Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 10:02 am, sunset 3:53 pm for a total day length of 5 hours and 50 minutes. Tomorrow will be 20 seconds longer.
Dark, dark day today with a heavy blue-gray lid, occasional light rain, and mostly calm until the wind shifted from east (calm) to northerly breeze around 1 pm. Temps ranged from 30 to 37º. All in all, much nicer than the bleak forecast. No, Seward didn’t get 18” of snow in the last 24 hours, or 19” today; too warm. The actual snow depth ranged from 0 at the beach to 30”.
No knowing my availability, I free-ranged today when I could. I failed to find the Townsend’s Solitaire at Lowell Point Beach but delighted in refinding a YELLOW-BILLED LOON. Such presence! Two PELAGIC CORMORANTS disputed standing rights to a small bit of Pinnacle Rock protruding above the water; the original homesteader lost. A single HORNED GREBE paddled and dove near four COMMON GOLDENEYES.
PINE SISKINS, COMMON REDPOLLS, and a CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE fluttered in the spruce and alder trees. A VARIED THRUSH paused in a bare alder. Add two STELLER JAYS and a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE cruising around.
Thanks to birdseed scattered at the edge of the hospital’s heated sidewalk, I found two FOX SPARROWS of the “Red” group, including the one with most of its tail missing. Two VARIED THRUSH, bright as pumpkins, chased each other off, unwilling to share. DARK-EYED JUNCOS fed unconcerned among them, apparently not a threat.
A quick check of the inlet creek at First Lake produced a noisy, chucking RUSTY BLACKBIRD, busily flipping over leaves and debris in the creek. No Dipper today for me.
The 11.52’ high tide at 10 am took a while to recede. I checked the tidelands around 1 pm, crossing the tracks of a momma moose and her calf, fortunately not seen. Though the pond was mostly frozen, a dozen BUFFLEHEAD and 30 MALLARDS paddled in a small open area. Five SNOW BUNTINGS waited for photos amongst the beach rye grass then took off. Two adult GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS and an immature SHORT-BILLED GULL poked through the emergent wrack line. Many more Gulls were much farther out on exposed mudflats. A RAVEN in a hurry flew past, calling “Kowa!” Unfortunately, I did not refind the Killdeer.
Two drake GREEN-WINGED TEAL dabbling along the ebbing tideline with Mallards were a nice surprise. Beyond them in the bay, two adult TRUMPETER SWANS, resembling ice floes, steadily paddled towards the creek. Earlier I watched and heard two adults and one cygnet flying up Resurrection River. An immature BALD EAGLE perched in a spruce watched me slog to the parking lot.
Over at the harbor entrance, four WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, six SURF SCOTERS, a Horned Grebe, and a COMMON MERGANSER paddled along under surveillance by two adult Bald Eagles. The coal dipper yielded two GREAT BLUE HERONS, standing quietly. A mob of NORTHWESTERN CROWS, 100? flew past; about 30 dove down to briefly festoon the guy wires nearby and disturb the peace.
Back home, the usual RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, Dark-eyed Juncos, and a BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE feasted on sunflower seeds and suet before the close of this very short winter day.
Results from the day are still being compiled, with three more days left for Count Week. I will post the final results when they are available.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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