Tuesday, September 26, 2023 White Wagtail still here, same place

Seward, Alaska

The WHITE WAGTAIL continued to be seen on either side of Lowell Creek at Waterfall Beach today. Other birders identified it as a first winter bird, and immature.

The 2023 Checklist of Alaska Birds notes it as RARE (Annual or possibly annual in small numbers, most such species occur at the perimeter of Alaska, in season, a few are scarce residents.) 

The American Birding Association Rare Bird Alert referenced the wide-ranging ocularissubspecies, which breeds across northern Asia into northern Alaska and is the most common subspecies recorded in the ABA Area. 

Happy Birding and good luck if you come!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

 

 

 

Monday, September 25, 2025 White Wagtail!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:40 am, sunset 7:51 pm for a total day length of 12 hours and 1 minute. This is much closer than the actual Fall Equinox on Friday, September 22, but we’re special so far north. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 25 seconds shorter.

Bright sunshine, but the brisk NNW winds at 10-15 mph whisked away any perceived warmth. Temps ranged from a chilly low of 36 to a high of 48.

A bit of magic at the beach today, and a LIFER for me!

Alert visiting birder Robert Gibson first reported the WHITE WAGTAIL on eBird yesterday at 2:40 pm at Waterfall Beach, just south of the Alaska Sealife Center. Amber refound it and alerted me this morning. I was fortunate to find it actively foraging along the edge of the rising tide.

Local birds did not seem to like it; first a SONG SPARROW chased it off, then a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE. When not harassed, the lost bird occasionally flew up then down like a flycatcher, presumably in pursuit of kelp flies. Mostly, it strode along the beach wrack line or at the edge, on either side of the creek, wagging its tail and plucking morsels between the rocks and in the wrack.

After being chased by the Song Sparrow, it flew past me and vocalized. It sounded like a Pipit to me, two quick notes, the second a bit higher pitched than the first. It belongs to the same family.

According to the web, there are between 9 and 11 subspecies of Motacilla alba, which makes it very confusing to me, especially the yellow wash on its face. The species breeds in much of Europe, northern Asia, and parts of North Africa. Those birds migrate to southern Europe or north Africa. The few nesting in the far NW coast of Alaska overwinter in SE Asia. This one sure got blown off course!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

 

 

 

Monday, September 25, 2023 Exit Glacier hike

Seward, Alaska

The parking lot was less than half full this afternoon, plus a tour bus and a few RVs. As I walked down the path, I heard several different languages and encountered friendly people from all over the world. It’s amazing to me that so many people visit Exit Glacier this late in the year.

The surrounding cottonwoods turned bronze instead of gold this fall, and the alders simply turned brown as usual, shedding their crispy, crunchy leaves in the breeze. The mountainsides glowed with maroon and gold fall colors. Two startling white mountain goats grazing high on the slopes caused great excitement. I neither heard nor saw any birds.

Exit Glacier continues to retreat; the toe now lifted off the valley floor and out of sight of the overlook trail. Yet it was still spectacular. The rock-strewn medial moraine flowed down the center like a winding river, surrounded on both sides by blue crevasses. Fingers of ice clung to the steep valley wall as if reluctant to release their grip.

The glacier still dwarfed the marveling visitors busy snapping memories of their vacation. The road will be closed soon, generally October through May, so I was happy to be there too. What a day!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Cold Bumblebees on Dandelions, and Pink Salmon golden eye

Seward, Alaska

This afternoon, I found a few late pink salmon spawning in a small stream at Fourth of July Beach. One, almost spent, was pinned by the current against the rocks. I quickly took a few photos of her astonishingly beautiful golden eye before I gently nudged her back into deeper water.

Later, just before the cloud-veiled sun slipped behind the mountains, I discovered two bumblebees on the few dandelions still in bloom. Both bumblebees were almost motionless, chilled but still laboriously trying to collect nectar and pollen. 

Time is quickly running out for the salmon, bumblebees, and yes, even the weeds, yet they refuse to quit. I appreciate their determination and beauty on this amazing fall day.

Carol Griswold 

Sunday, September 17, 2023 Olive-sided Flycatcher!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:31 am, sunset 8:16 pm for a total day length of 12 hours and 44 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 44 seconds shorter.

 After days of overcast skies and rain, everything rejoiced in a welcome sunny day today with a high of 50 and an overnight low of 41. NNW wind 7-17 mph with gusts up to 38 mph tried to steal the limelight to no avail. 

I chanced to look up at the power lines in the alley behind my house today. A bird perched on one of the wires exactly where the Violet-green Swallows perched all summer. I grabbed my camera and snuck back for a chance at a photo. It flew up but returned, flew up again, and back down; some kind of flycatcher. Then up and off, but then after a minute or two, yes! It came back and briefly posed in the sunlight. Click! Click!

I am intimidated by flycatcher identification, as their differences are so subtle, especially in the fall. But after Luke DC kindly identified it, I could appreciate its size and recognize the dark, open “vest” over the white throat, breast, and belly.

The OLIVE-THROATED FLYCATCHER is uncommon in our area, and seems to be a late migrant passing through now. First time yard bird! All About Birds, Cool Fact: of all the flycatcher species that breed in the US, the Olive-sided has the longest migration, with some migrating between central Alaska and Bolivia, a distance of 7000 miles! I sure wish this one safe travels!

Also seen in the yard, about 5 VARIED THRUSH, 4 ROBINS, 2 CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, 1 BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, a STELLER’S JAY, and a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE. 

After talking with some traveling birders off a cruise ship fresh from Iceland who were eagerly seeking a VATR and CBCH, I appreciate our common birds even more. But it sure was fun to see the perky Olive-sided Flycatcher!

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Saturday, September 2, 2023 Sandpipers

Seward, Alaska

On a beautiful, calm evening just before the sun slid behind the western mountains, I sat down at the tidelands beach to enjoy a feast of shorebirds going about their daily lives. 

I almost felt invisible as a GREATER YELLOWLEGS stalked along a creek, delicately selecting one pink salmon egg after another with its chopstick bill for dinner. Behind it, a bright juvenile LEAST SANDPIPER and a juvenile WESTERN SANDPIPER gleaned tiny tidbits from the sand together, providing a nice comparison. At one point, the Least Sandpiper nonchalantly walked over a spent pink salmon carcass on its route.

I held very still as, to my delight, a PECTORAL SANDPIPER, landed nearby and walked towards me, the low sun behind me providing perfect lighting. It probed deep into the water, then poked through the thick green algal wrack. Right behind it followed a LESSER YELLOWLEGS! I think both were lured by the complacency of the Greater Yellowlegs, so intent on its caviar treats. 

As a finale, a handsome SAVANNAH SPARROW took a late bath in the warmed shallows.

The mountain shadow crept up, the spotlight faded, and I walked home, elated.

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter