Wednesday, March 4, 2020 Barrow’s Goldeneyes

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:46 am, sunset 6:34 pm for a total day length of 10 hours and 47 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 29 seconds longer.

Hoo, boy! If March initially came in like a lamb, it’s making up for lost time this week under sunny skies with a high of 16º and a fierce north wind clocking 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 39. More of the same for Thursday.

Yesterday, I found an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW snarfing down hulled sunflower seeds on the snow. A BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE optimistically sang its sweet spring song. It was nice to see 7 PINE GROSBEAKS, and some of the usual diners: PINE SISKINS, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, DOWNY WOODPECKER. 

Ava advised that morning is the best time to see the most birds. Also, there’s a Sharp-shinned Hawk or two that scatter the birds.

This afternoon, I watched a few adult BARROW’S GOLDENEYES battling against the wind, waves, and sea spray near the shore by Scheffler Creek. They paddled up and down and dove, making surprisingly steady progress. 

On the north side of the Uplands, a larger raft hunkered down in the lee of the dock and the rocks. At first glance, they all looked like females, but a closer inspection showed that most were young males. A faint white line or slightly larger whitish area at the base of the all-dark bill will become the familiar white crescents at maturity. The females had yellowish-orange bills.

A mixed flock of mostly COMMON MERGANSERS snoozed out of the wind and waves on the south side of the Uplands breakwater. Smart birds!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter