Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 7:24 am, sunset 8:25 pm for a total day length of 13 hours even. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 24 seconds shorter.
Gorgeous, sunny day today with a high of 62 and overnight low of 44. The brisk north wind did not bring significant smoke. Yay! Possible heavy rain forecast for Sunday; Monday partly sunny, then showers likely for the rest of the week.
I had barely emerged from the car at the Exit Glacier parking lot when I heard SANDHILL CRANES bugling high over the mountains. I scrambled to get my camera and binoculars out. Just in time! Over 150 Cranes gathered overhead reconnoitering their route, then continued south in a beautiful arc.
Exit Glacier beckoned; the early afternoon light ignited turquoise crevasses amidst dark, pulverized mountain-dust medial moraine stripes. Surprisingly, cottonwoods still held on to their brittle yellowed leaves even after recent stormy weather. It won’t be long before this lovely backdrop succumbs to the winds.
Near the end of the spur trail that chases the retreating glacier, I sat on a warm, glacially-striated rock to enjoy the fine scenery and rare day. After a time, I noticed hundreds of minute white parachutes blown by the katabatic breeze like snow flurries. More, and hundreds more. Had they actually been snow, everyone would have noticed. But they were stealth, zipping along in plain view unnoticed and overshadowed by the grandeur of the nearby glacier.
I could almost hear their tiny voices, “Wheeeeee!” as the liberated seeds flew far from their mothers’ arms into the wide world. Who says plants can’t move? I managed to pounce on a few that momentarily landed nearby and inspected them with wonder. Dozens of delicate white filaments sprouting from the top of the elongated, tan seed easily transported their precious cargo, powered by the wind.
I scanned the surrounding glacier-scoured landscape with my binocs for the mother fireweeds, expecting a veritable blizzard erupting from the source, but I found none. Maybe they were just out of sight, but who knows how far these seeds had already flown?
Back on the main trail in the valley, I did see Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) and Dwarf Fireweed (Chamerion latifolium) seeds flying from rain-battered plants and almost heard their cheers for the sunny day and wind that set them free. Could be a mix of both species migrating like the cranes, just not quite as loud or as far. Pretty good for a seed!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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