Seward, Alaska
More surprises today as spring, summer, fall, and winter birds overlapped seasons.
Preacher Pond, just north of town by the Nash Road intersection, remained ice-free and thus hosted a small raft of NORTHERN PINTAILS including one handsome drake, one female RING-NECKED DUCK, several MALLARDS, and five COMMON MERGANSERS, some dabbling, some diving, and some just napping in the sun.
At Lowell Point State Recreation Site, a curious year-round resident SONG SPARROW popped up from the beach rocks to pose. His cheerful song will brighten the short winter days ahead.
Just offshore, SHORT-BILLED GULLS and a few late BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES plunged after a herring school in a feeding frenzy accompanied by overwintering COMMON and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, RED-NECKED GREBES, and resident PELAGIC CORMORANTS.
After several minutes of frantic activity, the Gulls abruptly flew several hundred yards farther north and resumed surface diving while the other seabirds quickly flew and paddled to catch up.
While driving along Lowell Point Road, a swirl of small songbirds dashed ahead of me and landed in some alders by a pullout. I pulled out, and found a COMMON REDPOLL still perched among the branches giving me a good look but terrible photos. I haven’t seen Redpolls since last winter, and even then, not many.
At the next pullout, I was amazed to find a tiny RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, puffed out as round as a ball with wings and tail sticking out, flitting among cottonwood twigs. He’s late!
At Waterfall Beach next to Lowell Creek, about 80 beautiful BARROW’S GOLDENEYES bobbed in the waves near shore, paddling to the fresh water for baths. It’s always a pleasure to have these diving ducks return to overwinter in Resurrection Bay after a long summer’s absence.
Spring, summer, fall, winter, and year-round birds created a feathery collage of seasons on this sunny but chilly, windy, wintry fall day.
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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