Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 7:33 am, sunset 6:45
pm for a total day length of 11 hours and 12 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5
minutes and 30 seconds longer.
A huge storm blew in on
Thursday, delivering at least a foot of snow to Seward and double that to Moose
Pass and points north. No more exposed dead grass! The birds are feeding hungrily at
feeders, attracting feathered bird feeders. More snow and sn’rain is in the
forecast for the next week as temperatures dance around 32º.
An odd chatter caught my ear
this morning. At the top of a cottonwood perched an adult NORTHERN SHRIKE,
casually assessing the possibilities for breakfast at a nearby bird feeder hot spot.
Later in the day, I flushed a
dark bird from a tree at Two Lakes Park. Fortunately, it flew to another tree nearby
and landed on the trunk. Despite the blowing snow and dim light, I was able to
get a decent look and photo: a female AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER! This
species is more typically found north of Seward, such as the nesting pair at
Mile 12, so it was quite a treat to find her here.
This evening, while shoveling
snow off the back deck, the local renter showed up at her usual check-in time of 5:30
pm, scolding me about the racket and disturbance below. I was surprised that
the BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE wanted to roost with more than an hour of daylight
left. But the PINE SISKINS and COMMON REDPOLLS had also mostly disappeared from
the front yard feeder, so maybe 5:30 is bedtime for many birds.
But not for the Shrike. I
heard him chattering across the alley and while I hoped he had a successful day
and a full belly, I also hoped that he had not noticed my little Chickadee. I’m
rather fond of him/her!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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