Seward, Alaska
Plop, plop, plop. Ping!
Spruce cones landed on my driveway and metal roof in a slow rain this afternoon. I peered up into the dark branches in the hard hat zone; no red squirrel dashed off, scolding. Silence, except for the cones hitting and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES chatting as they flew between the feeder and the spruce boughs.
I set up my spotting scope, as high as it’s ever been, and scanned through the cone-laden branches. Up and up. Tiny bits of spruce seeds floated down. Up and up. Finally! About ten immature/female RED CROSSBILLS, scattered among the branches, industriously tweaked the tiny seeds from the cones.
Perched on a cone, sometimes sideways or upside down, they ate a few seeds then pulled it off the stem and carried with them to dine upright on top of the branch. After a short time, the discarded cone fell overboard and they repeated the process. I never saw them fly down to inspect the fallen cones. No need to be thorough; there are plenty of cones to choose from.
Although the viewing was tough, it was a delight to watch them at dinner; mystery solved!
Earlier this afternoon, I found dozens of FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS from the Uplands and along the Waterfront, fluttering in the choppy water. I also finally found a CASSIN'S AUKLET and a MARBLED MURRELET, specks in the distance, bobbing and diving.
The seafood processing plant fish “waste” outfall pipe attracted mobs of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS, SHORT-BILLED GULLS, PELAGIC CORMORANTS, and a few DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS.
Silver salmon are still migrating to their home streams, luring Harbor Seals and at least four Steller Sea Lions to the mouth of Scheffler Creek just south of the harbor Uplands.
I saw dozens of silvers milling at the Lagoon culvert, waiting to leave the salty/brackish water for the freshwater of the stream. I counted at least 80 silvers swimming up from the Lagoon along the Second Avenue creek leading to First Lake in Two Lakes Park. It was so exciting to see these large, beautiful, powerful fish heading home! This historic run has been noted since at least the early 1950s. Among them, almost unnoticed, I spied a Dolly Varden, patiently waiting to snarf down fresh eggs.
Also happy to see the silvers was a DIPPER, dipping as they do, and diving in the creek. A perky PACIFIC WREN poked through the leaves along the edge, alert to the splashings of the ancient ritual.
From the sea to the forest and back; salmon weave the ecosystem together.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
No comments:
Post a Comment