Thursday, December 19, 2024 Seward Count Week highlights

Seward, Alaska 

Sunrise 10:01 am, sunset 3:51 pm, for a total day length of 5 hours and 50 minutes. Tomorrow will be 0 minutes and 15 seconds shorter as we approach the Winter Solstice on December 21.

 

Temperatures ranged from 27-35 today under cloudy pewter-blue skies, with rain forecast starting today through Count Day and beyond.

 

Like several other Alaskan communities, the Seward Christmas Bird Count is scheduled for Saturday, December 21. Count Week started on December 18.

Highlights for me so far included a NORTHERN SHRIKE, adult, that silently flew in and perched on a snag, hunting. Five GREAT BLUE HERONS stood on the old coal dock; solid, immobile dark shapes, easily overlooked. Twenty-four TRUMPETER SWANS foraged just offshore at Afognak Beach. Three WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS dove off Lowell Point Road; one popped up with a crab. Over twenty ROBINS in a mixed flock with about five PINE GROSBEAKS fed on Mt Ash berries in town.

 

On December 14, an immature AMERICAN GOSHAWK flashed into the open, chased by an outraged RAVEN, then just as quickly disappeared. 

 

Not birds but exciting: on Monday, four Steller Sea Lions cruised fluidly next to shore, their breath exhalations ringing out in the silence. They continued to swim to Lowell Point Beach where I rediscovered them in the late afternoon just at dusk. Dark, triangular noses poked up in the calm water then disappeared as the sea lions breathed rhythmically, lounging peacefully together.

 

Suddenly, a loud slap and splashing disturbed the silence. Pandemonium erupted as the suddenly animated sea lions chased after unseen fish. Back and forth they swirled. One sea lion breached several times, clearing the water by at least a foot while the others slapped, twisted, and twirled! What a show!

 

Good luck on your CBCs and

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, November 21, 2024 Swan-day!

Seward, Alaska

The cold snap snapped! Though still windy, the temp rose from 34 at dawn and kept rising to an almost-balmy 40 by midafternoon.

 

The warmer temps took the sting out of the wind so I headed to the beach this morning. After only seeing a RAVEN blowing overhead, I finally saw a gleaming white TRUMPETER SWAN, calling from an intertidal creek. Soon, its mate flew in and, to my surprise, kept flying towards me, lowered its giant webbed feet, and splashed to a landing nearby. What a magnificent bird!

 

It slowly paddled back downstream with dignity, now both trumpeting, one low, one higher, until they were united. I turned and walked away to leave them in peace. Unfortunately, even though I was a couple blocks down the beach, the wary Swans decided to leave and took off with a great flapping of wings and pattering of feet. 

 

About an hour later, I checked Afognak Beach for the Killdeer without success. It had been seen yesterday. 

 

Giant webbed tracks in the sand looked like a herd of dinosaurs had walked past. As I glassed the bay, I found several pairs of Swans, then small groups, a family with three cygnets, another family with four cygnets (likely our Nash Road swans), more, and more! I recounted several times: FORTY-ONE SWANS! This little bay has very productive eelgrass beds and the flats have nutritious green algae.

 

Only about a month until the Seward Audubon Christmas Bird Count. I hope these astounding swans stay to be counted!

 

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Tuesday, November 19, 2024 Killdeer! Starling, and Golden-crowned Sparrow

Seward, Alaska

 

Cold and windy continued today with cheerful sunshine providing a bright spotlight on the beauty all around.

 

Acting on a hot tip from a cold friend about a shorebird, I checked out Afognak Beach this morning. The hardy shorebird startled me as he flew past, calling dee-dee! I grabbed a blurry shot of his surprising red-orange rump, back, and coverts, like a warm sunset, as he landed. I also got glimpses of his eyes, outlined in ruby red, as he walked around. The two thick black breast bands resembled warm scarves wrapped around his neck.

 

This brave KILLDEER, likely the same one seen earlier on November 1, waded through the chilly, shallow water among washed-up jellies, picking up invisible-to-me tidbits. When stopped, he gently bobbed a few times, then continued wading and picking. Gusts of wind ruffled his feathers and threatened to knock him down, but he persevered.

 

This is a location favored by previous Killdeer, presuming they were different individuals over the years.

 

I left him to dine while I photographed the myriad frozen jellies lining the beach. Hundreds of candy-striped Northern Sea Nettles, a Lion’s Mane, and a smattering of Water Jellies sprinkled the intertidal area and the beach. That was a feast for my eyes! I can’t believe how stunning they are, these mysterious, alien animals from the ocean universe.

 

The incoming tide pushed me back to the beach. I left to seek sparrows.

The presumed White-throated Sparrow turned out to be a Golden-crowned Sparrow with a lot of yellow by the eyes (thanks, Todd for clearing that up!) Nice to see, nonetheless.

 

Not so nice to see was the gaudy STARLING, all spotty and speckly, hopping along the alley, gleaning seeds. At least there’s only one so far.

 

Happy Birrrrding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

 

Monday, November 18, 2024 Sparrows

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 9:06 am, sunset 4:22 pm for a total day length of 7 hours and 15 minutes. Tomorrow will be 4 minutes and 26 seconds shorter.

 

BRRRR!! Cold and clear and WINDY continues. Temps ranged from a low of 11 and a high of 17 accompanied by a howling NNW wind that slammed things around with gusts up to 27 mph and one whopper clocked at 49 mph. More of the same forecast for Tuesday, then a break as it warms up to 40 towards the end of the week. 

 

No snow on the ground, and eager skaters enjoyed the bumpy ice on Second Lake. 

 

The ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD is miraculously surviving this cold snap, and was reported feeding at his lovely new heated feeder today after an absence of about a week. He puts us all to shame, shivering in our warm gear and lounging about in a heated house. Incredibly tough!

 

I checked out a sparrow hot spot in the alley behind Marathon Drive, off of Resurrection Blvd, thanks to a tip from Robin C. I enjoyed watching about five flashy STELLER’S JAYS, the Coastal variety, sporting two electric-blue lines on their stylish black crests above their foreheads. Three fancy-tailed BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES sallied through, checking out the scene and grabbed a few seeds scattered on the bare ground. 

 

Finally, a small flock of DARK-EYED JUNCOS appeared, making their way cautiously from the bushes to the ground. A very handsome OREGON JUNCO male popped up too. Then an immature WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, and a SONG SPARROW. 

 

In the tangled thicket next door, I spotted three or four adult White-crowned Sparrows, but did not get photos. Robin C found a White-throated Sparrow here yesterday, but I will have to keep trying.

 

Last week, on Monday, I watched a BALD EAGLE perched in a spruce tree by the Lagoon. Suddenly, it shot off the branch with a piercing, blood-curdling shriek and roared over the water to the far shore two blocks away. 

 

Bam! Something died for breakfast. The Eagle then carried its feast to the power pole perch and began dining on whatever it was. I know Eagles have superb vision but how did that master hunter manage to nail its prey from so far away? It certainly was not a sneak attack. Frozen with fear?

 

Thursday, I lucked into a flock of about 10 ROBINS at Madison and Second Ave, eating Mt Ash berries and foraging in the frozen but still green grass. The next day, I followed a VARIED THRUSH hopping quietly along Two Lakes Trail. An American Three-Toed Woodpecker has been frequenting the park this month, but I didn’t refind it last week.

 

On Saturday, I was happy to find six MARBLED MURRELETS off Lowell Point Beach. I hadn’t seen any in a long time.

 

The long nights, though cold and windy, bring twinkling stars, red Mars, and bright Jupiter with a waning full moon sailing across the tapestry. Just gotta be tough like that little hummer!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter