Seward,
Alaska
A
great divide loomed over Seward today; sunny and bright to the north and cloudy
to the south. The sun did not clear that thick gray blanket stretching from the
Gulf of Alaska, and so we could only admire the blue sky and bright snowy peaks
from afar. Freezing temperatures last night frosted the ground and refroze our
ponds and lakes, except at the inlets and outlets, concentrating the waterfowl,
and perhaps forcing some to migrate.
I
managed to refind the tiny flock of sandpipers that I first found on Wednesday.
The dark “mainland” ROCK SANDPIPER was missing, but two light “Pribilof” ROCK
SANDPIPERS blended in nicely with the 6 DUNLINS. Close examination revealed
their slightly larger size, shorter bill, and minute plumage differences.
It
would be easy (at least for me) to miss a dunlin in a flock of Pribilof rock
sandpipers. Actually, it’s easy to miss the sandpipers period as they resemble
little gray brown rocks when they are not moving. This is what makes sandpipers
and gulls so challenging and interesting!
Thanks
to Rich Macintosh and Scott Schuette for helping me to see the differences. I hope my photos will help you!
Happy
Birding!
Carol
Griswold
Seward
Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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