Sporadic Bird from Seward, Alaska : January 2024

Wednesday, January 31, 2024 Cold but Birdy!

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 9:16 am, sunset 5:08 pm for a total day length of 7 hours and 51 minutes. Tomorrow will be 4 minutes and 57 seconds longer.

Seward only received about 5” of light snow after the Sunday night storm. Sunny skies prevailed today with strong NNW wind 10-13 mph and gusts to 31 mph. Continued cold with a low of minus 5 at 8:30 am, “warmed up” to zero at noon and then rolled back down. Colder and clear in the forecast for Thursday and Friday. Beautiful but brrrrrrrrr!

The bay continued to steam, sending ghosts streaming before the wind. Somewhat in the lee, I found a cooperative RED-BREASTED MERGANSER hen feeding along the shoreline at Lowell Point Beach. She seemed to find food by merely snorkeling and rarely dove. The water may have been shallow enough to pluck gunnels or other prey off the submerged beach but I could not determine what she found. When she emerged, water flowed off the waterproof duck like a transparent cloak.

Far offshore, I spied a COMMON LOON. Two LONG-TAILED DUCKS bobbed in the waves near a PELAGIC CORMORANT, almost obscured by the steam. A raft of BARROW’S GOLDENEYES dove near a small group of COMMON and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS near shore. A GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL attacked a drake Red-Breasted Mergansers, driving him away from the prey.

The boat harbor was frozen at both ends, an unusual sight. I found two HORNED GREBES fishing in a small open area, their red eyes gleaming in the sunshine.

Ava’s hotspot was hopping with hungry birds. I found two RED CROSSBILL females cracking open sunflower seeds in the porch trays with COMMON REDPOLLS, PINE SISKINS, and a PINE GROSBEAK. DOWNY and HAIRY WOODPECKERS pecked at the peanut butter logs. BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, a CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, and an OREGON JUNCO darted in an out grabbing seeds where they could.

When I got home and looked at my photos, I realized one of the Red Crossbills sported a silver metal band on its right leg, possibly from 2023. Fun to see! I hope to learn more soon.

Farewell, January 2024. What a dramatic month you were!

Happy Birrrrding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Update: Tasha DiMarzio banded that Red Crossbill on August 8, 2023 as a hatch year bird. Tasha was very pleased to know she is alive and looking strong. So cool!

Sunday, January 28, 2024 Tough birds in dramatic weather

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 8:23 am, sunset 5:00 pm for a total day length of 7 hours and 36 minutes. Tomorrow will be 4 minutes and 49 seconds longer.

Single digit temperatures the past several days froze the waterfall to a trickle trapped inside icicle-clad armor; billows of ghostly gray steam rose and writhed as the frothing bay released its relative warmth; and the north wind raged from 20 to 30 mph.

A stinging, light snow began midday, the start of the winter weather alert for heavy snowfall from the Copper River Valley, western Prince William Sound, Whittier, and Turnagain Pass south to Seward. We’ll see how much snow accumulates by tomorrow. Negative temps, sunshine, and strong winds forecast for mid-week.

At Lowell Point this morning, 100s of COMMON REDPOLLS flew overhead, flock after flock. I’ve never seen so many! Alders attracted them like iron specks to a magnet. They fed ravenously on the tiny seeds waiting in catkins or sprinkled on the snow, then swirled away.

A pair of HARLEQUIN DUCKS dove and preened in the wind and snow just offshore of the waterfront. A PELAGIC CORMORANT flew into the teeth of the wind.

From the shelter of my car, I peered over the Uplands rocks and found dozens of ducks seeking shelter from the wind. Pelted by the stinging snow, they rested, heads tucked under wings. To my surprise, a small raft of 17 GADWALL bobbed in the waves below. A few more expected but snow-speckled COMMON MERGANSERS, BARROW’S GOLDENEYES, MALLARDS, and GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS also waited out the storm.

Robin C reported a RUSTY BLACKBIRD near AVTEC, and a YELLOW-BILLED LOON in the harbor. Ava reported 4 RED CROSSBILLS at her feeder among the other usual songbirds.

Tough birds in dramatic weather!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Monday, January 1, 2024 First Day of the Year Birds

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 10:02 am, sunset 4:02 pm, for a total day length of 5 hours and 59 minutes. Tomorrow will be 1 minute and 56 seconds longer as we reach the 6-hour milestone with seconds to spare.

2024 started the new year with a calm, lovely day. The high of 31 at 7:30 am slid to the still comfortable high 20s under mostly cloudy skies with a bit of sunshine. The forecast calls for snow showers, sn’rain, and rain over the next week.

It’s very fun to start a new year's checklist where every bird, no matter how common, counts. I targeted a few today: 24 TRUMPETER SWANS at Afognak Beach including the resident Swan family with their three remaining cygnets. Just as I was leaving, a juvenile NORTHERN GOSHAWK flew past and landed in a nearby tree long enough for me to dash out and get some photos. Bonus!

At the head of the bay I heard, but did not see, SNOW BUNTINGS. Alas, no Killdeer.

At Ava’s Hot Spot, I supplemented my bird feeder list with DOWNY and HAIRY WOODPECKERS, and both CHESTNUT-BACKED and BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES.

The Brambling proved elusive even at the Hemlock Street hot spot, but I found a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW bonus with lots of other feeder birds. The White-throated Sparrow was not found.

A real treat was the selection from the Harbor Uplands: two GREAT BLUE HERONS perched in the blue coal loader, two PACIFIC LOONS, two COMMON MURRES, MARBLED MURRELETS, and a variety of other seabirds. I heard a Loon yodel an alarm as three adult BALD EAGLES swooped across the water towards the flocks of ducks. Bonus!

I too swooped in to First Lake to find a DIPPER and the RUSTY BLACKBIRD flipping through the leaf debris at the lake inlet. Double Bonus!

VARIED THRUSHES popped up at feeders all over town, many more than I remember seeing in the winter. PINE SISKIN and COMMON REDPOLLS numbers are up, as well as the continuing WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS, high in the spruce tops.

Also found a young bull moose eating willow twigs, sea lions, sea otters, red squirrels, and river otter tracks.

In all, I found 37 bird species, with more to check off, weather permitting. Surely, I will find a Short-billed Gull!

Happy Birding in the New Year!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Here’s the list:

Trumpeter Swan

Mallard

Surf Scoter

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Barrow’s Goldeneye