Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 4:42 am, sunset 11:24 pm, for a total daylength of 18 hours and 42 minutes. Tomorrow will be 2 minutes and 7 seconds shorter.
Sunny skies continued all week. Today’s low at 6 am dipped to 54º; the high peaked at 78º at 5 pm. The heat seemed sweltering to this Alaskan, but fortunately a brisk north wind with gusts to 15 mph eased the stress. More sunshine forecast for the Fourth of July weekend. Note: the celebration was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns with crowds: no fireworks, Mt Marathon Race, parade, or street vendors.
While swimming the good dog whose hot fur coat does not zip off, I spied two BELTED KINGFISHERS sitting on an alder branch over the water. The female proudly held a fish in her powerful beak, a large fish, about ¾ her length. I think it was a salmon smolt. She held it, and held it, and held it. I saw absolutely no movement from the fish, long since suffocated.
The other Kingfisher, a male, sat quietly on his branch, looking around, down at the water, and up at a passing Bald Eagle. He looked at the female and the fish too, but made no moves towards this feast.
Occasionally the female juggled it with finesse, flipping it around, repositioning it, I presumed, to eat it head first. But no, she only continued to hold it, and hold it, and hold it, as if making a very big decision. Finally, she flew a short ways deeper into the alder where I lost sight.
The male flew to her previous perch and waited. Soon, the female returned, still carrying her prize. When I heard a soft, rattling, begging, I realized this was her son, and would he ever like something to eat!
Mom seemed to have had a little chat with her better self, and finally edged closer to her beloved offspring. His begging grew louder and more insistent until she could not resist and plunged the fish, headfirst into his waiting bill.
She flew off, presumably to fish for her lunch, while he dealt with the monster sticking in his throat. It took some time, but finally, he managed to chug it down. What a fish! He had to wait at least 25 minutes to get it, but he’ll probably never forget that lunch with mom!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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