Sunrise 9:29 am, sunset 4:50
pm, for a total day length of 7 hours and 20 minutes. Tomorrow will be 4
minutes and 37 seconds longer.
Our first snowfall of the
year on Thursday was pathetic, not even covering the tips of the still-green
grass blades. Under cover of darkness, a scant inch of snow fell, giving the
plows something to practice on. When it warmed just a few degrees all that
potential turned to cold rain and ice. Bah!
Today, the blasting north
wind returned and the temperature again dropped to the mid-20s. A deeper plunge
into the teens with strong north wind 20-35 mph with gusts to 50 mph is forecast
for tonight and Sunday. The wind sure makes it miserable for humans and birds
alike.
Whether rain, snow, sleet, or
clear, there are four VARIED THRUSHES that sing every morning in my
neighborhood, sometimes in chorus. It is a bit odd, but inspiring nonetheless,
and their striking orange and black coloration brightens any day. About 15
ROBINS were here this morning with a few VARIED THRUSHES, chased around by five
STELLER’S JAYS who had nothing better to do.
I checked the Mile 1 Nash
Road wetlands this afternoon and found the TRUMPETER SWAN family of four at the
back near a bit of open water. The cygnets and one adult were napping on the
ice, heads tucked into their warm feathers, braced against the fierce wind. The
other adult was feeding, but kept a watchful eye over its family. It’s a tough
time and bound to get worse when the wetlands freeze completely.
Ava’s Place is now an
official eBird Hotspot, and with good reason. I enjoyed watching her increasing
flock of scrappy little PINE SISKINS scrabble for sunflower seeds on the ground
with the much larger PINE GROSBEAKS. Nervous, they repeatedly flew frantically
up to the nearby cottonwoods and then quickly returned, another false alarm.
With this many birds, there’s likely to be a predator around, but I didn’t see
one.
One of those return flights
delivered a handsome AMERICAN TREE SPARROW with his bicolored black and yellow
bill, “tie-tack”, and warm chestnut browns. He hopped about, dodging the
siskins, grabbing whatever bits he could find.
Another flurry included the
PURPLE FINCH, so much larger than either the tree sparrow or siskins, and with
such a chunky bill. He seemed quite comfortable feeding on the ground with the
rest of the mixed flock, and often, perhaps dangerously, chose to stay rather
than beat a quick exit with the others.
Recently, Kit and Janet D saw
a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET dash in and out among the regulars. One never knows what
will show up at Ava’s!
Even a little icy snow makes
scavenging harder for the birds and the feeders are a welcome source of
calories; keep yours full of sunflower seeds and suet. And if you enjoy Ava’s
birds, please consider bringing some sunflower seeds to share with all those
hungry birds.
Happy Brrrrding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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