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!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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