Monday, March 20, 2023 Happy Spring Equinox! (and bird report)

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 8:00 am, sunset 8:12 pm for a total day length of 12 hours with a 11-minute bonus. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 30 seconds longer as we surge towards Summer Solstice. Spring Equinox today at 1:20 pm!

March came in like a lion and kept right on roaring, dumping snow until our arms were ready to fall off shoveling it off roofs, driveways, and paths. Responding to a berserk thermostat, the temperature plunged, rose into the mid 30s creating slush and deep puddles, and wobbled up and down, spewing snow, graupel, sleet, and rain with occasional bursts of warm sunshine.

I seized a brief respite at the tidelands as the morning haze retreated to the surrounding glowering gray clouds. A pair of white TRUMPETER SWANS paddled down an intertidal creek to the bay. Two black RAVENS relentlessly chased a third, no escape, back and forth across the sky, the only other motion in the otherwise quiet, monochrome landscape.

The snow-laden clouds couldn’t wait any longer and resumed their work as I turned to walk back. Suddenly, “criiickk, criickkk, chew, chew!” Two SNOW BUNTINGS landed at the tide’s edge with the snowflakes. Then more, and more and more. I guesstimated about 50, the continuing flock, though it was hard to discern the small black, white, and tan birds in the snow and beach sand.

They poked and probed right along the edge, reminding me of shorebirds. I finally got a photo of one with a marine worm wrapped around its bill. None of the beach rye stalks have seeds anymore, so they switched to marine life from the bountiful sea.

I enjoyed watching them feed in this new-to-me habitat, then rambled off. Ahead, a flock of MALLARDS napped as the tide gently lapped ever higher up their orange legs. They slowly pushed off and floated away.

Back at the Harbor Uplands, a single GREAT BLUE HERON stood momentarily on the obsolete Big Dipper coal loader then awkwardly launched into flight, long neck and legs outstretched on the descent.

At home, despite the snow and squalls, I heard a DARK-EYED JUNCO trilling its spring song. The sun is ever higher, and hope is in the air.

Happy Birding!
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Carol Griswold

 

 

 

 

Friday, March 3, 2023 Boreal Owl (sad)

Seward. Alaska

Sunrise 7:52 am, sunset 6:30 pm, for a total day length of 10 hours and 37 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 20 seconds longer.

March came in like a lion, roaring, with NNW winds 14-18 mph, gusting up to 40 mph. Temperatures continued chilly with a low of 9 and a high of 17. Out of the wind, if one could find such a spot, the bright sun felt warm and promising. In a surprise move, the forecast predicts rising temperatures of 32 on Sunday, 37 on Monday, and 40 on Tuesday!

This afternoon at Afognak Beach, 17 TRUMPETER SWANS, including cygnets, hugged the cobbled, wave-dashed south shore, at times standing on the beach. Tossed by the wind, thirty-some ROCK SANDPIPERS blew up and fluttered down at the edge of the ebbing tide, feeding furiously. A dozen MALLARDS huddled nearby may have provided windbreaks as they too sought calories.

Somewhat sheltered in the boughs of spruce trees, two BALD EAGLES rested, always watching, in the sunshine. A chatty MAGPIE supervised one, just out of reach. Four RED CROSSBILLS bravely perched at the tips of the spruce, feathers blowing in the wind.

It all seemed normal for this blustery winter day until a friend alerted me to a dead BOREAL OWL, discovered at the base of a large spruce tree around 12:30 pm. Shocking! I refound the little owl, a handful of fluff with a yellowish beak, white dots all over the head, and larger white spots on its back and wings. Her feather-clad feet were soft as a cat’s, but the black talons on the business side were sharp and the soles heavily textured for grip. 

Owls have zygodactyl feet, with the second and third toes in front and the first (like our big toe) and fourth behind. Unlike woodpeckers, owls can rotate the outer fourth talon from the rear to the front.

Her eyes were sunken, the head tilted to the side, and the tail was bent upwards; otherwise, she seemed uninjured in regards to an attack. She may have lain there for a day or two. I wondered at her fate. Did she starve, unable to find enough voles with the weather challenges of deep snow, wind, and cold? Weighed with a postage scale, she was just over 4 ounces, which did not seem too abnormal. A normal female is much heavier at 4.6 to 6.3 oz compared to a male at about 3.8 oz.

Boreal Owls are uncommon for this coastal area; more likely found north of the Mile 12 Divide. NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS are expected here instead. They have been calling at Bear Lake and other areas north of town. I haven’t heard any in town yet.

This winter has been tough for Owls. I’m still hoping and listening (whenever the wind stops) for my neighborhood Saw-whets. Now I know there might be a Boreal around too.

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, February 27, 2023 Swans, Bufflehead, Jellies

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 8:14 am, sunset 6:19 pm, for a total day length of 10 hours and 15 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 28 seconds longer.

Sunny, windy, and chilly: 4º low, 14º high; NNW wind 4 to 11 mph with gusts to 29 mph. Out of the wind, the bright sun felt warm. Northern lights last night were incredible; the aurora forecast is high tonight as well until clouds move in.

I again checked Afognak Beach and tidelands for any sign of the Snow Buntings and McKay’s Bunting without any luck. Instead I found the small flock of RED CROSSBILLS busily scavenging among the beach rocks. No flies this time of year, but they must have found something of interest. Others sang from the nearby spruce tops. 

No PINE SISKINS today, but yesterday I found about six. One twittered nonstop like a canary. The Siskins and Redpolls have been very scarce so far this year.

A dazzling BUFFLEHEAD drake, flashing magenta, greens, and blues as the sun caught his dark head, escorted two demure hens adorned only with an elongated white patch on each side of her brown head.

At the outlet of Salmon Creek, nine TRUMPETER SWANS preened and deliberated about their eel grass lunch. Finally, with much stretching, head bobbing, and honking, two rose up, wheeled into the wind then swooped and flew south with a tailwind over to the eel grass bed. The rest soon followed, trumpeting excitedly. What a thrill, these wild, magnificent Swans!

Although I have untold numbers of Jelly photos, I could not resist the incredible light on the frozen confections displayed on the tide flats; they looked scrumptious!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, February 24, 2023 Red Crossbills

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 8:12 am, sunset 6:12 pm, for a total day length of 9 hours and 59 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 27 seconds longer. 

Blue skies and sunshine returned today with a low of 22 and high of 30. NNW wind 3 to 8 with gusts up to 19 mph. Icicles dripped in the warm sunshine; reliable crocuses in town poked through the snow! BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES sang a spring song! More sunshine in the forecast with cooler temperatures until snow/snow showers return midweek.

I enjoyed listening to the “jipp, jipp, jipp” of a small flock of RED CROSSBILLS this morning at Afognak Beach. Initially, two were high in a spruce top, but they obligingly swooped down at eyelevel for photos. One seemed to be sipping meltwater from a branch, leaning upside down to hold that amazing crossed bill open to intercept the drops.

Red Crossbills seem to come in many assorted warm, tropical colors. According to the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds, most Red Crossbill males are reddish though their color varies; they always have red or yellow on the throat. Most females are yellowish olive, but may show patches of red; their throat is always gray. Though one of my birds was reddish and the other yellow-gold, they both had gray throats marking them as females.

A flurry of SNOW BUNTINGS swirled across the upper tide flats, making a cameo appearance before disappearing.

Off in the distance, I heard the wild trumpeting of, of course, TRUMPETER SWANS feeding on eel grass in the bay. I counted 16 after three flew in from the Resurrection River mouth. When passing the snow-covered Nash Road Mile 1 wetlands, I did not see any Swans at the back. Soon, a pair will be staking out their claim on this valuable nesting site. 

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Update: Tasha reported one McKay's Bunting with the flock of 82 Snow Buntings, observed up close at 5:30 pm, foraging in the beach rye grass at about the same location past the Point at Afognak Beach.

 

Wednesday, February 22, 2023 Cedar Waxwing, Pacific Wren

Seward, Alaska

The wind died down yesterday, and birds materialized. Three BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS briefly landed and chirred at the top of a spruce tree then flew off. In the six-hundred block of Second, a single ROBIN plucked dried up, frozen Mt Ash berries from an almost depleted tree. Then another Robin flew in, then another, and another, and another until there were about a dozen hopping from branch to branch seeking fruit.

One flew to a nearby home and landed on the south-facing gutter where melting snow created a birdy spa. Soon, all twelve Robins were lined up in the gutter, splashing and sipping water in the sun. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera but it was a quite a sight!

Today, human Robin C called about a CEDAR WAXWING in the four- hundred block of Second Ave. The little lost bird perched quietly in yet another almost-stripped Mt Ash, occasionally reaching for a shriveled berry. A few Robins joined it. A STELLER’S JAY did not scare it off, nor did a passing school bus. It seemed tired, or perhaps, just quietly digesting those cold berries in its tummy.

A STARLING flew in, also without disturbing it. I was amazed at the beauty of the much-maligned Starling. Still in winter plumage, its iridescent black, purple, green, and magenta body was meticulously patterned with white chevrons like an expensive tailored suit. I could almost understand why the species was introduced to North America: smart, beautiful, and Shakespeare-approved. Despite these attributes, I hope the species does not establish itself here.

The Cedar Waxwing eventually flew across the street and landed under a spruce tree where it found something of interest, maybe a small bit of meltwater to drink. Earlier, Robin C also observed it hawking for insects, which seemed unlikely until I saw an insect fly past.

I believe this is the first winter sighting for Seward: I have reports from September 2013, October 2012, 2016, and 2020, and November 2017. 

Next stop was Two Lakes Park where I spied a very small, dark bird dashing between the lower trunks of spruce trees near the Second Lake picnic area. A PACIFIC WREN! I watched it alight effortlessly on the side of the tree trunks like a Brown Creeper and poke and probe in the potato-chip bark for invertebrates. Although the light was by now dim, I took a few documentary photos. Seward usually has a few overwintering Pacific Wrens, but this is the first for me this winter.

Earlier in the day, I refound the 34 overwintering ROCK SANDPIPERS, likely accompanied by a Dunlin or two at the head of the bay. As I was leaving, a flock of about 50 SNOW BUNTINGS flew right over my head! So beautiful against the blue sky!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter