Seward, Alaska
Interminable clouds, squalls
of heavy rain, fresh snow on the ground and mountains, cold wind…Everything but
the welcome mat greeted exhausted, hungry migrants, often flying in just ahead
of the next dark and foreboding squall. Equally bad and worse conditions
continued farther north so they lingered for days, feeding voraciously,
refueling and resting.
Thursday, April 26: two
TRUMPETER SWAN cygnets back at Lagoon. Head of the bay: 100s of GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED and CACKLING GEESE, NORTHERN PINTAILS, NORTHERN SHOVELERS, 2 pair
GREATER SCAUP, MALLARDS, GADWALL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON. Four
WILSON’S SNIPE, dozens of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS.
Friday, April 27: Highlight
of day was 36 majestic TUNDRA SWANS arriving from the north, perhaps after a
good look at the new snow and low clouds in Turnagain Pass. A short time later,
a small flock of 15 more flew in, again from the north, for a total of 50! They
were so excited! Many pairs faced each other, whooping and yodeling, bobbing
their heads up and down, and stretched their powerful angel wings. Others partially
raised and lowered their wings as if ready to erupt at any second, heads
stretched high; some took that energy and gave chase.
Finally, they settled down and
began feeding in earnest. Rafts of ducks, including a striking male EURASIAN
WIGEON, paddled among them snatching up loose tidbits. What an amazing
spectacle! So fun to see that yellow mark on 50 black bills, and notice how the
black facial skin formed a line across the forehead instead of a V like the
Trumpeter Swan.
Flock after flock of GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE poured down from the blue-gray sky like bees, gabbling
noisily, their bright orange webbed feet like punctuation marks. Then the sleet
returned and I retreated, full of joy.
Saturday, April 28: Only one
TUNDRA SWAN left today, feeding quietly. The two resident 10-month old
TRUMPETER SWAN cygnets flew in. The larger and whiter male landed right next to
the Tundra Swan. I thought he might be cordial. But no! After sitting together
for half a minute, he suddenly raised his wings to attack. The Tundra Swan
immediately fled, stroking and running along the water to take off, the cygnet
in hot pursuit, honking. Both landed, but apparently the cygnet needed more
room, and gave chase again, and again. Finally, the Tundra landed far enough
away, and peace resumed.
Flocks of CACKLING GEESE
sailed in: small geese, short necks, small bills, white neck rings on many.
More flocks of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. Twenty SANDHILL CRANES bugled in the
clouds, descending with long legs outstretched. More flocks emerged, gray
ghosts in the rain. On the ground, they blended in with the nearby gray stumps.
First SEMI-PALMATED PLOVER,
LEAST SANDPIPERS, 7 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and a soggy MERLIN. NORTHERN HARRIER
female hunting. ARCTIC TERNS hovering, chirping, and razzing through it all.
10:30 pm: GREAT HORNED OWL
hooted softly from Little Bear Mountain.
Sunday, April 29: 100+
SANDHILL CRANES, steadily feeding, leaping for joy, dancing in synchrony, bugling
with heads thrown back, red heads blazing, some mating. So thrilling! GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED and CACKLING GEESE and ducks fed with them. The sky filled with
Cranes and Geese and their cries whenever a BALD EAGLE flew too close overhead.
Wow!
MALLARD nest reported with 8
eggs!
First PACIFIC WREN singing.
Monday, April 30: 30
GREATER-WHITE-FRONTED GEESE fly-over house at 9 am. Tundra Swan still solo,
Cranes left, much quieter.
Quite an amazing week!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
Due to computer issues, I am unable to post photos now.
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