Seward Alaska Sporadic Bird Report
Sunrise 6:21 am, sunset 9:32
pm; length of day 15 hours, 10 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 24
seconds longer.
Our amazing 11 day run of sunshine and blue skies ended abruptly this morning under gray skies. The thermometer cautiously inched upwards, slightly below
freezing at night at 30ยบ, and up to the low 40s daytime. Not much to brag about
and there's still a LOT of snow on the ground. The wind shifted back to the
north after a few days of calm and then southerly, bringing a feeble burst of
spitting snow this afternoon with gusts to 26 mph. It can't last!
This morning, I heard a
cheery ROBIN singing a spring song! I haven't even seen a Robin for most of
this year. The VARIED THRUSHES continue to sing, loud and strong, and JUNCOS
trill. A WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, decked out in full, bright white stripes, also
sang its full song for spring. The COMMON REDPOLLS and PINE SISKIN numbers have
dropped steadily these past few days from 100s to less than 50. It seems there
are a greater proportion of Siskins to Redpolls. Now it's time to let the
feeders run out before the emerging bears find them.
Time too, to find, wash, and
fill the hummingbird feeders to take their place:
Boil 4 cups water, add 1 cup
white sugar, stir, and let cool. Do not add red food coloring as it may cause tumors and
is unnecessary. Clean feeder and change solution frequently to avoid black
fungus. Tip: swish soapy water and a few tablespoons of BBs around in feeders
with narrow openings to break up any fungus or dirt.
I received the first notice
this afternoon around 1 pm: the first SANDHILL CRANES flew over Seward heading
north!!! Another wave was spotted around 2:30 pm. Then around 5:30 the phone went
nuts. 50 CRANES landed on the beach at Lowell Point, right in front of the
cottages, and nervously tried to feed with resident BALD EAGLES stirring them
up. Apparently this didn't last long and soon they took to the air again,
circling over the bay, deciding where to go next.
I watched wave after wave of
CACKLING GEESE and SANDHILL CRANES emerge out of the dark gray curtain hanging
over Resurrection Bay. It was stupendous to hear the bugling of the cranes,
such excitement!
One flock in the foreground,
another behind them, and yet
another skein of tiny dots in the distance, weaving its way up the bay. Though the lighting was
terrible, I could see the long outstretched necks and feet; such enormous
wings, flapping regally or held rigidly as they slipped air to glide down.
The flocks of geese
interspersed with the waves of cranes did not honk like Canada Geese; their
bills were small, their necks were short. Some were quite small with dark
bellies, perhaps the B. minima. I think they were all CACKLING GEESE.
What's that? "Tew!
Tew!" Six GREATER YELLOWLEGS flew past in a hurry, their surprisingly long
wings working hard. How wonderful to see and hear them again!
May the weather improve for
our beautiful bearers of Spring, and may they find bountiful food, and peace to
rest up for the remainder of their long journey north. Welcome back!
On the way home, I found the
handsome male HOODED MERGANSER swimming in the ever-widening open water of the
Lagoon. I am glad to know he is still here.
Other news:
NORTHERN GOSHAWK
flew over First Avenue and into the mountains yesterday morning. In the
afternoon, I heard a PACIFIC WREN scolding at Two Lakes Park.
One SWAN reported at Mile 1 Nash Road wetlands on Thursday.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
