Seward, Alaska
The big storm moved in Tuesday evening, dumping another 7” of sparkling snow overnight. I shoveled that off my walkway and peeled it off the roof. It kept snowing. By early afternoon Wednesday, snow visibly piled up at a rate of 2” per hour, adding another 7” of heavy, high-grade snow-sculpture medium. I shoveled that, including the 2’-high berm along the alley. But by mid-afternoon, the storm ran out of ammo, and the sun peeked through ragged gaps in the clouds. A reprieve!
Today continued mostly sunny and beautiful, as if in apology for yesterday’s bad manners. At Afognak Beach, I marveled at the spectacular backdrop of the surrounding snow-covered mountains, no longer showing wind-blasted bare ridges.
One, then four TRUMPETER SWANS flew head-high across the exposed tidelands from the eelgrass beds to the freshwater tributaries, waiting for this winter to end and ponds to thaw in April.
Just ahead, two First-of-Season LAPLAND LONGSPURS riffled through thick beach wrack, somehow finding calories for lunch in the smorgasbord. With a “Teeoww!” and a dry rattle call, off they flew.
An immature BALD EAGLE, another survivor of the storm and this winter, basked in the sunshine at the Point. I heard the chatter of RED CROSSBILLS flitting through the spruce trees nearby.
Everything seemed to be celebrating the promise of Spring on this bright new day. The emerging Sitka willow buds and the Lapland Longspurs say it’s starting!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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