Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 7:26 am, sunset 8:17 pm for a total day length of 12 hours and 51 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 24 seconds shorter as we approach the Fall Equinox on September 22 at 4:05 pm.
After three glorious days of sunshine and temps reaching the low 60s, the north wind switched to south as a low blew in accompanied by heavy rain. Cloudy and cooler with rain in the forecast for at least the next week.
A frenzied, wavering beeping, not recognized by Merlin, erupted outside my bedroom window at 3:40 am. The diminutive but loud SAW-WHET OWL continued his earnest but one-sided conversation for several minutes until I rolled out of bed and crept around the house. Silence. The missive delivered, he had vanished into the overcast, still night like a ghost.
Yesterday around 12:30 pm, the last of our balmy summery days, I heard SANDHILL CRANES! I rushed inside for my camera then “craned” my head upwards, scanning back and forth. Finally, I found them, a V of Cranes high overhead, bugling and flying due east. They must have flown right over the Harding Icefield, over Mt Marathon, and then over my house. Sweet delivery!
But wait! Even higher were more skeins of Cranes, undulating in ever-changing patterns, weaving intricate patterns spread across the sky. Calling, exhorting, encouraging the young fledgling and each other to stroke, stroke, stroke ever farther from their breeding grounds.
Finally, my camera could no longer discern the dots from the gauzy sky and their ancient bugling faded into the distance.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
No comments:
Post a Comment