Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 5:36 am, sunset 10:34 pm for a total day length of 16 hours and 58 minutes. Tomorrow will be 4 minutes and 49 seconds shorter.
Cloudy skies returned today after several days of sunshine, veiled by the haze of catastrophic wildfire smoke from Siberia. Today’s high crept up to 60 from a low of 54 at 6 am. Showers in the forecast for the next week; we need the rain.
I caught a glimpse today of the elusive Nash Road TRUMPETER SWAN family, paddling across the far side of the pond. The remaining two of the original four cygnets are growing fast, about two-thirds the size of their parents with ever-longer necks.
Last year’s three cygnets have found an unlikely home at Preacher Pond where at least two can reliably be found peacefully paddling or tip-up feeding. Sometimes, they walk up the denuded shore to feed like geese and rest amid the stubble of the clear-cut alders, willows.
One thoroughly preened this afternoon while standing in shallow water; delicate white feathers fell like autumn leaves and gently floated away. Its reflection, heads almost touching, made a lovely, looping shape. The year-old Swan bodies are mostly white, but the head and neck retain many gray-brown feathers. Next year, I probably won’t be able to discern them from adults.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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