Monday, September 10, 2018 Cranes!


Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:15 am, sunset 8:36 pm for a total day length of 13 hours and 47 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 24 seconds shorter.

Phenomenal summer weather continues; one gorgeous, warm, sunny day after another! The high today was 68º! Tuesday and Wednesday are forecast to reach 71 and 72º, Thursday slightly cooler at 65º then rain for the next foreseeable future.

I questioned my hearing at 3 pm on September 5 when I stepped outside, rushing off somewhere, then stopped stock still and listened. Very faint, and far away, I thought I heard SANDHILL CRANES. I searched the sky in vain, anxious to catch a glimpse of these glorious birds winging their way south. Too soon the bugling faded, and I thoughtfully resumed my chores. Was it Cranes? They seemed late; I thought I had missed the grand fall migration.

The next day, I received a redeeming report of 158 Cranes flying over Mt Marathon, flying east. I counted the speck dots on the provided photo to get the count. Yay! I was not nuts!

This evening around 7:30, I happened to be sitting in my car, scribbling some very important notes with the window open. Cranes? Hmmm, scribble, scribble, scribble. Closer and louder now, sifting into my conscious. Cranes??? I threw down the notebook, grabbed my camera and burst out of the car.

There, flying high overhead were CRANES! A giant bow of bugling birds undulated across the sky, with streamers of smaller Vs following closely behind the main front. They flew directly east, heading for majestic Mt Alice, mountain shadows already creeping up her flanks. They were not stopping, O no! 

I watched until I could no longer see or hear them, invisibly stroking over the mountains and possibly Prince William Sound, perhaps landing in Cordova to refuel. What a joyous sight and sound! Bon voyage!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter




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