Seward, Alaska
Thanks to a tip from Robin C, I found FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS flitting just above the water from the harbor Uplands to south of the cannery on Lowell Point Road. A quick count found at least 30 by the “bird feeder” just south of the harbor entrance, and another 30 between the Lowell Creek waterfall and the cannery.
Recent fall storms apparently drove them from offshore to the relatively calm waters of Resurrection Bay and the abundant ground-up fish waste from the two area seafood processing plants. Could they smell the food with their amazing tubenose nostrils?
The small, bluish-gray seabirds zipped around, almost invisible against the gray water unless you knew to look and look hard. Their quick wing beats alternated with short glides as they pirouetted around the larger nearby Gulls. They sometimes pattered along the surface (like St Peter walking across the water) tiny webbed feet outstretched, or landed momentarily then easily launched more like a butterfly than a bird.
The rain pattered down, with a promise of more to come. These tiny “sea swallows” of the North Pacific Ocean sure brightened my day.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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