Monday, August 31, 2020 Black Oystercatcher, Peregrine hunting

Seward, Alaska

Unsettled day after the big storm last night, but gradually the weather calmed down and the sun even dared to peek out.

I headed to Fourth of July Beach this morning. The booming surf pounded onto the beach, rearranging the gravel contours. Bundles of seaweed, still firmly attached to their host rock, rolled loose among broken cockle shells. The sea remained restless and roiled with Godwin Glacier silt from raging Fourth of July Creek.

Scanning the far edges of the beach, I found a single BLACK OYSTERCATCHER resting just out of reach of the surf. Normally, I would expect them to be migrating to SE Alaska and British Columbia by now. But maybe last night’s strong south wind blew it north. I hadn’t yet seen one this year, so that was a treat. 

The resident BALD EAGLE family successfully fledged two youngsters this summer. The chocolate-brown Eaglets stood on the shore, probably wondering where food came from, or exactly how to catch a pink salmon. One of the parents perched above the nest, watching. 

Then a GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL ruined the peaceful scene. It spent a great deal of time and effort circling while screaming the whole time, dive-bombing the adult who ducked and yelled at it to no avail. The Eagle seemed pretty frustrated to be harassed while just quietly resting. All in the life of a predator.

Later, at the head of the bay, I startled a flock of AMERICAN WIGEONS into flight, salad still in beaks. Soon after they relanded, they again took off, but this time chased by the immature PEREGRINE FALCON, last seen on August 19. 

For what seemed an interminable time, the young Falcon circled and hovered, dove and pulled up, trying to nab a duck. I was busy tracking the Falcon, but I think those ducks somehow submerged and whipped out snorkels to breathe. They were there, somewhere, but not in reach of the Peregrine. 

A GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL swooped in several times and tried to drive the Falcon away, just like at Fourth of July Beach. At least it wasn’t quite as persistent. Finally, the tired Peregrine flew back to the beach to rest and reconnoiter. 

I checked the time stamp on my photos when I got home. Three and a half minutes of strenuous flying and maneuvering, and no lunch. All in the life of a predator as well. 

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

 

Sunday, August 30, 2020 Swans, and Northern Shovelers

Seward, Alaska

Nothing like a totally wrong weather report to start the day with a smile!  This morning’s unexpected sunshine and blue sky propelled me back to the tidelands to seek any new migrants. 

At first it seemed very quiet, then something startled two TRUMPETER SWANS into flight, a path that circled overhead and in wide loops. I believe they were two of the three resident 1-year olds. They landed in the bay and began preening and nibbling on something: algae? Such resilient waterfowl, at home in fresh and salt water year-round.

No sign of the Pacific Golden-plovers. One local shorebird popped up, a SPOTTED SANDPIPER, in winter plumage without any spots. In addition to the usual MALLARDS (including a hen with a late brood), AMERICAN WIGEON, GREEN-WING TEAL, PINTAILS, and GADWALL, a few NORTHERN SHOVELERS have arrived. 

Still lots of gulls, mostly GLAUCOUS-WINGED and MEW, and of course, RAVENS and BALD EAGLES. I found one SAVANNAH SPARROW. A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK circled over the spruce and disappeared against the mountains. A lovely, bright morning indeed.

In the afternoon, I checked on three Trumpeter Swans at the Lagoon. Like gorgeous vacuums, they were sucking up sockeye salmon eggs in the shallow north end. The Mallards tipped up to reach the pink eggs as well. An old-timer friend once told me that if you shook a Mallard upside down, salmon eggs would come tumbling out. I believe it!

A BELTED KINGFISHER dove in with a noisy splash then rattled off. WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS chattered from the cone-laden spruce trees. They have been especially widespread this summer. Hope they stay the winter.

The sunny weather window gradually closed as the dark clouds returned. By 5 pm, the forecasted torrential rain and strong wind began. I sure appreciate the delay.

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

 

 

Saturday, August 29, 2020 Pacific Golden-plovers!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 6:48 am, sunset 9:11 pm for a total day length of 14 hours and 23 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 22 seconds shorter.

Today’s high reached 56º but the calm, sunny morning soon hid her smile. By noon a strong south wind kicked up white caps on the bay and glowering dark clouds surged over the mountains. Bouts of heavy rain began by early evening with more forecast for the next 10 days.

Knowing the forecast, I enjoyed a great walk along the tidelands this morning. I heard one SEMIPALMATED PLOVER but saw no other shorebirds; it seemed very quiet. Then I saw two PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVERS standing quietly about 15 feet away. They watched me without fear, as if I were the first person they’d ever seen. I crept around them to put the sun behind me and on them. What beautiful, gold-flecked shorebirds!

I recalled being smitten when first seeing this species nesting in the tundra in Denali National Park many years ago. How special for Seward to be part of their long migration to and from Hawaii. After fattening up on amphipods and other invertebrates, they could fly the 2800 miles to their same overwintering territory in Hawaii in 3-4 days.https://phys.org/news/2011-06-plovers-tracked-pacific.html

Cool note from Wikipedia, their genus Puvialis means relating to rain, from the Latin “pluvial”. How appropriate!

Bon voyage! Hope to see you back here in the spring!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Update:

Many thanks to Pat Pourchot who noted that I most likely saw American Golden-plovers nesting in Denali. Pacific Golden-plovers breed in coastal western Alaska. The sighting was so long ago, he also noted that technically it could have been the same species, as that was before the species were split.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020 Baird’s Sandpiper, Peregrine Falcon

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 6:24 am, sunset 9:40 pm for a total day length of 15 hours and 16 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 18 seconds shorter.

Sunny skies returned today with a high of 64. The forecast calls for more sunshine with summery highs in the 70s through Saturday followed by a week of fall-ish rain.

On this early evening at the beach, a smattering of shorebirds picked through thick green wrack for invertebrates refreshed by the now receding high tide. Among the scattered families of stop-start SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, a few LEAST SANDPIPERS, and WESTERN SANDPIPERS, I found a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER. 

Like the inch smaller Western, it had short black legs, but a shorter, almost straight black bill. The bright buffy outlines of the feathers on its back gave it a scalloped appearance and marked it as a juvenile. As the species nests in the high arctic tundra, this bird is migrating to South America. The long tapering wings are an adaptation for its long migration, according to All About Birds. At rest, the long wings extend past the end of its tail and are a good identification mark.

Also noted on the Cornell site, “in 1861, naturalist Elliott Coues described Baird’s Sandpiper, naming it in honor of his mentor Spencer Fullerton Baird, who was the second secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Baird’s Sandpiper was one of the last sandpipers to be described in North America.”

I don’t get to see a Baird’s often and not every summer, so that was quite a treat. 

Robin C alerted me to a very distant PEREGRINE FALCON standing out on the tide flats, even with binoculars barely distinguishable from nearby driftwood. After we parted company, I wandered down the beach and lost track of the bird while admiring the evening light on the mountains and cirque glaciers across the bay.

Apparently, the Peregrine circled back undetected and suddenly appeared ahead of me, clutching something too small to see in its yellow talons. The immature falcon was much browner overall than an adult with a beautiful pale bluish eye ring instead of yellow, and streaked rather than barred underparts.

As it almost hung in the air, it leaned down to peck at the prey between its toes. I believe it was removing the case from a caddisfly larva. In a trice, the plucked insect was gobbled up, and after a long look down, the magnificent young Falcon sailed off to stir up some Green-winged Teal on the flats.

Now THAT was incredible!

Also fantastic that both an adult and immature Peregrines are in Seward.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, August 10, 2020 Whimbrel, and Black Turnstones

Seward, Alaska

Quite a surprise to first hear then see a single WHIMBREL flying over the wetlands at the head of the bay. I haven’t seen any since spring migration and didn’t expect to see one here now. Yet, there it was, a distinctive, large-bodied shorebird with the long decurved bill.  It’s one of my favorites as it is so easily recognized with the tantalizing exception of possibly being a Bristle-thighed Curlew. Not this time.

Thanks to a tip from Robin C, I refound 18 BLACK TURNSTONES flipping over rocks at Afognak Beach, initially seen on Friday. Several poked through the green algae clinging to a long-embedded tree in the intertidal zone. Food is anywhere you can find it.

I almost missed seeing these amazingly camouflaged shorebirds, but their chatter gave them away. It was fun to eavesdrop. When all but one suddenly flew off to the tideline, their dramatic white wing stripes and tail band flashed. 

The remaining bird flew a short distance away. After it landed, it stretched both wings straight up revealing the bright white underside, and held them for several moments like a beacon. When the wings were refolded, the bird virtually disappeared. Quite a puzzle why it would want to be so obvious after landing.

Never know what is going to show up next in the bird world!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Sunday, August 9, 2020 Trumpeter Swan Update

Seward, Alaska

Ha! “100% chance of rain!” Boy, was that forecast wrong. Not a drop. A strong NNW wind with gusts to 25 mph kicked up but only drove the clouds higher not away and generated a small craft advisory on Resurrection Bay for the Silver Salmon Derby. The wind seemed warm with temps in the low 60s. Might rain, or might not this coming week.

The Nash Road TRUMPETER SWAN family lingered nearer the road this afternoon for a good look. The dad thoroughly preened his already gorgeous plumage and obligingly stretched his powerful wings. The pure white wings of angels and Pegasus had to be inspired by a Swan.

Nearby, mom escorted the two 2-month old cygnets through the water horsetail buffet where they all enjoyed all-you-can-eat. The cygnets continue to thrive under the parents’ watchful eyes. Both have light gray bodies, darker gray necks, and gray-brown heads. One cygnet’s pink bill is black by the forehead extending along the edge to the tip. The other’s bill remains all pink by the forehead, making it easier to tell them apart for now. No facial skin yet extends to the eyes.

I differentiate the slightly larger cob (male) from the pen (female) by the distinctive mark on his neck. The black facial skin connecting the beak to the eye is thicker than the mom’s.  

After completing his grooming, the refreshed cob gracefully eased into the water and paddled with purpose to join his beautiful family. I am ever so grateful that two of their four babies survived their tumultuous and treacherous beginning.

I checked on the three 2019 cygnets at Preacher Pond across the highway from Nash Road. They too, seem to be thriving by sticking together. I’m amazed how tolerant they are of the nearby workers, clearcutting and wood-chipping. One Swan even sat on a pile of wood chips next to the pond while its siblings preened and fed. 

As one stretched its angel wings just like its dad, I could see all those feathers are now white. Only a bit of the head remains gray-brown. Interestingly, the facial skin pattern thickness differs on these Swans too. I wonder if it reflects gender or just genes. I’ll likely never know, but it’s fun to see the family traits.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Saturday, August 8, 2020 Peregrine Falcon, Red-necked Phalarope juvenile

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 5:57 am, sunset 10:11 pm for a total day length of 16 hours and 13 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 7 seconds shorter.

Thick clouds shrouding the surrounding mountains finally lifted by mid-afternoon, slipping through the rugged ridges and lingering in wisps. Then came light rain alternating with heavy downpours. The temperature dipped into the mid-50s with more heavy rain forecast for Sunday.

I lucked out on a walk at the tidelands before the heavy rain hit. First a pair of BELTED KINGFISHERS rattled and circled ahead of me, noisily chasing each other. The female flew over the wetland pond, hovered and swooped, then dove in for a fish, perhaps a three-spined stickleback.

Two juvenile BALD EAGLES chased ducks along the stream, then rested on driftwood, drying their wings. Suddenly, a flash as a PEREGRINE FALCON tore past, flying low across the flats. Fortunately for me, instead of vanishing as before, it landed on a snag to look around. What a magnificent bird! No mistaking this large bird with its dark helmet, fierce eyes, white neck, gold feet, and proud stance!

I rounded a corner and spied a small shorebird with a thin black bill, all by itself, poking about the water’s edge. A juvenile RED-NECKED PHALAROPE! This species is more commonly seen farther out in the bay. Maybe bad weather brought it in. It seemed tired and frequently closed its eyes for a quick nap. Quite a target for hungry predators lurking close by! 

A GREATER YELLOWLEGS landed, teetering on those long yellow stilt legs. It slowly walked right past the Phalarope without any response. I hope this little shorebird will find the food, rest, shelter, and friends it needs to survive.

I headed back, past the Eagle still drying its wings, the Kingfisher hovering and fishing, and watched unsuccessfully for the mighty Peregrine. A small flock of SAVANNAH SPARROWS and one juvenile WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW flitted ahead, nabbing flies on the green wrack. An unseen COMMON LOON yodeled as it flew over the bay! Wow!

This rainy day without expectations turned into quite a remarkable afternoon!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter