Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 6:54 am, sunset 9:05 pm for a total day length of 14 hours and 10 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 27 seconds longer.
Still chilly despite the bright sunshine; low of 20, high of 42. The cold north wind switched to a cold south wind this afternoon. Snow/rain/snow showers forecast for the next 10 days or so as temperatures hover around 40. Birders, ever the optimists, hope the clouds will be full of migrants hitching a ride north.
Tasha discovered five FOS TUNDRA SWANS at the head of the bay this morning, exhausted and napping after their long journey. What a thrill to see them! They likely overwintered in California and are now enroute to the Arctic to nest and raise their families.
While some sources say it is hard to distinguish Tundra Swans from Trumpeters, even at a distance the Tundra Swan’s black eye looks like an island in a white face or barely connected by a black line to the black bill. Closer, most have some yellow on the bill in front of the eye, and the black facial skin cuts straight across the forehead instead of dipping into a V. Next to Trumpeter Swans, they are smaller with shorter necks. Trumpeters sound like a bugle, while Tundras have a higher pitch and rhythm.
Check out the Trumpeter Swan Society at https://www.trumpeterswansociety.org/swan-information/identification/voice-head-and-bill.html and other great resources on-line.
A few more VARIED THRUSH are singing, but not many and not often. I heard a PACIFIC WREN belting out his long song above the roar of the wind in the forest on April 8. Robin C reported 14 SNOW BUNTINGS on April 9. LAPLAND LONGSPURS seem to be increasing in numbers with scattered small flocks of up to 12 reported. Hundreds and hundreds of gulls are lighting up the Resurrection River mouth with their racket. BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES are gathering sticks to build their intricate nests.
Spring is on its way, in its own time. We are eager, anxious, and even somewhat possessed to greet it!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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