Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 5:51 am, sunset 10:00 pm, for a total day length of 16 hours and 8 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 10 seconds longer.
Light rain most of the day with an overnight low of 33 and a high of 41, mostly calm. More rain/showers in the forecast through Sunday and temps dipping below freezing next week with a chance of snow. Sheesh! Cold spring!
Nonetheless, it’s an exciting time to watch the return of breeding residents, and the influx of migratory birds, perhaps influenced by the squally weather to feed here rather than push north.
Flocks of CACKLING GEESE and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE gobbled sedges and grit, rising in noisy protest when riled by BALD EAGLES. Tasha reported 8 Tule, a larger, darker GWFG subspecies.
NORTHERN SHOVELERS, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, MALLARDS, NORTHERN PINTAILS, GREEN-WINGED TEAL covered the pond.
At least 15 HUDSONIAN GODWITS plunged their long bills into the shallows of the estuary pond, surrounded by dozens of SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS. Long-billed dowitchers were also reported and 8 Bar-tailed Godwits. I found a single PECTORAL SANDPIPER working in the shallows.
A shimmer of LEAST and WESTERN SANDPIPERS flashed around the area, landing briefly to forage then zipped away. A flock of about 20 DUNLIN flew between the pond and tidelands, black bellies now prominent.
Five BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, not quite in breeding plumage, worked the tidelands.
13 GREATER YELLOWLEGS called stridently and circled the pond. One Lesser Yellowlegs was reported. Yesterday, 37 WHIMBRELS flew overhead, creating a pattern reminiscent of a MC Escher tessellation.
WILSON’S SNIPE winnowed high in the sky. A female NORTHERN HARRIER hunted from the upper fields to the beach, circling the area.
Courting ARCTIC TERNS paraded around with tiny fish for their ladies. Two BONAPARTE’S GULLS growled. SHORT-BILLED GULLS defended their nesting sites from pesky RAVENS.
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and a single FOX SPARROW sang from the adjacent woods.
Exciting and challenging times indeed, trying to identify these beautiful transient visitors.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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