Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 9:47 am, sunset 4:29
pm for a total day length of 6 hours and 42 minutes.
Tomorrow will be 3 minutes
and 53 seconds longer.
Spring-like temperatures and
rain conspired to wipe out the last vestiges of snow these past several days,
except for tiny remnant patches. Stubborn ice, however remains on streets and
trails. After a week of clouds and precip, the sky cleared last night and
Seward rejoiced in a warm, sunny day today with a high of 37 F.
100% chance of rain for
Tuesday and most of Wednesday with winds to 13 mph. Keep those feeders filled;
the birds really appreciate the fuel!
I only added 5 species to my
2018 list: a handsome male VARIED THRUSH, one RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, a HAIRY
WOODPECKER, Ava’s RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, still hanging in there, and one
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK for a total of 43 species.
Yet, it was a thrill when
first 3, then 5, then another 5, and more and more ROBINS for a total of 21
flew directly overhead on the dawn walk on Monday, January 8. On Wednesday, 13
Robins packed into a narrow strip of exposed grass along the sidewalk leading
to the Post Office. COMMON REDPOLLS frisked the nearby alder cones for tiny
seeds. Busy patrons walked past, apparently not even aware of this delightful
sight.
On Friday and Saturday, while
100 mph winds pummeled the Barren Islands and a gigantic low roared across the
Gulf of Alaska, Seward was spared the wind, protected by the surrounding mountains and
barrier islands. BARROW’S GOLDENEYES and HARLEQUIN DUCKS rode the surf, curling
and breaking along the shore, neatly diving at the last second as the frothing
curl cascaded overhead.
A birder reported seeing the
drake HOODED MERGANSER at Stash and Store Pond yesterday. Ava reported FOURTEEN
TRUMPETER SWANS, including TWO pairs of adults with two cygnets (a new winter
record) at a pond at the head of the bay today. Wow! My car is at the shop,
otherwise I would have raced over to see that!
But the best bird experience
was totally unexpected. Around 5 pm on Tuesday, just when twilight was
seriously turning to night, I happened to be on the back deck. A Chickadee (Black-capped
or Chestnut-backed, too dark to tell for sure) popped up and scolded first from
the Mt Ash, then over by the elderberry bush. I wondered what was the matter?
Then suddenly, the tiny bird flew up and into the empty swallow nest box mounted
on a post at the end of the deck. A roosting box! How special! And I realized
the problem was me! Oops!
The next evening, I made sure
to be near the deck, but not too close before 5 pm. Sure enough, at 4:57 pm,
here came the little sprite, almost a silhouette, and without any fanfare,
zipped into the nest box. A minute later, another Chickadee materialized and it
too, zipped into the box. I was so excited and pleased to think of these two
little puffs keeping each other warm, side by side in the repurposed nest box.
The bigger mystery remains of
where all the other birds sleep, but at least I figured out the secret of two!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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