Sunrise 4:59 am, sunset 11:09 pm for a total daylength of 18 hours, 9 minutes. Tomorrow will be 3 minutes and 36 seconds shorter.
RAIN! After almost a month of drought accompanied by temps in the 70s to high 80s, it is raining the color green in Seward. Unwatered lawns had turned to straw with aggravating islands of green dandelions and plantain. It will be interesting to see if the mosses and grass revive. Temps are back down to the 50s, which seems cooler than normal, with light southerly winds. It’s nice to see real clouds instead of hazy smoke from the enormous Swan Lake fire.
Rain is forecast for the next week, with partly cloudy on Thursday. We sure need it!
All week, both TREE and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS erupted from dark nest boxes into the light, flexing their tiny but capable wings for the first time. How wonderful to see the sky full of swallows, swooping and fluttering, receiving mid-air fueling from their tireless parents! Their staccato 2-note chirps filled the air. So cute to see the babies perched on the powerlines with their neighbors, meeting for the first time.
By Friday, however, it seemed many swallows fledged, gathering together in excited groups, leaving the late nesters behind, stuck in a nest box. My deck Tree Swallows seem to be gone, but the Violet-green Swallows are still delivering food to the nearby nest box. It’s suddenly so much quieter!
Rescued baby swallows are running out of time to join their species for migration. Already, they have flown from the Mat-Su Valley and most of Anchorage. Today, Bird Treatment and Learning Center volunteers Karen and Susan drove their babies to Moose Pass where many swallows are still active. Susan successfully released six baby swallows, including a CLIFF SWALLOW. One went back to Anchorage for medical re-evaluation. Three VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS were not quite ready, and went home with me to Seward for feeding, care, and release in a few days.
I learned a new use for a feather duster: a comforting, warm snuggly! I hung mine in the cage over a low stick perch and they immediately nestled underneath. So beheaded meal worms and thawed special recipe baby food goop is on my to-do list for the next several days. Then, hopefully release in time to join their people.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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