Wednesday, January 11, 2017 Anna's Hummers

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 9:52 am, sunset 4:21 pm for a total day light of 6 hours and 30 minutes. Tomorrow will be 3 minutes and 31 seconds longer.

Seward’s sunny streak continues, with temperatures today in the mid 20s and a brisk NNW wind. It’s been marvelous to see the sun, and amazing to witness heat waves rising from the wintry landscape. Lowell Creek waterfall, still flowing, creates intricate ice sculptures. After sunset, far to the south, the pink, lavender, and purple alpenglow to the north is just stunning. Add to that the nearly full moon, rising over Alice. Wow!

There’s still quite a bit of dingy-looking grass in town under the spruce trees. This attracts the dozens of ROBINS and various sparrows to pick and scratch. Otherwise, the open ground is layered with crusty snow and slick, icy patches.

The PINE GROSBEAKS and Robins have just about eaten all the Mt Ash berries. Every tree has a ring of red beneath it, the seeds and skins dropped by the discriminating Grosbeaks. I have noticed Robins occasionally eating leftovers from this fruity carpet.

The forecast calls for snow on Friday which will cover exposed ground and fruit carpets, making feeders even more important. A major cold front is also forecast for next week, making winter even more challenging for our feathered neighbors.

This afternoon, I checked the ANNA’S hummingbird feeder on the Cliff. The last time the ’hood hummer was seen, and seen here, was on Christmas Day so I wasn’t very hopeful. Suddenly, I heard a familiar ticking. What? Was it possible??? I ticked back, and there he was, the little tough guy, buzzing about, then sitting on top of a spruce top like the best, most magnificent Christmas tree star.

With renewed excitement, I changed out the old solution for new and plugged in the heat tape again, wrapped around the glass. I’ll be checking to make sure the ports don’t freeze up. Then I went home and made new solution for my feeders, just in case he blows south again. What an inspiration!

I’ve been stalking Ava’s Place, hoping to see her ANNA’S. This evening, Ava reported that she has not seen him in four days and fears he will not come back. Everyone is very sad. I told her to not give up hope. I will keep looking for that phenomenal flash full of moxie with all my fingers crossed.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, January 5, 2017 Banded NW Crow

Seward, Alaska

On December 27^th, I was amazed to find a single silver band on a NW CROW that briefly landed on the hood of my car. I quickly shot a few photos before it flew off.

Because it was so close and luckily the band was facing me, it was easy to read the numbers.

I submitted the photo to the USGS deformed bills and banded bird website at https://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/landbirds/beak_deformity/observerreport.php

USGS Wildlife Biologist Lisa Pajot reported that this crow is a male that was banded as a second-year bird in 2007, so it could be at least 11 years old.

According to the All About Birds website, the oldest recorded NW Crow was at least 16 years, 8 months old when it was seen in British Columbia and identified by its band. The Seward crow is doing pretty well!

I haven’t seen any banded crows in recent years from this 2007 study; either the birds have died or moved away, the bands have fallen off, or I just haven’t been looking hard enough. It’s very helpful when a banded crow just lands a few feet away like this one!

Note the photo was turned upside down, not the crow, to more easily read the number.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Thursday, January 5, 2017 Alaska Gull study

As noted in my August 14, 2016 blog, I found a Herring Gull with a transmitter at the beach in Seward. Here’s the rest of the story:

The January 4, 2017 Alaska Dispatch News posted an article, “Alaska gulls are picking up antibiotic-resistant bacteria that could infect humans.”

< https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/science/2017/01/03/alaska-gulls-are-picking-up-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-and-public-health-implications-are-worrisome/>

According to the article, scientists trapped gulls at the Soldotna landfill and the mouth of the Kenai River in 2014 and took fecal samples. The study found that gulls at areas heavily used by humans were resistant to at least one antibiotic.

There is no sign that antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Kenai Peninsula gulls have affected people, but infections in gulls are reflective of human impacts. There are no signs that the gulls are getting sick from the e coli strains they are carrying.

More detailed studies were done in June of 2016, including tracking gulls to see how they traveled between the landfill and the mouths of the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers, and sampling fish caught at those rivers.

The e coli bacteria come from warm-blooded animals and their waste, including birds, seals, dogs, and humans. The solution is to avoid attracting animals and their waste to the Kenai River beaches. The scientists hope to determine whether good waste practices, among other factors, can keep these resistant bacteria from spreading to gulls and humans.

The USGS article < https://www.usgs.gov/news/gulls-alaska-found-carry-antibiotic-resistant-e-coli> has more information including a link to an ADEC brochure on how to protect your health while dipnetting

< http://dec.alaska.gov/water/wqsar/wqs/pdfs/Kenai-River-Dipnet-Brochure-8-5-2016.pdf>

To reduce the chance of illness, ADEC recommends washing your hands after visiting a landfill or before processing fish, wash fish in clean tap water, and cook fish to a minimum of 145º internal temperature. Also, dipnetters should use portable restrooms provided at the beach, throw fish waste back into the main river channel at low tide or as far out as possible; pick up and properly dispose of pet waste, pack out trash or use designated trash cans and dumpsters.  Wash or shower after contact with beach and river water and do not drink river water.

That one Herring Gull taught me a lot more than I anticipated!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Tuesday, January 2, 2017 Banded Junco and more New Year Birds

   

Seward, Alaska

Another cold and clear, sunny day! I headed out again to see about checking off a few more birds. In the alley behind my house, I found the EUROPEAN STARLING with a bunch of ROBINS. Check, but not a happy check for this invasive species. I also found a single PINE SISKIN. Check! It’s so odd to only find one of these normally gregarious birds.

While trying to get a photo, a banded SLATE-COLORED JUNCO popped into the frame, a photo bomb. I had no idea it was banded until I reviewed my photos later in the evening. I wonder who is banding Juncos, where, and why?

The PINE GROSBEAKS were gorgeous in the morning light, busily juicing the frozen Mt Ash berries. The snow under the trees is red with their discarded berry skins and many seeds. It is interesting that they are so selective, slow, and messy whereas Robins and other birds eat the whole berries quickly and neatly. This could be a collaborative “Jack Sprat” situation to “lick the platter clean” if only another bird would eat the skins and seeds off the ground.

At the tidelands in the brisk north wind, I found the ROCK SANDPIPERS, about 33 with a few DUNLINS, feeding voraciously. Check! I did not conclusively find the Sanderling. It was fascinating to watch them, flying urgently from one area to another, feeding at the edge of the tide, then in a fresh water creek, and over to an ice-rimmed rivulet, their heads often totally underwater. I never did see what they found to eat.

The AMERICAN TREE SPARROW popped up at Ava’s. Check! A GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW scratched for grit under the carport just out of the sunshine, but its golden crown glowed. After a long while, the plucky ANNA’S again appeared and after a quick sip or two, sat quietly in the shade away from the 100-watt lamp on the ice-cold metal shovel. What a guy!

I looked unsuccessfully for the Red-breasted Sapsucker, but enjoyed a show of sprightly JUNCOS, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, bossy RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, KENAI SONG SPARROWS, a DOWNY WOODPECKER, STELLER’S JAYS, and several pumpkin-orange VARIED THRUSHES.

My last stop as the light drained away was along Second Ave where I managed to get a photo of the WHITE-THROATED SPARROW when it briefly emerged from the alders as if to say “good night!”

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter

Sunday, January 1, 2017 Happy New Year Birding

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 10:00 am, sunset 4:02 pm for a total day light of 6 hours and 2 minutes. Tomorrow will be 2 minutes and 8 seconds longer. The temp ranged from 18º at 10:30 am to a high of 26º at 1:30 pm under clear, sunny skies with a northerly breeze. The streets are icy; crusty snow covers the ground, but surprisingly green grass lies exposed under the protection of overhanging spruce boughs.

Clear skies in the forecast for the next week or more. Amazing forecast!

Just before dawn, Jupiter eased over the western mountains as the sky gradually brightened, turning the scattered thin layer of clouds a delicate pink. Kerry and I headed out shortly afterwards to see what we could see on this spectacular first day of 2017.

First bird, PINE GROSBEAK, second bird, RAVEN, third bird, a ROBIN. Many Robins! At least 50, probably more, still guzzling frozen Mt Ash berries with the Pine Grosbeaks. The berry supply is rapidly dwindling. I wonder what the Robins will eat when the berries are gone. Suet?

We walked around the neighborhood, enjoying the bright morning, checking off birds. Every bird should always receive acclaim as every bird is special, but we tend to get a bit complacent. On this first day of the year, even an expected and common bird like a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH or a MALLARD gets a hurrah! and a check.

A high “see-see” alerted us to an unexpected GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET flitting in a spruce. Check! A whirl of small birds high overhead eluded us for a time, but finally landed in the tree tops. REDPOLLS! They weren’t here for the Christmas Bird Count; how nice to see them!

We visited feeder hot spots. A normally elusive BROWN CREEPER chowed down on peanut butter spread on a spruce trunk. Check! Bright orange VARIED THRUSHES hopped on the crusty snow, gleaning bits of suet scattered by the DOWNY WOODPECKER and other messy eaters. DARK-EYED JUNCO, 3 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, SONG SPARROW, CHESTNUT-BACKED and BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: check.

A neighbor reported a NORTHERN GOSHAWK flashing through his back yard; I saw this blur chasing another blur, but not well enough to count it. It’s nice to know it’s around and hope to see it better soon.

The ocean is never far away in Seward. A quick trip to the beach added several more species paddling in the calm water: GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, COMMON LOON, MARBLED MURRELET, HORNED GREBE, PELAGIC CORMORANT, COMMON and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, COMMON and BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, HARLEQUIN DUCKS, SURF SCOTER, and a pair of GREATER SCAUP, quite close to shore.

Add HARBOR SEAL, SEA OTTER, and STELLER SEA LION. It was so calm, we could see the breath of one Sea Lion hanging in the air, and hear it exhale.

An adult BALD EAGLE sat in its favorite cottonwood, waiting and watching for opportunity to knock. Only a few NORTHWESTERN CROWS scavenged along the beach; the others must be with the gulls at a more lucrative food source.

I was eager to see the ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD, and so we headed to Ava’s Place. As usual, waves of PINE GROSBEAKS surged in and out, spooked by the real possibility of a hawk or Shrike swooping past for fast food take-out. We checked off HAIRY WOODPECKER and GOLDEN CROWNED SPARROW while we waited for the little celebrity.

After a long time, there he was! He flashed his fiery rose gorget and stole my heart again. This sighting was more than just a check, it’s a thrill to witness this tough, handsome Anna’s that has survived yet another long, cold winter night.

The Hooded Merganser was not at Stash and Store Pond so we parked at the Pit Bar to check out nearby Clear Creek. MALLARD! BUFFLEHEAD! KINGFISHER! Yay!

Suddenly a shorebird-type flew quickly downstream, veered around the corner, and disappeared. What the heck was that? We punched through the snow in the vain hope that it might be waiting patiently for us to join it for tea and scones. No such luck. A great mystery to ponder, and seek out.

We headed back to town to the Lagoon and into the shadow of the mountains as the sun hastened away . There, in the steam rising from the cold water, was a lone DIPPER wading around, rustling up some dinner. Yay! It’s always great to see a Dipper!

As the light dimmed further, we rechecked a few spots. I found the WHITE-THROATED SPARROW with his buddies, the White-crowned Sparrows. Yay! A fingernail new moon accompanied by Venus glowed in the deepening blue-black sky, following the sun to bed.

All in all, we tallied 38 species with a few mysteries on this beautiful first day of 2017.

Happy Birding and Happy New Year!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter