGEONS, ate breakfast with them, unperturbed. STELLER’S JAYS and BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES flew overhead.

 

Tasha and Robin reported two skittish TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRES cruising near the historic Episcopal Church but I did not find them.

 

AMERICAN CROWS, RAVENS, GLAUCOUS-WINGED and SHORT-BILLED GULLS (MEW GULLS) joined the list as I approached the Waterfront habitat. 

 

Over at Fourth of July Beach, I found several dozen Short-billed Gulls. Among a line of ten resting on a gravel bar, a larger, very light-colored gull stood out: a THAYER’S/ICELAND GULL immature. 

 

Seabird numbers were low, but I did find HARLEQUIN DUCKS, SURF SCOTERS, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON and BARROW’S GOLDENEYES, RED-BREASTED and COMMON MERGANSERS, PELAGIC CORMORANTS, and HORNED GREBES. An adult BALD EAGLE soared overhead.

 

At Afognak Beach, Tasha reported a new winter record of 33 TRUMPETER SWANS including the (likely) resident family with four cygnets and another family with two cygnets, a high of 56+ ROCK SANDPIPERS, and a DIPPER.

 

Back home, the female HAIRY WOODPECKER dashed in to dine at the suet feeder, scaring off the resident Song Sparrow, Chickadees, and Nuthatches.

 

Ava reported a possible flock of about 30 Common Redpolls and a Northern Shrike with a remnant tinge of brown immature plumage. 

 

As the short day drew to a close, I tallied 27 species with a list of knowns and unknowns to find over the next week; an exciting bird scavenger hunt with citizen science at the core. 

Have fun and good luck on your Christmas Bird Counts!

 

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Update: two WILSON'S SNIPE reported at the creek on Exit Glacier Road by the Salmon Bake! And 12 SNOW BUNTINGS reported at the end of Nash Road at SMIC (Seward Marine Industrial Center).

Sunday, December 12, 2021 Robins, Varied Thrush, ASLC, cold and wind

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 9:54 am, sunset 3:51 pm for a total of 5 hours and 57 minutes. Tomorrow will be 1 minute and 33 seconds shorter as we approach the Winter Solstice next Tuesday, December 21.

 

Due to over 16-24” of snow and treacherous roads, Kenai Peninsula schools were closed on Wednesday and Thursday, and started 2 hours late on Friday, except Moose Pass which remained closed all day. 

 

Cold weather continued this weekend with an overnight low of 2 and daytime high of 12º today. Going outside, the house door could be mistaken for a walk-in freezer door. The howling north wind at 25-35 mph screamed through town, blowing snow into streamers and piling it into deep drifts. The bay continued to release heat in wind-flattened steam streamers, now around 46º.

 

Fortunately, the forecast calls for gradual warming by Saturday to 30º with a few inches of snow throughout the week and diminishing (but still brisk) wind.

 

The Seward Christmas Bird Count Week starts on Wednesday, December 15 and runs through Tuesday, December 21 with Count Day on Saturday, December 18 (and the full moon).

 

Friday, December 3: I spotted a flock of about 30 COMMON REDPOLLS gleaning seeds from the alders at Lowell Point State Recreation Site. They have been scarce this winter, and I haven’t seen any since.

 

Monday, December 6, during the second day of heavy rain, 22 mph SE wind, and unseasonal temps to 36º, Tasha reported that Ravens stirred up two WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN at the airport. She noted that she would not have seen them otherwise.

 

Tuesday, December 7: I counted 14 PINE GROSBEAKS feeding on Mt Ash berries in my yard. It’s always nice to hear their melodious calls in the predawn twilight and see them in the daylight.

 

Wednesday, December 8, the wind switched to north and moderated, resulting in a lovely winter day. A BELTED KINGFISHER flashed by and hovered for a long minute above an open creek at the tidelands. I hope it found tasty little fish to eat.  In the distance a BALD EAGLE flushed the overwintering TRUMPETER SWANS, about 20. 

 

Thursday, December 9 it snowed over 16”. I refound a VARIED THRUSH at First Lake, hanging out by the open water in the inlet stream to the lake. Robin C. reported six ROBINS in the Mt Ashes and under the spruce trees on Second Ave; I refound them and possibly up to 12 total.

 

Around 10 pm, I wandered around the yard, whacking heavy snow off sagging branches. I gave my deck post a little shake to free the anemometer on top from its snowy shroud. Immediately, a small bird shot out of the swallow box sharing the post and clearly called, “CHICK-A-DEE!” as the BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE landed in a nearby Mt Ash. Whoops! I had no idea the nest box was also a roost box, but I should have suspected as much. I hope it found a sheltered alternative for the rest of the cold night. I put a bunch of sunflower seeds in the nest box for a midnight snack the next night as an apology.

 

Friday, December 10: The 21-mph north wind returned. Robin C. spotted a NORTHERN SHRIKE at Madison and Second.

 

Saturday, December 11: 30 mph north wind and 12-29º.  While watching a slow RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH cling to the suet feeder, an enormous (by comparison) female HAIRY WOODPECKED zoomed in and landed with confidence on the swinging feeder. The Nuthatch either vaporized or zipped off, suddenly energized. The woodpecker fed for several minutes, then just as abruptly, flew off. 

 

Sunday, December 12: So cold and windy! Only the RAVENS seems to be enjoying the wind. I hightailed it to the Alaska Sealife Center to enjoy watching the COMMON MURRES, HORNED PUFFINS, LONG-TAILED DUCKS, and KING EIDERS fly/paddle gracefully underwater after flung fish, air bubbles trailing. A substantial layer of ice covered the viewing window by the gallery. Several aviary birds seemed to enjoy nibbling on the ice.

 

On the way home looking for the Robins, I innocently drove down a neighborhood alley and got stuck in a solid drift posing as fluff. It took some effort with my trusty snow shovel to dig the car out. 

 

As daylight waned around 3 pm, an intrepid snowshoer found a VARIED THRUSH, possibly the same one from First Lake, at the upper end of the inlet creek (Marathon Creek) by the open water of the reservoir at the start of the Bench Trail.

For more information on the incredible Grunt Sculpins, please visit The Marine Detective at https://themarinedetective.com/2012/10/21/grunt-so-happy-to-see-you

 

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter