Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 8:54 am, sunrise 6:29
pm for a total day light of 9 hours and 34 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes
and 19 seconds shorter.
Conversely, the nights are
getting longer: 14 hours and 26 minutes for the ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRDS in Seward
(two recently verified) to sit and wait in a suspended state of torpor as the
temp drops below freezing.
Today was blustery, with a
whirling, undecided, raw wind that only increased with speed by nightfall.
Mostly clear skies are forecast for the next five days with corresponding
freezing temperatures at night and gusty, strong winds. Daytime temps are
forecast to be in the mid-30s to low 40s; not bad, out of the wind.
I measured the heat from the
clamp lamp’s 13W compact fluorescent bulb last night and found the temperature
was not much warmer away from the bulb. I decided to move the lamp directly
under the hummingbird feeder to perhaps radiate the heat upwards and be more
effective.
As the daytime temperatures
drop, I will replace the 13-watt bulb with a less efficient incandescent bulb
to give him more heat.
I wondered and worried
whether the Anna’s would accept this new development, assuming it survived the
cold night. This morning at 9:10 am, shortly after sunrise, there he was! He
did freak out, however, dashing in for a quick sip, then backed off to check
for any danger. He checked his reflection on the shiny lamp, and apparently
decided it wasn’t a challenger. For a long time, he would only hover and sip
then zip away.
When I checked again in the
mid-afternoon, he was sitting and sipping, apparently accepting the sunken sun.
Whenever I could check, he seemed to be feeding regularly, dashing off towards
the nearby spruce tree to rest and watch. Like yesterday, he fed well into
dusk, almost to 6:30 pm, a tiny green bump at the feeder, a blur in the
not-so-perky nasturtiums.
As the wind rattles around
the house tonight, I hope he is holding on tight, snuggled deep in the shelter
of the nearby spruce. Can’t wait to wish him “Good morning!”
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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