Seward, Alaska Sporadic Bird Report
Posted on: July 5, 2009 | Sporadic Bird | Comments Off | Print Article | Rate Post:
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)Sunday, July 5, 2009
Sunrise 4:43 am, sunset 11:19 pm, length of day 18 hours, 36 minutes; tomorrow will be 2 minutes and 34 seconds shorter.
Weather: phenomenal summer weather continues with temperatures in the 70s. A pleasant breeze moderates the heat the felled many Mt Marathon racers yesterday. Watch for an incredible pink waxing moon between 11 pm and midnight, following the sun’s winter route low in the southern sky. It will be full on Tuesday.
It’s baby bird time in Seward. Most birds are now entering their quiet, secretive time, with their vulnerable babies loose in the world, trying to learn how to fly, where it is safe, who its enemies are, and where food comes from when it’s not delivered. I noticed that in two robin’s nests, the babies fledged sequentially, not all at once. Each nest had one bird that was distinctly larger than its siblings. I suspect they developed as soon as they were laid, and just kept on growing. This strategy spreads out the risk for the fledglings.
A few species continue to sing: the melodious descending flute of the HERMIT THRUSH, occasional telephone ring of the VARIED THRUSH and melodious ‘cheer-up, cheerio of the ROBIN, frequent “whip-gee-whillikers! It’s a beautiful day!” of the FOX SPARROW, twittering of the PINE SISKINS, chirping of the VIOLET-GREEN and TREE SWALLOWS, and high notes of the WARBLERS: ORANGE-CROWNED, WILSON’S, TOWNSEND’S and YELLOW.
Savannah Sparrows sing and perch on the lupines at the saltmarsh, their babies chipping from invisible hiding places on the ground. The liquid bubbling of the LINCOLN’S SPARROW carries across the sedges. The ALDER FLYCATCHER, a late arrival first noted on June 23rd, in its usual spot in the spruce island, calling out, “read-Y!”
The pond is very quiet, with a few GADWALL families, one with 8 tiny ducklings, another with 5 almost full size. Four LEAST SANDPIPERS picked through the mudflats at low tide. Up to 14 RAVEN fledglings hang out along the beach, already flying gracefully on the breeze.
Sometimes it’s harder to notice what is missing. Gone since shortly after their arrival are the ARCTIC TERNS. Where they should be seen and heard foraging on the sticklebacks and salmon fry in the Resurrection River floodplain ponds, hovering, and streaking after ravens and eagles, there are none. Where last year on June 2nd there were 37 Arctic Tern nests at the head of the bay, a devastated birder reported nothing but ATV tracks, looping and grinding through their nests and habitat. This irresponsible behavior destroyed not only the nests of these incredible birds that flew 11,000 miles from the tip of South America to Seward, but also wiped out the next generation. A senseless, avoidable tragedy.
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS, mostly moms with their look-alike young, feed voraciously at the 4:1 sugar solutions in feeders. Keep them clean and full! They will be migrating in the next few weeks, the impossible 6000 mile journey back to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico to overwinter.
A SNOW BUNTING was recently reported from the Harding Icefield Trail at Exit Glacier, and a GOLDEN EAGLE was seen from the lower trails, soaring around the mountains.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Sporadic Bird Report reporter
Seward, Alaska
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