Saturday, April 18, 2026 FOS Tundra Swans, Cackling Geese!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 6:32 am, sunset 9:23 pm for a total day length of 14 hours and 51 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 24 seconds longer.

As expected, it did not snow as forecast, but rain and snow are predicted for Sunday and Wednesday with over an inch of rain on Thursday. April showers?

I checked out the Mile 1 Nash Road wetlands yesterday. To my delight, seven adult Swans were very close to the road. Another 5 were in the back under the watchful eyes of two adult Bald Eagles. A dozen Swans!

In between the noise of traffic whizzing by, it was so quiet I could hear their bills smacking the water as they slurped up the recently thawed vegetation soup. All were feeding ravenously, except for one. That one, in classic Swan yoga-style, napped with head tucked under wing while standing on one leg.

As I admired the Swans, I began to look more closely. One had a bit of yellow on the bill! A TUNDRA SWAN! I checked the other five; another had even more yellow on the bill! Then, the napping Swan unfurled its head and revealed even larger yellow patches shaped like mirror-image lightning bolts. Three of the seven were Tundra Swans! 

For these wild Tundras to hang out with Trumpeters was surprising to me. For one, there’s a good chance the Trumpeters are residents and have become habituated to cars over the years. Then, to have Tundras who never spent much time at this wetlands ever, to also tolerate traffic and the presence of the larger Trumpeters… Just amazing.

Today, the Swans were farther back, and the Tundras were still there with the Trumpeters.

Yesterday, 25 FOS CACKLING GEESE landed in the intertidal zone. Though they were far away, some showed the white neck ring of the Aleutian subspecies. Several were napping, doing Goose yoga. One Goose stood much taller, possibly a CANADA GOOSE. 

Though the Cackling Geese did not linger, I spotted 11 wary SNOW GOOSE heads peeking above the grass from a swale like white periscopes. I did not see them today. Moving on!

At 10 pm, a SAW-WHET OWL beeped from Little Bear Mountain in the dusk. The stars are already vanishing like the Cheshire Cat’s grin, another sign of Spring.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, April 16, 2026 FOS Arctic Tern, Snow Geese, White-fronted Goose

 Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 6:38 am, sunset 9:18 pm, for a total day length of 14 hours and 40 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 25 seconds longer.

Temps slightly warmer with a low of 30 and a high of 35. 

Though snow was in the forecast, the gray blanket covering the sky only delivered light sprinkles, a southerly whisper of wind, and new spring migrants.

On Monday, a FOS SHORT-EARED OWL shot out of the grasses about 20 feet ahead of me. The AMERICAN CROWS and RAVENS soon found him/her and escorted poor owl out of sight.

Yesterday, FOS flock of SANDHILL CRANES was reported flying over town at 7 am. Later, while watching the clouds of screaming Gulls at the beach, I heard the exciting “chip! RRRRRZZZZZZ!” of a FOS ARCTIC TERN and found the single buoyant flyer high in the sky heading over the bay.

Four GREATER YELLOWLEGS dashed after prey in the creeks and intertidal puddles, their numbers slowly increasing.

This afternoon,19 FOS SNOW GEESE landed in the soggy sedges of the estuary accompanied by a lone FOS GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE! The aptly named Snow Geese looked like snow drifts against the brown vegetation as they eagerly devoured the goodness hidden in the plant roots.

Ice still covers area ponds, lakes, and the Lagoon, but leads are widening and the softening ice is blue-gray. With the gentle but persistent light rain and warming temperatures, the ice is doomed.

Keep your eyes and ears to the sky for the oncoming waves of Cranes, Geese, and Swans. Spring is!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Sunday, April 12, 2026 Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Greater Yellowlegs, Lapland Longspurs, Ducks

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 6:50 am, sunset 9:08 pm, for a total day length of 14 hours and 18 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 27 seconds longer.

Winter and Spring continued to swap places all week with 2” of short-lived snow on Tuesday then sunny on Thursday with temps rising above 40. The forecast favors Winter with temps in the high 20s overnight, rising to mid-30s. Spring wins, regardless, with over 14 hours of daylight and gaining!

The wetlands and pond at Mile 1 Nash Road remained mostly frozen, but five adult TRUMPETER SWANS gathered at the back near a small section of open water. 

The nest failed last year due to high water flooding; these Swans may be the family from the previous year. It will be interesting to watch the territorial drama and winners of the nest sweepstakes over the next few weeks. 

After hearing and briefly spotting very elusive LAPLAND LONGSPURS this past week, I found four who landed and instantly disappeared, perfectly camouflaged against the brown grasses. By taking blind shots of the general landing zone, I managed to get a documentary, but gratifying photo by luck.

I also found and photographed the drake EURASIAN TEAL with his sporty horizontal white stripe, and a very handsome drake EURASIAN WIGEON styling his rufous head with a big white “thumbprint” on the crown. 

Small numbers of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON, GADWALL, NORTHERN PINTAILS, and MALLARDS dabbled nearby in the tidelands.

Hundreds of SHORT-BILLED GULLS and other gulls rose and fell like snow in a blizzard at the tide’s edge when an Eagle swooped across. I watched one adult Bald Eagle stroke low and powerfully after a panicked duck; the duck miraculously escaped.

On sunny Thursday, I heard the much-missed call of a GREATER YELLOWLEGS and finally found him/her standing next to an estuary creek.

On April 6, as the Artemis II Orion spacecraft passed behind the moon on their historic fly-by mission, I happened to find patchy clouds veiling the sun. I took some photos and when I enlarged them later, I discovered sunspots! 93 million miles away! 

From the wonders of Spring migrants to space; what a phenomenal week!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Sunday, April 5, 2026 FOS Pintails, Wigeon, and Teal

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:11 am, sunset 8:51 pm, for a total day length of 13 hours and 40 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 28 seconds longer.

 

A surprise Spring gift of 3 ½” snow blanketed the ground this morning, followed by an apologetic warm sun that did its best to melt it. Calm, temp rising to 40. More snow/sn’rain in the forecast for mid-week, but it CAN’T last.

 

While the past week felt like winter in the morning with north winds, the afternoons shifted to spring with south winds. On April 1, I was thrilled to see my First of Season NORTHERN PINTAILS. Such elegant ducks! Also, a small flock of AMERICAN WIGEON. 

 

I heard GREEN-WINGED TEAL, but didn’t see them until the next day when I found five with the usual MALLARDS and GADWALL.

 

Tasha spotted a EURASIAN TEAL with its distinctive horizontal white bar on Friday!

 

The overwintering flock of 30 ROCK SANDPIPERS was spotted on April 2 and 3, but only 8 on April 4. The tide washed up many colorful Baltic Macoma clam shells. The whole clams are an important winter food of these most northerly non-breeding shorebirds.

 

Also heard, but not seen this week were very flighty SNOW BUNTINGS.

 

The REDPOLLS have completely disappeared, and only a few PINE SISKINS continue to feed at my feeder. Consequently, the resident RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES pop in and out.

 

More southerly winds will surely help the migrants push farther north into our area and hearts.

 

While you’re waiting for Spring, if you haven’t already, check out the extremely creative and entertaining Big Year documentary “Listers: A Glimpse into Extreme Birdwatching,” available free on Youtube.

 

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 Winter mixed with signs of Spring

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:26 am, sunset 8:39 pm for a total day length of 13 hours and 13 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 29 seconds longer.

 

Winter is slow to cede to Spring as overnight temperatures dip below 20 at night and barely rise above freezing in the day. Most ponds and still water remain frozen. The sun blazes brightly, trying hard, but gives off scant warmth against the chilly north wind. 

 

These last few weeks of March, despite the cold and wind, brought joy:

 

a handsome WHITE-WINGED SCOTER bobbing in the waves off Lowell Point Road on March 21; 

 

a final view of a flock of 8 SNOW BUNTINGS walking right towards me as they busily gleaned seeds from the exposed grass on March 22; 

 

an enterprising male ROBIN wading in an intertidal pool at Afognak Beach, snagging invertebrates (possibly amphipods) on March 23;

 

BUFFLEHEAD, BARROW’S and COMMON GOLDENEYES, COMMON MERGANSERS fishing in the harbor on March 25;

 

a LONG-TAILED DUCK swimming with a Common Goldeneye, three HORNED GREBES, a mixed flock of two SURF SCOTERS and HARLEQUIN DUCKS, and two COMMON LOONS preening and diving much farther out at Spring Creek Beach on March 26.

 

Still, there are a few signs of Spring. The most exciting was an AMERICAN GOSHAWK who flew quietly and swiftly directly overhead at Two Lakes Park, on March 24. He landed in a spruce tree, wondering why all the chattering Red Squirrels were suddenly silent.

 

A PIGEON GUILLEMOT in breeding plumage popped up at Waterfall Beach on March 28.

 

Today, I caught a flash of a First of Season LAPLAND LONGSPUR erupting from the beach ryegrass. Several 100s of Gulls, many newly arrived, swarmed the tidelands, a boisterous gathering. The occasional BALD EAGLE flyover stirred them into flight resembling a ruptured down pillow. Ten GADWALL dabbled in intertidal streams, overwintered or possibly new arrivals.

 

Robin C reported a ruckus of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES feeding at the seafood processing fish outfall south of the Harbor Uplands a few days ago.

 

The annual spring die-off of Euphausiids (krill) washed up along the beaches last week. An empty Skate Mermaid’s Purse washed up on Sunday, the tiny skate hatched from its marvelous and tough egg case.

 

Yesterday, I heard my first VARIED THRUSH singing!

 

Like it or not, Winter’s long, cold reign is over. Spring is definitely on her way!

  

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter