Seward, Alaska
After such a conspicuous absence on Monday afternoon, we figured the lost birds kept moving and were long gone, dashing birders’ hopes all along the road system.
But no! The two PURPLE MARTINS and one tiny BANK SWALLOW reappeared this morning. As if in apology for making several intrepid birders cross the creek and get soaked on Monday without success, today the trio fluttered and soared over the Spring Creek pond and close overhead in the parking lot.
As the word spread, birders peeled down the highway from Talkeetna and Anchorage. I’m pretty sure the unposted speed limit was about 50 on the gravel cutoff to the parking lot, judging by the arriving vehicles. They screeched to a halt, leaped out, and with a sigh of relief, saw The Birds.
Then out came cameras and a scope. What a challenge it is to follow a Swallow! Darting, erratic, swooping, soaring, fluttering, leaving, returning, too close, then too far. Add the dim light and gray sky. One could feel seasick trying to track them, and get warbler neck looking.
The three hunted together, often all visible in the binoculars. I saw one Purple Martin dodge as another almost hit it, both intent on catching an insect. The Bank Swallow, the smallest Swallow at 4 ½” was dwarfed by the much larger Purple Martin at 8” long.
They rarely vocalized, these silent and intent hunters, though I heard a gurgling voice twice, briefly.
At one point, an adult BALD EAGLE flew majestically to a large spruce tree and landed. Soon after, a Purple Martin made a pass at it, close enough to make the Eagle flinch. Amazing audacity!
The calm of the morning was not to last. Around 2:15 pm, the south wind kicked up and an hour later it started to rain. To our delight, the two Purple Martins landed in a nearby small spruce and rested. We all finally got to see them as other than darting silhouettes.
The happy birders kindly posed for a photo before we loaded back into our warm and dry vehicles and headed home.
And hours later, around 5 pm, who should stop by on his way back to Anchorage? David Sonneborn checked off another bird for his astounding Alaska bird checklist. And he didn’t even get his feet wet!
No comments:
Post a Comment