Wednesday, September 28, 2022 Gray-tailed Tattler still here!

Seward, Alaska (aka Little Adak)

Sunrise 7:57 am, sunset 7:41 pm for a total day length of 11 hours and 43 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 25 seconds shorter.

100% chance of rain today, with small unquantifiable breaks. Wind ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Low of 43, high of 49. Rain is forecast for the next week, heavy at times.

The rare GRAY-TAILED TATTLER is still here, hanging out with its long-legged buddy, the GREATER YELLOWLEGS. I refound them at the south end of Afognak Beach on a rising tide, picking through the pop kelp and around the submerged rocks. In the dim light, both resembled gray rocks with legs, blending in well with the rocky beach and gray day. Gray or not, they brightened my soggy day!

Seward, aka “Little Adak” blew up the rare bird alerts this month, igniting several stampedes of eager birders down to the end of the road. The very rare Citrine Wagtail on September 15 at Airport Beach, the first record for the entire state, proved to be a one-day wonder, much to the disappointment of many. 

The excitement had barely settled down when another rarity, the Gray-tailed Tattler apparated on September 23 at Afognak Beach. According to Aaron Lang (thanks for these records data), there is one previous record for the Kenai Peninsula back on June 28, 1987. Amazingly, it was also discovered in Seward; not surprising, by Buzz Scher and Dave Sonneborn.

Then, a few days later on September 25, came a report of an uber-rare PIN-TAILED SNIPE at the airport wetlands. This bird pulled birders away from the Gray-tailed Tattler (O, the choices we have to make!) to help find it.  Ultimately, the only photos, taken under difficult conditions, documented the more expected Wilson’s Snipe. 

Alas, according to Aaron: “There is no previous record for Pin-tail Snipe for the mainland. The only records are a couple of records from the western Aleutians, one from St. Paul Island and one from Gambell. However, I believe that the photos that Josiah took are of a Wilson's Snipe. Also, the description in Tasha and John's eBird report don't support the identification as Pin-tailed Snipe. Their description of the call does sound interesting, but unless other photos or vocal recordings come to light that support the ID of Pin-tailed Snipe, then unfortunately this is one that got away. The rarity of the bird is just too great.”

But all was not lost as a wayward SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was found with PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. Plus, the various, more expected and still special local birds, the energy of ever-optimistic birders, and camaraderie of the search. Who else gets excited by gale warnings and goes out in monsoons and wind to seek a possible glimpse of a lost bird?

There’s still time for Adak to deliver rare birds to its new sister city, “Little Adak,” posted by airmail on the next big low spinning our way.

Happy Birding!
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Carol Griswold

Saturday, September 24, 2022 Gray-tailed Tattler sightings

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:48 am, sunset 7:53 pm for a total day length of 12 hours and 5 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 25 seconds shorter, finally attaining almost equal day and night (equinox). Low tide of 0.2' at 7: 17 am, high tide of 10.01' at 1:34 pm, low tide of 1.71' at 7:28 pm.

The weather today was a smorgasbord including no rain, sprinkles, drizzle, sunshine, rainbows, heavy rain, and steady rain. It was cooler than yesterday with temps from 38 rising to 49, and calm. More rain of varying degrees in the forecast for the next week.

I checked for the Gray-tailed Tattler at Afognak Beach this morning during a brief break in the rain which soon turned to steady rain. The tide was out but quickly coming in on the flats. I made a loop along the shore and then out to the tideland without any luck. I left around 10:30 am, rather soggy, just before the sun burst forth and a rainbow arched across the sky.

Fortunately, two other birders arrived soon after and both saw and heard the Tattler, one at 10:48 am (should have stayed!), and the other at 11:14 am, noted in the company of the GREATER YELLOWLEGS. These were reported on ebird.org. Hopefully, it will hang around a bit longer!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, September 23, 2022 Gray-tailed Tattler!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:46 am, sunset 7:56 pm for a total day length of 12 hours and 10 minutes, (a day past Fall Equinox). Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 25 seconds shorter.

A brisk north wind whisked away the rain, squalls, and most of the clouds, ushering in a beautiful, sunny fall day. Temps ranged from a low of 41 to a midafternoon high of 55. This welcome respite is forecast to be short-lived as rain returns late tonight through the next week.

I headed out to Afognak Beach this afternoon just after the tide turned and began to reveal the tidelands. Sloshing along through the remnants of ocean, I happened to notice two shorebirds with yellow legs, one much taller, feeding around a freshly exposed stump near shore. One was a late GREATER YELLOWLEGS, the other, a much smaller and notably pale TATTLER. Take photos first, and ask questions later is always a good idea, so I did.

I continued my walk, following the tide out, distracted by two adult TRUMPETER SWANS paddling along the shore, and a pair of photogenic BALD EAGLES perched on the sand. 

Eventually my curiosity directed me to do a bit more research. I pulled up Wandering Tattler on my phone app, and then compared it to the GRAY-TAILED TATTLER. It sure resembled the latter in non-breeding plumage, or possibly a juvenile due to some white spots on upperparts: a plain gray breast, white flanks, and a dark eye-stripe running to the bill topped with a long white eyebrow. When it finally flew, the flight call “klee-klee” was a perfect match to the flight call in iBird Plus.

The catastrophic storms over western Alaska could have delivered this uncommon and tough shorebird to Seward, far from its Asian home. It looked alert and healthy, and likely very pleased to have found the Greater Yellowlegs for company. One never knows what might blow in next!

Check out this excellent site comparing the two tattlers with lots of photos and vocalizations: https://birdfinding.info/gray-tailed-tattler/ and this Tattlers Comparison Table at https://birdsqueensland.org.au/downloads/tattlers_comparison_table.pdf

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Saturday, September 17, 2022 Exit Glacier Golden Eagle, fall colors

Seward, Alaska

A mysterious, cloud-shrouded morning evolved into a stunning, blue sky afternoon, one to remember in the coming dark winter days. I enjoyed a spectacular hike to the Glacier Overlook at Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. 

Cottonwoods in the surrounding valley glowed golden-yellow, at their prime fall colors. Impressive blue seracs like giant teeth arced out of the heavily crevassed and pocked glacier, flowing down from the Harding Icefield. The dirty medial moraine reminded me of the 1980 “On the Road to Tok” postcard book by Tom Sadowski and Jimmie Froehlich; no park rangers lugging Hoover vacuums were seen

A GOLDEN EAGLE soared into view as I scanned the adjacent mountainside, its bulging secondaries and a head length shorter than the tail showing the best field marks for a speck. So exciting to see before it sailed behind the ridge!

The raging creek’s roar diminished in the distance. A bustling little BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE briefly called. The cottonwoods rustled as a breeze twirled their golden leaves to the earth. A fanfare and farewell to summer! 

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Friday, September 16, 2022 No Citrine Wagtail; Northern Flicker

Seward, Alaska

A flock of avid birders descended on Seward to catch a glimpse of the first Alaska record of a CITRINE WAGTAIL spotted yesterday. Some arrived last night to get a head start on the morning; others left in the dark at 5:30 am, and more arrived by mid-morning. I counted 13 vehicles in the normally empty parking cul-de-sac at the airport at 10:30 am.

One early morning group raised hope: they thought they heard a brief call and caught a glimpse from the small spruce trees in the beach berm where The Bird may have roosted for the night. The beach and tidelands bristled with an ever-increasing force of highly trained experts equipped with spotting scopes, binoculars, and cameras worthy of a top-security investigation. But, over the course of the morning and into the afternoon, with birders and optics spread far and wide across the beach and beyond, that was the only report.

One never knows with lost birds. It could have been hiding very, very well, or flown across nearby Resurrection River to other beach habitat, or continued its journey to parts unknown. Maybe it will be back.

Despite the dashed hopes, many birders took time to enjoy the company of other birders, a pleasure that has been muted by Covid for the past several years.

Other birds seen during this intense search included: 1 female YELLOW-SHAFTED NORTHERN FLICKER, 1 female or juvenile NORTHERN HARRIER, 1 SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 2 GREAT BLUE HERONS, 3 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, 1 PECTORAL SANDPIPER, 1 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, a few SAVANNAH SPARROWS, a couple AMERICAN PIPITS, 1 female NORTHERN SHOVELER, several GREEN-WINGED TEAL, WIGEON, and MALLARDS, CROWS, RAVENS, BALD EAGLES, SHORT-BILLED GULLS, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, PIGEONS, and likely a few others. Overall, however, it did seem really quiet.

While the Great Blue Herons are not uncommon here, it seemed unusual that one adult aggressively pursued another adult, flying hard with great purpose like an Eagle hunting. The pursuer eventually caught up and squawked fiercely, almost colliding with the pursued. They broke off and dispersed, apparently having delivered and received the urgent message. 

The Flicker suddenly appeared over the beach rye grass berm and landed on a branch of the beach spruce trees. I haven’t seen a Flicker in Seward before though scattered reports surfaced over the years; it’s very unusual. She paused long enough for a few photos, then shot off again, heading back towards the parking lot. We did not refind her.

Condolences to everyone who came down on such short notice and tried so diligently. Thanks for sharing your reports, even if they were disappointing, as others waited eagerly for news from afar. Thanks, Buzz for spotting the Harrier, Sharpie, and Flicker. What a fun day!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, September 15, 2022 CITRINE WAGTAIL! FIRST RECORD IN ALASKA!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:27 am, sunset 8:21 pm for a total day length of 12 hours and 54 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 24 seconds shorter.

Squall after squall of heavy rain wafted through Seward today with periods of light rain in between. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for cloudy skies with a 30% chance of rain around 3 pm, winds south at 5 to 10 mph.

The continuing squalls blasting across the North Pacific from Asia carried more than rain! An incredibly rare and tough survivor arrived on Seward’s shores, the first Alaska record of a CITRINE WAGTAIL! It was spotted this afternoon and reported on Facebook Alaska Rare Bird Alert with fantastic photos.

The news of a CITRINE WAGTAIL sent shockwaves through the Alaska birding world and a few intrepid birders dropped everything, including important engagements and obligations, and shot down from Anchorage to find it. More birders are on the way. Much more accessible than a trip to Thailand or Vancouver Island!

The Citrine Wagtail is widespread and fairly common over much of Asia, according to Google. It is rare but increasingly vagrant to western Europe, NOT to Alaska! This rarity was really blown off course! 

When I finally got free, it took about a split second even as dusk fell and the dark day got even dimmer, to ditch plans, grab my camera, binocs, rubber boots, bear spray, and raingear, and drive the three miles to the airport parking lot. 

I arrived around 7 pm, shortly after Brad found it and split back to Anchorage. Tom had just arrived from Anchorage so he and I walked the narrow beach on an ebbing high tide and found the bird. Yahoo! LIFER! It's great to have more eyes to spot it, and heads-up from friends!

The term “citrine” refers to the yellowish color, still visible on this Wagtail, but stunning on breeding males. Even in the dim light, the bold white wingbars, gray back, long tail with white outer tail feathers, and yellowish color around the head was visible.

The lone bird seemed in good health, foraging among the wrack line. I didn’t notice the tail wagging behavior, but only got brief views as it was wary. Despite its bold markings, it easily disappeared into the adjacent beach rye grass and sedges, and flew when approached too closely.

 Here’s an interesting article on the November 14^th 2012 sighting on Vancouver Island https://vancouverislandnature.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/the-tale-of-the-wagtail-terry-thormin/

If you come, it's a little over a half mile walk one-way from the airport parking area at the cul-de-sac to the end of the beach. Please respect this private airport property, owned by Alaska DOT where you will be trespassing. Aircraft have the right-of-way; watch for the occasional plane or helicopter and give them space. 

The soggy wetlands are fragile and are already being trampled into mud. Brown bears and momma moose with twin calves are known to frequent the area. Watch the tides; they should be manageable this week. And of course, please respect this lost bird and give it space as well so it can survive and others may enjoy it. 

Good luck and Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

 

 

Saturday, September 9, 2022 Rusty Blackbird, Dowitchers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Storm-Petrel

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:15 am, sunset 8:36 pm for a total day length of 13 hours and 21 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 24 seconds shorter.

A nice break in the rain today after recent periods of heavy rain and more rain to come. Temps dipped to 39 last night, but rose bravely to 56 by midday, with a south breeze.

“Kek! Kek! Kek!” I heard, then found a female RUSTY BLACKBIRD in an elderberry bush. I refound her a short while later scrounging along the high tide line at the beach. Only one, when there should have been a noisy group, but nonetheless, exciting to find. Other than a few SAVANNAH SPARROWS, a smattering of ducks, and the usual BALD EAGLES, RAVENS, and SHORT-BILLED GULLS, it was pretty quiet.

On a misty late afternoon walk Thursday between squalls at the salt marsh, a mixed flock of 11 medium-sized shorebirds flew nervously from one side of the pond to the other, landed briefly to feed, then shot off again.Their long, straight bills, and the bright white wedge from the barred tail up the middle of the back, identified the six larger ones as Dowitchers.

As I stood motionless, they again erupted into flight and circled around me, whizzing past me with rush of wings on their return. I felt I could have reached out and touched them!

After they landed, I crept closer to get photos. I believe they were LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS. They lacked the bold internal marks on the tertials and inner coverts of the tired Short-Billed juvenile I spotted on August 23, resting on a log. 

The five others, I believe, were PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. They all fed ravenously, plunging their heads underwater at times to reach more food. Fortunately, I was able to back away without disturbing them.

As always, I appreciate any corrections to my ID.

For much greater detail on Dowitcher Identification, check out this excellent site: https://daretobird.blogspot.com/2017/08/dowitcher-identification.html

As the rain spluttered back, I checked out the waterfront by car. A single, very small dark seabird rose up and down in the waves offshore: FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL. I was surprised that there was only one, given all the stormy weather. It rested for a while, then rose up, pattered along the sea surface with its tiny webbed feet, and then fluttered back down. We may see more of these mini-tubenoses in the coming week as the storms return.

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

PS The photos are a much higher resolution when viewed on a computer for some mysterious reason.

Monday, September 5, 2022 The Merlin and the Dragonfly

Seward, Alaska

Ooooo! A late summer dragonfly!

O! A MERLIN!

Apparently, we both spotted the dragonfly at the same time, with radically different responses. The Merlin hurled after the dragonfly from a hidden perch, banked in a tight circle right in front of me, tail feathers flared and wings outstretched, nabbed the unsuspecting aerialist with one outstretched yellow talon, and landed gracefully on a nearby stump with the snack. 

As fierce as a bald eagle with a red salmon, the Merlin glared around protectively, then tore into the meal. It didn’t take long, not surprisingly, as there isn’t much to even a largish dragonfly.

The little falcon sat quietly on its mossy stump, framed by burgundy fireweed topped with white seed plumes. I flushed a few more dragonflies as I left, thinking of them now as flying snacks as well as marvels of the insect world and a challenging photographic subject.

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter