Seward, Alaska
The adventure started on
Sunday for birder Luke DeCicco of Anchorage who was simply hiking back from a nice weekend at the Alaska State Parks Callisto Canyon public use cabin in Caines Head State Recreation Area south of Seward.
Close to the cabin, he
spotted a Flycatcher actively hawking insects from various perches and got
excellent looks at the cooperative bird. Luke identified it as a WILLOW
FLYCATCHER, a rare bird listed as “casual” with less than a dozen verified
sightings in Alaska. Much to his dismay, he did not have a camera to document
the sighting.
Undeterred, Luke drove back
to Anchorage, and accompanied by his camera and Scott Schuette, drove down to
Seward on Monday morning. The public use cabin is only accessible by water, or
by an intertidal Coastal Trail. The 12.7' high tide was at 12:52 pm, so the daring duo had
several hours to wait for the tide to recede and uncover the beach trail.
Time to bird Seward! First
exciting bird: a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER at Benson and North Star in a Mt Ash.
No sap wells were seen, and the bird flew off. This rare bird is also listed as
“casual”.
On my way to try to find the
sapsucker, I chanced on Luke standing along Dairy Hill Lane by the Lagoon. I
pulled up, he pointed into the alders and willows, and I hopped out to see a
Life Bird, a WESTERN PALM WARBLER! First Palm Warbler for Seward, and probably
for the Eastern Kenai Peninsula. Very exciting find! The bird proved elusive,
but did pop up briefly a few more times.
A NORTHERN SHRIKE nearby,
harassed by a couple of BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES, probably did not help. It’s a
dangerous, scary world for a lost bird without any buddies.
Scott flushed a WILSON’S
SNIPE from the nearby wetlands. Another Snipe has been reported at mile 3.5
recently. Very late for these shorebirds. Scott also found a YELLOW-RUMPED
WARBLER and a LINCOLN’S SPARROW with a mixed flock of CHESTNUT-BACKED
CHICKADEES, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, and DARK-EYED JUNCOS on a subsequent walk
around town, between Madison and Adams, in the alley between First and Second
Avenues.
PACIFIC WRENS were heard or seen frequently; a ROBIN sang sweetly at
the top of a cottonwood. PINE GROSBEAKS flew over and called melodiously.
At one point, I spread
sunflower seeds from a handy little container in my pocket onto my outstretched
palm and instantly attracted nearby Chestnut-backed Chickadees and a
Red-breasted Nuthatch that took turns at the mobile bird feeder. What
a thrill to feel their tiny feet on my fingers and look into their bright,
curious eyes!
As the tide began to ebb,
Luke and Scott headed for the Tonsina Trailhead at Lowell Point and starting
hiking south along the 2.1 mile Tonsina Trail to the south end of Tonsina Point. By 3 pm, the
tide had receded just enough for them to start hiking along the Coastal Trail on
the slippery beach rocks.
Meanwhile, I was lucky to
catch a ride with friends on a boat to Callisto Canyon. I was dropped off at 3:40 pm and
started checking the dry stream by the cabin, surrounded by silent spruce
festooned with green moss. After about 20 minutes when I reached flowing water
without spotting a single bird, I called Luke. He and Scott had hiked the
remaining 2.5 miles and were almost there! I turned back to meet them along the
beach. Scott decided to scout the stream while Luke searched the leafless thickets
of salmonberries and elderberries near the beach.
At 4:23 pm he spotted the
WILLOW FLYCATCHER! It flew up a short distance to grab a flying insect, and
went immediately back into the brush. Luke miraculously managed to
get some decent photos in the dim light and obscuring branches. Yea!
Scott rushed over, but the
bird was not to be found. We waited, listening and watching all along the beach
as the daylight seeped away. Despite our best efforts, the bird was not to be
found.
At 6:30 pm, when all hopes
were dashed by the deepening dusk, we complied a list of birds for the Callisto
Canyon Cabin journal:
Willow Flycatcher!, Harlequin
Ducks, Surf Scoters, Barrow’s Goldeneyes, Horned Grebes, Pelagic Cormorants,
Bald Eagle, Black-legged Kittiwakes,
Glauous-winged Gulls, Common
Murres, Belted Kingfisher, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Ravens, Chestnut-backed
Chickadees, Pacific Wren,
Golden-crowned Kinglets, Song
Sparrow, Pine Grosbeaks.
It was dark by 7 pm when we
spotted the green and red running lights of my friend’s boat zooming around the
point. Dead low tide of -1.5' made for a tricky landing and departure, but after some
effort, we were once again afloat and heading back to the lights of Seward,
quite relieved not to have to hike back 4.6 miles in the dark.
I then dropped Luke and Scott
off at the Tonsina Trailhead parking lot, and off they went, back to Anchorage,
120 miles away. Quite an exciting day and a wonderful adventure!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward, Alaska
