Friday, March 27, 2015 Spring trickles in

Seward, Alaska

Today is the 51th anniversary of the Great Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami of March 27, 1964.

Sunrise 7:37 am, sunset 8:29 pm for a total day length of 12 hours and 51 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 30 seconds longer.

Mornings this past week started a little cool in the low 30s, and by afternoon the thermometer rose to the high 40s. The forecast was actually vaguely correct: we had a mix of sun for a few spectacular days, then hard, hard rain that dusted the mountains with fresh snow, some wind, but mostly light. It’s the special spring mix of rainbows and southerly squalls that delivers the migratory birds to the melting ponds and brown but budding landscape.

Until recently, it’s been hard to tell if spring was here. Due to the mild winter, the TRUMPETER SWAN family never left, the young GOLDEN EAGLE lingered, a few NORTHERN PINTAILS hung around, as did a small flock of DUNLINS and ROCK SANDPIPERS. The BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES arrived way early, and 2 juvenile RED CROSSBILLS popped up.

Singing is not a good clue as PACIFIC WRENS, VARIED THRUSHES, and PINE GROSBEAKS have been singing since December. The dapper DIPPER sings no matter how inclement the weather seems to us, and the sweet SONG SPARROW seems inspired regardless of the calendar.

All winter, the multitudinous WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS filled the air with their songs, winding up like a musical toy, crank-crank-crank, followed by a torrent of rapid notes. SAW-WHET OWLS took over the night duty, with GREAT HORNED and infrequently, WESTERN SCREECH OWLS. In early March, the DARK-EYED JUNCOS began ringing their little bells. They’ve been here, but had sense to wait.

On March 17, I spotted my first PIGEON GUILLEMOT in breeding plumage, and a GADWALL flew by. On March 18, the first wave of Euphasid krill washed up on the beaches. I don’t know why they die in the spring, but it’s now a usual March event.

On March 21, I spotted my first of spring HERRING GULLS, crying and carrying on in small flocks overhead, glad to be on their way north. RAVEN pairs carried wads of moss and dead grass to line their nests. They know it’s time.

On March 24, I heard five PACIFIC WRENS singing along Tonsina Trail. A few more sing in the morning along the forested slopes of Mt Marathon, and along Lost Lake Trail. That seems like enough birds to include at least a few migrants. 

Today there were a dozen or more NORTHERN PINTAILS feeding with the usual MALLARDS. Robin C spotted a FOS HARLAN’S HAWK.

The squalls forecast for the coming few days bear winged gifts. Keep your eyes open and ears to the sky.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, March 20, 2015 Happy Spring Equinox!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:50 am, sunset 8:12 pm for a total day length of 12 hours and 13 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 30 seconds longer. Today is the Spring Equinox, although Alaska snuck over the 12-hour mark a few days ago.

It felt like a mild spring day too, with calm winds, a lightly veiled sun high in the sky, and temps in the high 40s. The ice on local lakes and ponds looked gray and soggy. A few insects, maybe early hatch stoneflies, fluttered about. The usual assortment of rain, snow, and sun is in the forecast, all well within the parameters of Spring.

It’s always a treat to watch RED CROSSBILLS. They remind me of jeweled Lovebirds with their radiant colors, short legs, stubby tails, large heads, stout beak, and amusing antics. Today I found two juveniles with a first year male and two females. The drab, streaky juveniles look remarkably like oversized Pine Siskins with a big bill. Apparently, one juvenile was not appreciated by the young male, who drove it off with a hissing warning and angry, wide-open beak. The young Romeo then cozied up to a female and spent a little quality time with her, prying old barnacles apart in the sunshine. The arrival of a handsome NORTHWESTERN CROW frightened them all away.

I wandered down to the Seward harbor to watch the COMMON MURRES paddle about like little put-put boats, doze in the warm sunshine, preen, and dive. When they popped up, they made a soft liquid sound, "blip!" There are many dozens of them, most in winter plumage, but a few are in chocolate-backed breeding plumage. The green water was so clear, I could watch the murres flying underwater. In the distance, I saw a BALD EAGLE fly off with a murre snack pack in its talons. Those napping murres are marked birds.

One harbor finger seemed empty, when suddenly a sea otter emerged, paddling backwards towards me with an octopus spread over its belly. What a prize! I wonder where it found such a large octopus? Another sea otter popped up behind its head and a near collision was avoided when the diner exploded into a dive and swam under the dock to another area. That is the price for swimming backwards without a rear view mirror! The second sea otter got busy harvesting mussels from under the dock, audibly crunching and smacking, then deftly spun the shells off.

I quietly followed the first otter and enjoyed the spectacle of it thoroughly relishing this gourmet meal that draped the otter from neck to tail. The octopus was rubbery and very elastic; it was amazing to see how far it would stretch before snapping. The otter frequently spun over, often with one or two long, pinkish tentacles trailing around its body. Its sharp, white teeth had no trouble peeling the meaty suckers off the tentacle, and the amorphous white head seemed to be a particular favorite. It was a little disconcerting to see what seemed to be the octopus eyeball, one that once saw in color; such an incredible, smart mollusk.

A lovely spring song burst forth from a SONG SPARROW hidden amidst the fishing boats, speaking for us all, happy to be here, welcoming Spring.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, March 16 2015 Big, wet storm with thunder!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 8:11 am, sunset 8:02 pm for a total day length of 11 hours and 51 minutes as we approach Spring Equinox. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 30 seconds longer.

The cold snap snapped, the wind took a tiny nap then switched to the south, and the temperature rose from single digits to the mid to high 30s. Morning snow morphed to sn’rain, then sleet, steady rain, and then a medley of assorted squalls punctuated by a peal of thunder this afternoon. The blustery wind hit speeds of 52 mph gusts. Exciting to watch but not an easy time to be at sea!

The birds are busy making a living, ie surviving as best they can. I spotted two glowing orange VARIED THRUSHES speckled with raindrops, sorting through the wet leaves and duff under the spruce trees with JUNCOS in my yard today. These thrushes have likely been here for the winter; even at a frigid 9º they sang.

Out on the bay, the sea ducks bobbed and dove under the white-capped, frothing waves. Many flocks took to the air, flying from the boat harbor to the bay and back, spooked by hungry BALD EAGLES careening overhead. I looked for pelagic species blown from the Gulf without luck, but with this big a storm, it’s likely something interesting will show up.

The Lagoon is still mostly frozen, but in the widening opening, I spotted two female SCAUP with the usual COMMON GOLDENEYES and COMMON MERGANSERS. Visibility was very poor, but Robin C reported two GREATER SCAUP in the bay yesterday.

Last night, in the lull, the SAW-WHET OWL called from the Mt Marathon slope. I haven’t checked the Lost Lake Trailhead owls recently, but maybe they took the opportunity to be heard as well.

Check out the fascinating live-time wind current website at http://earth.nullschool.net Zoom in, zoom out, go all around the globe.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, March 12, 2015 Black-legged Kittiwake water print

Seward, Alaska

This afternoon, I practiced photographing erratic BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES in the harbor as they plunged into and under the water, grabbing herring. 

I chanced to get an exciting once-in-a-lifetime shot, a water print of the kittiwake. As the bird dove headlong, the water splashed up in the almost perfect shape of its tail and outstretched wings. It looks like an ice sculpture!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Wednesday, March 11 Bald Eagles fish and feast on herring!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 8:26 am, sunset 7:50 pm, for a total day length of 11 hours and 23 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 30 seconds longer.

Even colder and windier today, starting at 13º this morning, rising to the low 20s. The NW wind cranked up to 19-25 mph with frequent gusts to 39 mph, increasing in ferocity, blasting away anything loose and some items that weren’t. All the loose snow was swept off the surrounding mountains; no more streamers for the wind to twirl.

In the warmer bay, huge schools of Pacific herring spoke of spring. Tight flocks of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES followed the bait balls, like small snow squalls, white swirls diving into the white-capped waves. Rafts of COMMON MERGANSERS, COMMON MURRES, BARROW’S GOLDENEYES, and SURF SCOTERS bobbed on the frothing waves and dove after the fabulous feast.

Among them were dozens of BALD EAGLES, supported by the wind, effortlessly hovering over the bounty, ready to grab talons-full of silvery fish. After a successful grab, the giant raptors rose up and ate one herring after the other midair, bending over to touch their toes. I counted at least 30 Bald Eagles, mostly adults, fishing and soaring, some just specks high in the blue sky. It was a most amazing sight!

Normally, the effort required to hover over potential prey is quite limited, and the eagles must make frequent trips to shore to rest. The powerful wind, however, transformed them into hovercraft, capable of almost unlimited fishing time, alternating with soaring to eat and rest.

Check out the show if you can and bring your binoculars to see the action up close. It’s quite the spectacle!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter