I couldn’t stand not seeing
ARCTIC TERNS any longer, and made a field trip to Tern Lake, 38 miles from
Seward, at the junction of Hwy 1 and 9.
The traffic next to the road
was noisy and less than idyllic, but it didn’t seem to bother the Terns. I
counted at least 18, flying buoyantly around the lake, skimming the surface or
diving in with a big splash. What a supreme pleasure to hear their confident
cries, and the insistent begging of the youngsters!
Some of the babies are still
in the nest, but several adorable fledglings were out and about, learning to
hover and dive, begging and being fed when fishing was not catching. It looked
like 3-spine sticklebacks were a favorite fast food for the growing young Terns.
It won’t be long before they are strong enough to fly to the ocean and thence
to the other side of the world. Amazing, beautiful Terns!
Another special treat was a
pair of COMMON LOONS, one still sitting on the nest on a little island far from
shore. It seems late, but hopefully their chick(s) will soon be ready to swim
with the parents. I did not see any Bald Eagles, and that bodes well for the
chicks.
A lovely mother LESSER SCAUP
watched over her four ducklings in a small pond along the road. The little ones
dove like pros and came up with bits of pondweed just like mom. When they got
tired, they hopped up on a partially sunken branch to nap with mom in the warm
sunshine.
I spotted another proud Lesser
Scaup mom with nine ducklings in tow swimming in Tern Lake. A female AMERICAN
WIGEON watched me for quite a while, but I never saw any ducklings, ditto a
female GREEN-WINGED TEAL. I know how well the little fuzzballs can hide in the
sedges, and maybe that’s where they all were.
The MEW GULLS dominated the
parking lot area, feasting noisily on scraps tossed by visitors. I counted at
least 16 adults. Young Mew Gulls, still sporting wisps of downy feathers,
floated quietly near protective vegetation, or napped near the nest sites on the
grassy islands.
I tried hard to photograph
the spectacular, large blue dragonflies rattling around their territories, but
failed. I did manage to get photos of a large dragonfly with an injured wing,
resting on a stalk, and a metallic blue damselfly. Fascinating insects!
While I was watching the
dragonflies, a muskrat quietly paddled past on a secret mission.
The Terns et al were totally
worth long drive; I am so glad I went!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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