Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 8:36 am, sunset 4:45
pm, for a total day length of 8 hours and 9 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes
and 1 second shorter.
Sunny, but the brisk, NNW
wind today gusting to 33 mph, whisked away the 41ยบ warmth. Out of the wind, it
was very pleasant. A big storm with high winds and snow is forecast for tomorrow.
The winter gates on Exit
Glacier Road (Herman Leirer Road) are due to close soon, so we seized the
opportunity to cruise out to Kenai Fjords National Park in the comfort of my
car on this beautiful day.
Within a minute’s walk from
the parking lot, the friendly park ranger pointed out two mountain goats
grazing in the alder zone on the nearby mountainside. Without any snow (yet),
and no leaves, they really stood out against the brown and tan vegetation.
An odd bird flew between the
closed Nature Center and restrooms. Good grief! Another EUROPEAN STARLING! I
suspect this might be the first record for Exit Glacier. The adult, in fresh
fall plumage, checked out the walkway in front of the building, then flew off.
We walked around one of the
loops admiring spectacular Exit Glacier in the distance and at our feet, tiny
islands of green, mossy rocks festooned with lichens surrounded by frosty alder
and cottonwood leaves. We heard a BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE and watched a PINE
GROSBEAK fly overhead, calling. Otherwise, it was pretty quiet.
Returning to the Nature
Center, we refound the silent Starling striding with big steps, thoroughly inspecting
the entrance grate by the front door. That job completed, it flew up to the
ventilation grill above the door, then back down to patrol the area between the
benches, and up again in the porch beam. I wonder if it found anything edible
such as dead insects or food crumbs?
If I didn’t know this was a
Starling, I would have been enchanted. Not only was it industrious and
apparently fearless, it was gaudy but beautiful. Petite white hearts cascaded
down its iridescent green-blue-purple front and spangled its back. Tight rows
of white-tipped purple and blue feathers crowned its head and fanned out around
the face, framing the bright, black eyes. The dark wing and tail feathers were
neatly outlined in a pleasing mocha brown. To complete the attire, the legs and
toes were deep red, like fancy leggings and matching shoes.
According to the Cornell “All
About Birds” website, these are the fresh feathers. By spring, the white tips
are worn away leaving the glossy dark, iridescent, brown feathers. This is an
unusual plumage change called “wear molt.”
I admired its plucky
perseverance, lost in the wilderness of the national park with winter knocking
at the Nature Center door. I can almost sympathize with the Shakespeare
enthusiasts including Eugene Schieffelin who released 100 of these non-native, intelligent,
beautiful birds in New York’s Central Park back in 1890-91.
Who could have guessed that
they would now number over 200 million birds all across the continent to far
away Alaska? Or that they would aggressively compete with native birds for nesting
holes in trees, and negatively impact the US economy and ecosystems?
Stifle any feelings of
revulsion and watch the YouTube video
“Amazing Starlings Mumuration”
filmed in UK. It’s astounding!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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