Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 7:06 am, sunset 8:55
pm for a total daylight of 13 hours and 49 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes
and 28 seconds longer.
Sunny, cold, and windy March
slipped away under the cover of clouds, passing the baton to unsettled April.
The ever-increasing daylight speaks of Spring in stark contrast to the thick, white
blanket of snow.
Temperatures ranging in the
upper 30s and lower 40s bring day after day of light rain and snow showers. Slowly,
the snow is diminishing, and a few patches of bedraggled ground peek out
beneath the spruce boughs. Feeders remain important and well attended by PINE
GROSBEAKS, PINE SISKINS, CHICKADEES, and other usual feeder birds.
Not expecting any changes to
this scenario, I just about fell over when a flock of 16 geese, mostly CANADA
with a few smaller, possibly CACKLING GEESE flew past gaining elevation,
heading north. Spring!!! Dozens of NORTHERN PINTAILS, a pair of GADWALL, and two
male EURASIAN WIGEON joined the usual MALLARDS, BUFFLEHEAD, and GOLDENEYES in
the melting pond at the head of the bay. Spring!!!
A bazillion gulls rested at
the mouth of the Resurrection River, crying and carrying-on. Small flocks of
HERRING GULLS flew overhead, also shouting about Spring and seemed to be
heading north into the clouds.
I looked down and noticed
several small invertebrates creeping slowly over the ice and through ice melt
water. Bob Armstrong and John Hudson identified them as beetle and moth larvae,
including a ferocious-looking predaceous diving beetle larva with intimidating
jaws. They are tough to survive in that frigid water. Spring!!!
Next, I tracked an
unrecognized sweet little conversation, possibly a song, to the tip of a spruce
branch and found an adult NORTHERN SHRIKE perched contentedly. It looked a bit
disheveled due to the rain, but sang nonetheless. Spring!!!
Over on Nash Road, a pair of
TRUMPETER SWANS was reported on the still-frozen wetlands on April 2, splashing
and trumpeting in the surface meltwater. I refound them on April 5, napping on
top of the ice adjacent to a growing lead of melt water. I call these the
“interlopers.” All winter, they have been tolerated by the resident swan
family, and perhaps one or both are older siblings.
The resident Trumpeter Swan
family is still intact with three cygnets and two fabulous parents. They left
for weeks at a time during the harsh winter, perhaps moving to the open water
of Trail River by Moose Pass or to Kenai River by Cooper Landing. Recently,
they were spotted feeding in the salt water of Resurrection Bay, somehow
finding sustenance.
Soon, I anticipate that the
parents will drive away all interlopers and their beloved, and much confused 11-month
old cygnets to start nesting at Nash Road for the fourth summer in a row. Last
year, the mom (pen) was on her nest by April 5th.
Late at night on my walk
around the block, I heard a GREAT HORNED OWL hooting softly in the light rain.
Other Great Horned Owls are calling in Forest Acres. Spring!!!
Rain, sleet, snow, rainbows,
and sunshine, Spring is here no matter what April throws at us!
Happy
Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
Update: GREEN-WINGED TEAL
arrived April 7!
PS Please be very respectful
of these tired and hungry birds, migrants and winter survivors alike. Take your
scope and use your optics to get close. If the birds show signs of alarm, back
off. They’ve endured a lot and have essential work to do.
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