Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 8:43 am, sunset 4:39
pm Alaska Standard Time, for a total day light of 7 hours and 56 minutes.
Tomorrow will be 4 minutes and 55 seconds shorter.
On this mild, calm day, light
rain morphed into heavy rain by evening. Continuing heavy rain is forecast with
lows in the high 30s and highs in the mid 40s for the next week. Bah!
After the terrible election
results last night, birding was a perfect antidote. I celebrated refinding all
five resident Trumpeter Swans, including Daddy’s Girl feeding close to her daddy.
They had successfully flown from the Lagoon, where they have been delighting
passersby for the past several days, to the pond at the head of the bay. The
three remaining cygnets look healthy and strong. Such excellent genetics and parents!
At the tidelands, I noticed two
juvenile MEW GULLS feeding at the edge of the tide. Nearby was a busy flock of
25 sandpipers! I was able to edge close enough to get photos and a better look
without making them fly. At least 4 DUNLINS fed alongside the two subspecies of
ROCK SANDPIPERS, all in winter plumage.
It was fun to hear them
chattering as they rapidly probed the silty mud for lunch. Brief squabbles
broke out over favored dining spots or personal space, hard to tell. It was such
a pleasure to welcome them back to Seward, and I hope they stay for the winter,
or at least until the Christmas Bird Count on December 17.
I labeled my photos to identify the Pribilof and the Aleutian subspecies; if anyone has corrections, please let me
know.
The juvenile male ANNA’S
HUMMER seems to be spending most of his time at my neighbor’s down the block.
When I have seen him briefly, he zooms off in a diagonal beeline for her unheated
feeders. With the warmer temperatures, and his apparent distain for creature
comforts, I turned off the light. I keep the 4 watt nightlight feeder warmer on
in case he changes his mind. What a tough puff!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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