Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 6:16 am, sunset 9:45
pm for a total day length of 15 hours, 29 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes
and 18 seconds shorter.
The clouds rolled in on
Saturday, delivering much needed water for this coastal rainforest.
Temperatures fell to the mid-50s, which feels normal. However, the forecast
calls for partly cloudy this week with temps in the high 60s to low 70s.
Yellow leaves contrast with
the otherwise green landscape; can it be fall already?
Today at the head of the bay,
I heard a raspy, descending “KEEERRRRR!” and looked up in time to see a
HARLAN’S HAWK launch from a spruce treetop and execute a wide circle. The vocal
hawk did not sound quite like the robust Red-tailed Hawk used to speak for the
Bald Eagle in the movies. The sound reminded me more of that made by blowing
across a blade of grass stretched between one’s thumbs.
Another hawk cried from
another treetop. This one was mottled with white and looked like a juvenile. It
flew to closer to the adult and another perch, out of sight. Six or more FOX
SPARROWS flew between willows. A dozen ROBINS clucked as they crossed from
spruce trees to elderberry bushes.
This spring, I watched a
Harlan’s gather fistfuls of grasses, ostensibly for a nest, but after that
burst of activity, no one reported seeing any hawks the rest of the summer. The
first Harlan’s Hawk I spotted since then was on August 4, vocalizing loudly as
it flew just above treeline on Mt Marathon. It is possible the hawks nested
here, undetected, but maybe they are just migrating through.
Yesterday, I checked out the
Lagoon by Dairy Hill Lane across from the boat harbor. It’s always interesting
there, and especially in late summer, when King, Chum, Reds, and Pink salmon
are returning to spawn. Silvers will be coming soon. Carcasses litter the shallow
areas, their primary mission completed.
Now their mission is to feed
the birds, then fertilize the Lagoon, streams, and nearby forest. I did not see
any Eagles, Ravens, Crows, or Gulls feasting on the carcasses. Instead, I
watched a motionless SPOTTED SANDPIPER standing intently on a large, smelly
specimen. I wondered, do Spotted Sandpipers eat rotting fish? In an instant, I
got an answer. At least for now, this bird was nabbing and feasting on blow
flies.
Another li’l bobber came
walking along the shore, trying to catch random flies on the sand. The obvious
success of the other lured him over, but the first sandpiper would have none of
it, and gave chase. That one salmon was not the only carcass and surely there
was no shortage of flies, but sharing was not on the agenda.
The second sandpiper
continued to follow the first from one carcass to the next, but was always
chased away. Maybe it just didn’t quite understand how to catch a fly. There is
an art to fish flying.
Of interest as well, is whether
birds eat the blow fly larvae/maggots. It seems the maggots flee the light and
are well hidden, unlike the adults. Perhaps a more aggressive bird like a gull,
crow, or raven would be able to find this rich food source inside the carcasses.
When it looks like they are eating salmon, look closer.
Incidentally, blow flies may
infest certain bird nests. Check out this website for more information http://www.birdblowfly.com/infested.html
A splash! drew my attention
to a BELTED KINGFISHER, that successfully caught a small fish and flew up into
a nearby willow to eat. Nearby, in the shallows, a GREATER YELLOWLEGS and a
GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL tried their luck at fishing too.
It was great to see the
Kingfisher. A resident at Bear Lake recently reported four Kingfishers chasing off
a MERLIN. Might have been the whole family.
Lots happening on the Nature
Channel!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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