Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 7:52 am, sunset 6:29 pm for a total day length of 10 hours and 36 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 29 seconds longer.
Overcast with scattered snow showers. High today 27ยบ. Cooler tomorrow with a high of 17, north wind to 20-30 mph.
I refound the continuing TUFTED DUCK drake this morning on the lake side of the Kenai River bridge at Cooper Landing. No fog, only a slight north wind, and light snow flurries made for fairly good viewing.
The handsome drake actively dove and fed on what seemed to be aquatic plants. His rakish tuft and distinctively shaped white sides stood out in the loose flock of about 16 GREATER SCAUP and 4 BUFFLEHEAD. Two MALLARDS toughed it out by themselves. A DIPPER hopped up on the shore ice and nonchalantly dove back into the frigid water as if it were summer.
13 TRUMPETER SWANS slowly paddled and tipped up, also feeding on aquatic plants that provided loose bits for their entourage of diving ducks. Seven more Swans, more majestic than the world’s finest ice sculptures, cruised around downstream. Their occasional wild trumpeting rang out as they made plans to relocate. One adult decided to fly up river to join the larger group and flew over the bridge, right past me. So exciting!
Given that 22 Trumpeter Swans were in Seward yesterday and have been sighted all winter, I now know these are two distinct groups. That makes more sense than migrating from Resurrection Bay to Kenai River (and back). Pretty amazing to have more than 40 Swans, including cygnets, overwintering on the Kenai Peninsula!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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