Sporadic Bird from Seward, Alaska : March 2012

Saturday, March 31, 2012: FOS Black Oystercatcher

Seward, Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise 7:33 am, sunset 8:41pm, length of day 13 hours, 17 minutes; tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 30 seconds longer.

Weather: Scattered clouds and peek-a-boo, warm sunshine. Temps remained in the high 30s to low 40s, keeping the snowmelt somewhat under control with 90% of the snow yet to go. A brief south breeze and light rain popped up yesterday afternoon then blew away, returning the bay to mirror calm.

Friday, March 30

Harbor Uplands: 2 BLACK SCOTERS hung out with 2 SURF SCOTERS, all handsome, colorful drakes. A HERRING GULL stood, then sat amicably on a piling adjacent to a BALD EAGLE that pointedly ignored the intrusion into its personal space.

Saturday: I motored down Lowell Point River trying not to generate a wake, and squeezed through recent small avalanche slides to reach Lowell Point Beach. A sea otter swam leisurely along next to the road. Farther out, a PIGEON GUILLEMOT in striking breeding plumage, black with a white wing patch, floated peacefully all alone.

Just off the beach, a COMMON LOON preened its newly emerged black and white spangled back with a head still adorned in winter feathers. Changes are happening fast!

I wandered down to the rocky intertidal area, now at low tide. Scanning the apparently empty, seaweed-strewn rocks, I envisioned the migrants soon to come. Suddenly, there was one! A big black bird with a long red bill! First Of Season BLACK OYSTERCATCHER! What a treat! It poked among the rocks and pried off a large limpet and other snacks. I hunkered down to enjoy watching it for about 10 minutes until a beach walker with a dog alarmed the bird. Off it flew with a loud ringing WHEEP! Lowell Point, despite its enticing habitat, has too many loose dogs and summer activity for this wonderful bird to nest here anymore. But early in the spring and in the fall, we are lucky to see them, if only briefly.

Back at home, a neighbor brought over an odd, desiccated collection: a smashed robin, flattened Bohemian waxwing, shriveled mouse, old bait herring, a hunk of congealed fat, and a dried up piece of bread. What do these have in common? He found them when he opened up his truck's air cleaner, all jammed against the air filter. The only entry point was the air intake duct opening several feet away. Very mysterious! After ruling out the Butler with the Candlestick, I guessed that a red squirrel, a known bird killer, stashed these delectables in the air cleaner when the truck was parked for spring break. A Musher with an Axe suggested a weasel might have done the deed as there were no spruce cones in the mix. The mystery continues. Too funny!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, March 29, 2012 Tour: Ring the Bay

Seward, Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Weather: Remarkable calm continued. Temps in the upper 30s. Heavy gray skies in the morning dissipated by midday to fabulous warm sun, then gradually returned to cloudy skies by evening. Snow melted like crazy, ran down the streets and replenished the whale-sized lakes. Of note, gas is up to $4.69/gallon.

As temperatures rise, accessibility to Fourth of July Beach and Spring Creek Beach on the east side of the bay is increasingly more difficult due to deep slush and intimidating puddles. I could not reach Fourth of July Beach, but I was able to scan the large rafts of seabirds just offshore from the boat basin. Among the 100+ SURF SCOTERS were 2 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, a sprinkling of COMMON and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, BARROW'S and COMMON GOLDENEYES, HARLEQUINS, PELAGIC CORMORANTS, and surprisingly few GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS.

The Spring Creek Beach parking area was not plowed, but I parked just off the road and post-holed in. As I approached, an adult BALD EAGLE flew low across the snow-covered wetlands with grass trailing from its mighty talons, heading straight for its huge nest.

Along the beach, I found a beautiful bronze-colored "mermaid's purse", the amazing egg case of a Skate. I hope the little one emerged, unfolded its wings, and fledged safely into its mysterious underwater world. Beach flies erupted from the melting margin of the beach snow, freshly thawed and ready to go. A Steller Sea lion cruised by, exhaling noisily, only pausing briefly to check us out. Scanning to the head of the bay, I found a mother lode of gulls sitting along the beach by the mouth of Resurrection Bay like a white snow drift, waiting for herring or euchalon?

I did not find the Hooded Merganser south of the Harbor Uplands this evening but was pleased to find 3 BLACK SCOTERS, all males. Also small numbers of SURF SCOTERS and BARROW'S GOLDENEYES. Two COMMON LOONS paddled serenely along the shoreline, diving frequently.

Over 50 NORTHWESTERN CROWS gathered in the bare cottonwood trees. Some took advantage of the road puddles to enjoy a cold bath before bedtime. A small group flew over to quietly but intently watch me as I enjoyed my picnic supper. The crows are pairing up; some groomed each other as they waited for snacks. None came, and as the shadows lengthened they lost interest and flew off.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Wednesday, March 28, 2012 Lapland Longspurs and Hooded Merganser

Seward, Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise 7:32 am, sunset 8:33 pm, length of day 13 hours, 1 minute; tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 29 seconds longer.

Weather: Spring took charge yesterday gently transforming the last gasp of snowflakes into light rain and bid Winter a firm adieu. Then she turned the thermostat up to just above freezing and raised it further to the low 40sº today, allowing the sun to beam forth for several cheery hours. A pair of adult BALD EAGLES circled overhead, lazily spiraling in the deep blue sky. What a sight! Rivers of snowmelt burbled down the streets, free at last! and pooled into unnamed lakes at every low spot, trapped by sagging snow berms. Breakup will be especially tough this year as too much snow with nowhere to go is suddenly freed to flow and flood.

Yesterday I spotted a PIGEON GUILLEMOT in full breeding plumage floating expectantly with BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, MEW and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS, a few SURF SCOTERS and GOLDENEYES in front of the seafood processor on Lowell Point Road.

Out at Lowell Point Beach, two COMMON LOONS and a PACIFIC LOON in winter plumage paddled and dove. A large raft of about 35 HARLEQUINS warily worked the tideline. One BALD EAGLE swept out to the bay and back, probably loaded with bait fish as before.

Today, small slides closed Lowell Point Road in the early afternoon, trapping several vehicles on the other side until city crews arrived to clear the snow. I hastily made a U-turn and headed for another beach. It was extremely quiet until four LAPLAND LONGSPURS flew past and landed in the dead sedges, likely the same birds that I spotted on March 24^th.

A hot tip from a friend led me to the Harbor Uplands in the early evening. The gorgeous drake HOODED MERGANSER, accompanied by a lovely COMMON GOLDENEYE hen, paddled close to shore. Several very handsome drake Common Goldeneyes took a keen interest in the rivaling Romeo, and one tried to lure Juliet away to no avail. Either she's wasting her time, or she's hoping for some cute little hybrids.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, March 26, 2012 Signs of Spring

Seward, Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise 7:38 am, sunset 8:28 pm, length of day 12 hours, 50 minutes; tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 30 seconds longer.

Weather: After the surprise mini-blizzard and local white-out conditions on Friday, the weather improved considerably by noon on Saturday. Sunny skies and temps in the high 20s to mid 30s continued through Sunday. Brilliant Venus dimmed the stars well past 10 pm but I missed the heralded fingernail moon riding between Venus and Jupiter.

The clouds quietly gathered today, playing peek-a-boo with the sun. The wind slept soundly, leaving a perfectly flat calm bay. It was eerily still. By afternoon, enough clouds had ganged up to squeeze out some snowflakes, but it didn't amount to anything. No matter how much snow remains in our future, spring is definitely in the air. I found a Sitka willow budding out and a mosquito in my car!

It seemed fairly quiet at first with regards to both the wind and birds at Lowell Point beach today. But thanks to the flat calm, I finally spotted 2 MARBLED MURRELETS far out on the bay. They are so small, even a small wave can hide them. Scanning with binocs also produced 1 PIGEON GUILLEMOT, several COMMON MURRES, a RED-NECKED GREBE, and a PELAGIC CORMORANT. About 30 HARLEQUINS rafted up near the shoreline.

A small but noisy flock of gulls over a bait ball out in the bay attracted 3 adult BALD EAGLES and 2 juveniles. The adults repeatedly flew out and grabbed fistfuls of fish, possibly large herring. They flew so low coming back, their powerful wings almost touched their reflection in the water.

A local kayaker launched from the beach to enjoy a paddle, followed a bit later by another local rowing a single shell. A Steller's sea lion cruised by, then a harbor seal popped up. It was so peaceful. Even the 3 NORTHWESTERN CROWS were uncharacteristically quiet. I watched one stroll along the beach, selectively eating a few of the numerous krill that had washed up.

Two friends led me to an unusual, fascinating but gruesome sight. Not a murre this time, but a RAVEN, recently killed, plucked, and eaten by an eagle. (I presume.) I can't imagine why the raven let itself be caught or the fearsome struggle that ensued. The wing marks and divots in the snow told a story I could only partly translate. The ending was very clear, however. Somewhere nearby is a sad raven, missing its mate. The promise of life and the specter of death teeter on the same coin.

A sea otter paddling backwards and rolling enjoyed a meal along Lowell Point Road. I looked for the four Mt Goats I saw yesterday up on the cliffs without success. The kid that was reported looked like a one-year old, not this year's, and was very cute.

Several dozen BARROW'S GOLDENEYES took baths in the fresh water flowing from Lowell Creek. I noticed the same event attended by more than 50 Goldeneyes at Scheffler Creek by the harbor uplands.

Later in the evening around 7:30 pm, I heard the cry of gulls from my house, another sound of spring. I couldn't resist checking it out. Nothing at the cannery, nothing near shore. Finally I found a scattered flock, not flying but floating in the middle of the bay, carrying on loudly. I wonder if they are advertising the arrival of more bait fish/herring? As more halibut and black cod boats deliver their catch to the processors, this cry of spring will continue late into the ever shorter night.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Saturday, March 24, 2012 FOS Lapland Longspurs

Just after high tide today, I surprised 3 LAPLAND LONGSPURS feeding in Lyngbye's sedges at the tidelands. The birds, though changing into their striking breeding plumage, blended almost perfectly into the drab brownish vegetation.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, March 23, 2012 Moose and Mt Goats

Deep snow has forced moose and mountain goats off the mountains to find food. The first mountain goat was spotted about 30 feet above Lowell Point Road on March 15^th. Up to four have now been reported, including two separate reports of a nanny with her kid. The usual birthing time is the second week of May! It's just amazing to see these "mountain ghosts" in the forest above the road, calmly looking down, eating young spruce needles, dead grass, and alder twigs while oblivious motorists zoom past.

The neighborhood momma and bull yearling pair seems to have split up. This morning, I glanced out the window before leaving the house for the morning walk. Yikes! The massive moose filled the window, as she strolled down the driveway and disappeared behind the garage. I leashed up the good dog and eased out of the house, camera in hand. She turned to check us out, then resumed reaching for cottonwood branches for breakfast with her mobile muzzle. Judging from the two generous piles of moose droppings in the driveway, she spent quite some time munching on the willows there.

Watching for moose and goats sure adds a lot of interest to being outside!

Happy Mammal Watching!

Carol Griswold

Sporadic Bird and Occasional Mammal Report Reporter

Tuesday, March 20, 2012 On Vacation in Seward

Seward, Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Weather: Another sparkling but chilly day with a brisk north wind and temps in the mid to high 20s. Spring continues Winter's legacy, though the sun rides high and bright.

I tucked into Lowell Point Beach at noon to escape the wind. A Frenchman sat on the snow, heating water on his little camp stove to make soup. He marveled at the spectacular scenery, a mountain goat he had watched crossing the immense avalanche above the road, two Steller sea lions, and HARLEQUIN DUCKS swimming close by. As I punched through the snow and sloshed through the tide, (no bare beach exposed today!) two SNOW BUNTINGS flashed over the snowy expanse and disappeared. So quick!

I counted about 40 HARLEQUINS, paddling along in small flocks, feeding a short distance away in the floating wrack at the high tide line. A juvenile BALD EAGLE lazily circled overhead, judging his chances of Harlie for lunch, and decided against it.

At low tide around 5:30, I packed a picnic supper and drove to the east side of the bay to enjoy the western sunshine. The seafood processing bird feeder attracted a glitter of gulls including BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, MEW GULLS, and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS. A long raft of dark SURF SCOTERS contrasted dramatically with the white confetti of gulls. Mixed in the mayhem were HARLEQUINS, COMMON and BARROW'S GOLDENEYES, COMMON and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, HORNED GREBES, RED-NECKED GREBES, PELAGIC CORMORANTS, and COMMON MURRES.

The road to Fourth of July beach was plowed and thanks to the cool temps was firm and slush-free. NORTHWESTERN CROWS busily picked through the rocky intertidal area at the east end. I watched several clever crows fly up and drop blue mussels on the rocks to break them open. Nearby, rafts of BARROW'S GOLDENEYES snorkled and dove as close to the rocks as possible.

The retreating tide deposited thousands of fresh krill, aka Euphasiids, along the sandy, sheltered swales. I wish I had brought crackers! They were salty with a delicious shrimp flavor. Apparently the birds prefer other food as I saw no evidence of them feeding on these mini-shrimp.

A sudden roaring snapped my attention to a dozen Steller sea lions, thrashing and splashing just off shore. Fish on! As a couple with their two dogs walked down the beach, they reared up, watching the land mammals with curiosity, surged away, resurfaced and roared, then reared up to peek again. The enormous bull dwarfed all the other sea lions surrounding him. What a splendid sight!

I checked the boat basin one more time on the way back. The gulls et al were still at it, feeding in a frenzy. A pair of COMMON MERGANSERS flew in to the basin to join four COMMON MURRES and a sea otter. They tucked their bills under a wing, signaling the close of another busy day. The blue wave troughs alternated with ribbons of gold crests from the low sun, setting behind Mt Marathon at 7:30.

Along Nash Road, I spotted the big brown haunch of a moose feeding just on the other side of the tall snow berm, and yet another a mile farther on. It's still hungry-time for land animals, but spring is definitely on the way.

I feel so lucky to live here; it feels like a vacation without the airfare!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter