Date: 7/19/26 9:50 pm From: rainyday via groups.io <c_griz...> Subject: [AKBirding] Sunday, July 19, 2026 Catch-up
Sunday, July 19, 2026 Catch-up
Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 5:10 am, sunset 11:00 pm for a total day length of 17 hours and 50 minutes. Tomorrow will be 4 minutes and 6 seconds shorter.
NOAA issued two severe Weather Alerts for Seward from Sunday morning until Tuesday morning: a Flood Watch (be prepared) and Flood Warning (take action). It rained hard all day with only a few brief breaks. Up to 6” of rain and increasing wind are forecast due to an “atmospheric river” moving up from the Kamchatka Peninsula across the Gulf in a succession of lows. Temperatures remained cool this week, in the mid 40s to low 50s.
Two bright spots in this otherwise dismal and gloomy day: RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS have not yet migrated and continued to come to feeders. It’s such an inspiration to watch these tiny but intrepid jewels zipping fearlessly through the deluge. Their raincoat is far superior to mine.
“My” VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW family is still in the nest box after a late start. At least two babies begged in their charming but insistent staccato baby voices. One baby plugged the opening, watching alertly for the food service delivery, then ramped up the excitement as dad appeared, yellow beak wide open. It’s a wonder how the parents found any insects in the downpour. I hope the babies can wait until these storms pass for their first flight into the wide world.
On July 15, I found momma GADWALL paddling along with her seven adorable ducklings in tow. An immature BALD EAGLE nearby showed a suspiciously keen interest in the young family.
SHORT-BILLED GULLS dive-bombed an “innocent” adult Bald Eagle perched on a driftwood log, hanging his wings out to dry. No doubt, fledgling gulls were in the area and potentially on the snack menu. Danger lurks everywhere for the young and vulnerable.
14 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS stitched industriously in the estuary pond with about 20 GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS. Nine flew overhead, resembling pieces of an M.C. Escher tessellation just waiting to be arranged.
The ragged clouds provided just enough veiling to allow me to once again capture sunspots on the Sun, 93 million miles away. There were two active regions this time, one on each side of the earth-facing disk. Incredible!
The TRUMPTER SWANS at Mile 1 Nash Road continued to paddle and preen, sometimes near, sometimes far. The cygnet is now about 3 weeks old and growing dramatically. When one parent stretched her enormous wings, I could see that her primary feathers are just unfurling. No wonder they preen constantly.
Note to self: get outside when you can; life goes on despite the challenging weather.
Date: 7/15/26 12:19 am From: rainyday via groups.io <c_griz...> Subject: [AKBirding] Tuesday, July 14, 2026 Common Murre with deformed bill update
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 Common Murre with deformed bill update
Seward, AK
My recent report generated interest from USFWS, NOAA Fisheries, International Bird Rescue, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and other scientists and organizations in Anchorage, Oregon,
California, and as far away as Midway Atoll NWR and SE Tasmania, thanks to a link to the Pacific Seabird Group.
Deformed bills, also known as Avian Keratin Disorder (AKD), in land species such as chickadees, ravens and crows are well documented. Deformed bills in seabirds are not common or, perhaps, not commonly observed.
Some of the seabird deformities noted were the result of healed injuries (trauma). AKD in seabirds is poorly studied but may be linked to a previously unknown virus, the Poecivirus, as is the case with landbirds, and other causes.
A consensus has not been reached on the cause of bill deformities in seabirds, but marine bird observers agreed on the importance of looking more closely during surveys. “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”
Date: 7/9/26 3:36 pm From: rainyday via groups.io <c_griz...> Subject: [AKBirding] Thursday, July 9, 2026 Sandpipers, Babies, Common Murre deformed bill
Thursday, July 9, 2026 Sandpipers, Babies, Common Murre deformed bill
Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 4:51 am, sunset 11:17 pm for a total day length of 18 hours and 25 minutes. Tomorrow will be 3 minutes and 3 seconds shorter.
Weather remained mostly cloudy and cool with lows in the mid-40s and highs in the 50s. Green is the color of rain and there are dozens of hues, shades, tints, and tones for the solar panel leaves to choose from, with floral accessories.
The frenetic Seward Fourth of July celebration caused in a gap in my birding and posting though I was always listening and looking.
A ROBIN serenaded the whole neighborhood from the top of my spruce tree for several evenings; his sweet notes soothed my soul even while declaring his territory. Not to be outdone, a HERMIT THRUSH played his woodland flute from the mountainside.
Remarkably, at 12:30 am after the July 3 fireworks, the lonesome SAW-WHET OWL was reported beeping from the forest of Mt Marathon. I confirmed that on July 8 at 12:15 am. He seemed to be waiting for the duskiness of a Seward night, limited though it was.
On June 29, thanks to a tip from Robin C, I photographed a COMMON MURRE, possibly a first-year bird, actively preening just offshore of the Waterfront. A closer look revealed a deformed bill with the upper mandible severely crossed over the lower. He was able to preen and seemed alert and healthy so maybe the deformity has not interfered with catching fish.
It’s baby time! The young Corvids, RAVENS, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES, and STELLER’S JAYS are almost full-sized and already adept at flying. Like teenagers, they like their independence but still beg insistently and loudly for handouts.
I surprised a momma GADWALL with 6 ducklings on June 29. One veered off as the others scurried to safety with mom and huddled, still as a stone. I hope they were reunited after I hustled away.
I am sure now that the large ARCTIC TERN colony has collapsed, leaving only six adults. One Tern chick was reported last week, but I haven’t seen it. Their neighboring SHORT-BILLED GULLS were very protective of a single tiny gull puff wandering away from the nest site. There may be more, but I don’t want to disturb them to check.
The SPOTTED SANDPIPER babies have recently fledged. How funny to see that they dip and bob when fresh into the world, just like the adults.
On June 30, a WESTERN SANDPIPER adult fed with a loose flock of 20 LEAST SANDPIPERS. I expect many of the Least Sandpipers nested locally, but was surprised to see the Western.
Judging from a SAVANNAH SPARROW’s beakful of insects, their babies have hatched. I watched an adult walking around on top of a dense growth of Beach Greens, nimbly catching flies and other insects.
In early July, Six DOWITCHERS returned to feed in the shallow estuary pond as if they’d never left.
Robin C reported a KILLDEER on July 6 in the Harbor Uplands, an unusual and brief summer sighting.
The young TRUMPETER SWAN cygnet continues to flourish under the watchful eyes of its magnificent parents, though they are often on the far side of the wetlands and hard to see.
Date: 7/2/26 8:31 pm From: S W via groups.io <ak.au.crew...> Subject: [AKBirding] Rohn
Siting date: 20260702 Location: Rohn cabin mile 301 Iditarod trail Observer: Scott Wharton Birds: American Kestrel, Spruce grouse w chicks (hense the kestrel)
Nice siting of Kestrel about 20 ft off the ground. And fun to see the Spruce Grouse(taiga coloration) chicks, We also heard 2 different woodpeckers but could not identify them. There's a lot of beetle kill spruce in area.
Date: 6/28/26 11:12 pm From: rainyday via groups.io <c_griz...> Subject: [AKBirding] Sunday, June 28, 2026 Trumpeter Swan Family Reveal
Sunday, June 28, 2026 Trumpeter Swan Family Reveal
Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 4:37 am, sunset 11:27 pm for a total day length of 18 hours and 49 minutes. Tomorrow will be 1 minute and 22 seconds shorter.
Mild temperatures continued this week with lows in the 40s rising into the 50s on the mostly cloudy, sprinkly, foggy days. Thursday, however, was a beaut with blue skies and sunshine, cracking into the low 60s with a pleasant north wind.
The forecast calls for mostly cloudy with showers and some sunshine heading into the world-famous Mt Marathon Race and the Fourth of July festivities over the weekend.
I’ve been checking on the TRUMPETER SWAN family at Mile 1, Nash Road. Mostly, the mom (typically) sat on the nest while the dad fed far away in the pond. Sometimes, I could not see anyone, and other times, only one head poked up above the wetland vegetation far in the back.
The Swans have been tending the nest since at least May 22, so the 31 to 35-day incubation was just about done. Last year, the nest failed due to high water, so I was eager to see success.
On June 25, both parents were together in the water below the nest, mostly hidden by the green water horsetails, but they appeared to be bookending something precious between them. Alas, I could not see and they didn’t paddle into the open.
On June 26, I checked in the morning and found nothing, not even a glimpse of white anywhere. They sure can hide!
I checked again in the afternoon and to my delight, the Swan family was RIGHT BY THE ROAD. Between the two adults was ONE adorable cygnet, only one to two days’ old.
Only the Swans know what happened to the other eggs, from two to seven, but what a thrill to see this tiny, short-necked, pearl-gray cygnet after a year’s-long absence!
On June 22, Merlin identified the descending “BREE-err” song of a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE in the woods at the Airport Road cul-de-sac. This is an uncommon but not unexpected species for our area. I searched but could not find the ventriloquist.
Also heard, the enthusiastic songs of a FOX SPARROW, SONG SPARROW, NORTHERN YELLOW WARBLER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, AMERICAN ROBIN, and PINE SISKINS.
On June 24, a reverberating syncopated rapping on my house woke me up. I caught sight of a male HAIRY WOODPECKER flying to a tree by my window before he vanished. I hope he will not devour my cedar siding like his brethren did to Ava Ead’s home!
Later, I found a usually elusive WILSON’S SNIPE sitting on a stump in the sun. I passed without flushing it, and watched it tuck in for a nap. Overhead, a male winnowed like spring, a tiny sky speck.
The mystery of the ARCTIC TERNS continued. On sunny June 25, I counted 61 Terns swarming along the head of the bay before settling down on the mudflats. Another five or so were spotted by the nest sites, but no fish deliveries were seen.
Back home, the CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES fledged around June 22, leaving the nest box but not the yard where they could be heard begging.
The cold, snowless, and windy winter devastated many plants, notably salmonberry, raspberries, and roses, their dead canes now apparent against the green survivors. Many of the Bigleaf Lupines seem to have died as well.
Despite the dry, cool, and late spring, brown chocolate lilies, magenta shooting stars, white starflowers, pink nagoon berries, blue wild flag irises, and others burst into bloom, a welcome and colorful start of summer.
Date: 6/28/26 1:13 pm From: Linda Vinson via groups.io <lvinsonak...> Subject: Re: [AKBirding] RN phalarope
Thank you for posting. Our little 3-person group got great views of them yesterday. Linda VinsonPalmer, <Alaskalvinsonak...>
On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 2:27 PM, Ken Stenek via groups.io <kstenek...> wrote:
The female often takes off and leaves the male to take care of the babies.
Ken StenekScience TeacherShishmaref School(907) 649-3021allworx x6027
On Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 1:18 PM S W via groups.io <ak.au.crew...> wrote:
Siting date:20260624Location: north pothole lake hoodObs.: Scott Wharton There are a pair of red neck phalarope nesting at lake hood in marsh area at outfall north pothole of lake hood. If you go please be courteous and mindful of airplanes and the rules for walking at the aerodrome.Sincerely
Scott <Whartonak.au.crew...>
This email message (including any attachments) is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential information covered under the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA). If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message (including any attachments) is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please destroy all copies of the original message (including attachments) and notify me immediately.
Date: 6/24/26 3:27 pm From: Ken Stenek via groups.io <kstenek...> Subject: Re: [AKBirding] RN phalarope
The female often takes off and leaves the male to take care of the babies.
Ken Stenek
Science Teacher
Shishmaref School
(907) 649-3021
allworx x6027
On Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 1:18 PM S W via groups.io <ak.au.crew=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Siting date:20260624
> Location: north pothole lake hood
> Obs.: Scott Wharton
> There are a pair of red neck phalarope nesting at lake hood in marsh area
> at outfall north pothole of lake hood.
> If you go please be courteous and mindful of airplanes and the rules for
> walking at the aerodrome.
> Sincerely
>
> Scott Wharton
> <ak.au.crew...>
>
>
--
This email message (including any attachments) is for the sole use of the
intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential information covered
under the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)
<https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html>. If the reader
of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that
any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message (including any
attachments) is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in
error, please destroy all copies of the original message (including
attachments) and notify me immediately.
Date: 6/24/26 2:18 pm From: S W via groups.io <ak.au.crew...> Subject: [AKBirding] RN phalarope
Siting date:20260624 Location: north pothole lake hood Obs.: Scott Wharton There are a pair of red neck phalarope nesting at lake hood in marsh area at outfall north pothole of lake hood. If you go please be courteous and mindful of airplanes and the rules for walking at the aerodrome. Sincerely
Date: 6/22/26 11:22 pm From: rainyday via groups.io <c_griz...> Subject: [AKBirding] Sunday, June 21, 2026 Gull Fishing Frenzy, Wandering Tattler, Dead Fin Whale
Sunday, June 21, 2026 Gull Fishing Frenzy, Wandering Tattler, Dead Fin Whale
Seward, Alaska
Sunrise 4:33 am, sunset 11:28 pm for a total day length of 18 hours and 54 minutes. Happy Summer Solstice! Tomorrow will be 0 minutes and 6 seconds shorter.
While western Europe sizzles in a record-breaking heat wave with temps over 104º F (40 C), hot enough to deform railroad tracks, Seward remained in the low 40s to mid 50s with light southerly winds. After Sunday’s big rainstorm, we were treated to mostly sunny days.
The thick wrack at Afognak Beach on Monday again proved productive for foraging birds and me. I spotted a male YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER with two slender white moose hairs in his bill, perhaps an embellishment for the nest.
A VARIED THRUSH joined the usual ROBINS and HERMIT THRUSHES and packed many tasty tidbits into her bill, marine invertebrate versions of an urban lawn.
Sawmill Creek flooded the intertidal area so that it was impossible to cross the many channels without hip waders. Instead of a nice, long beach walk across the flats to the low tideline, I stopped at the main channel to watch a show.
An excited group of noisy Gulls, mostly GLAUCOUS-WINGED, and a few HERRING GULLS, hovered as best they could above the main channel, spotting for migrating fish. Others stood in the icy water up to their bellies, like combat fishers, sharp eyes searching the clear stream.
When a fish was seen, the spotter dove down accompanied by its “friends” in a flurry of feathers. If lucky, the Gull nailed the fish amid a great outcry and gobbled it down before it was stolen. Though the fishing/catching seemed slow, the chance of catching or stealing a fish made it worth the considerable effort.
VIOLET-GREEN and TREE SWALLOWS swooped around the intertidal channels. Photographing the fast and erratic insect catchers was futile but I did manage to track a CLIFF SWALLOW with my binoculars darting among them. Cliff Swallows have become uncommon in this area due to loss of several key nesting sites (and probably many other factors), so it was great to find one.
On June 17 at Two Lakes Park, I heard and saw two PACIFIC WRENS by Second Lake. STELLER JAY parents fed a screeching fledgling high on a spruce branch.
At the head of the bay, a family of SPOTTED SANDPIPERS flushed ahead of me with one fledgling, leaving a dainty embroidery of tracks in the sand.
I finally photographed a LINCOLN’S SPARROW singing its melodious, bubbling song on June 18.
On June 19, a single LESSER YELLOWLEGS foraged on the tide flats.
I was alarmed to count 44 ARCTIC TERNS napping in the sun next to an intertidal stream. This is roughly my estimate, 40-50, for the total adult population. The colony in the grass seemed very quiet. I hoped that the sun served as incubator and the parents were taking a well-deserved break.
I learned later that the enormous Royal Caribbean quantum-class cruise ship “Ovation of the Seas” arrived in port Friday morning on its second Seward visit, with a dead, pregnant, 61’ fin whale draped over its bulbous bow.
She was towed to Lowell Point for the necropsy by Alaska Sealife Center scientists to try to determine the cause of death. Though she was all carved up for the procedure, she was still an awe-inspiring sight. There are many on-line news stories about this tragic event.
Despite the crowds lined up along the road, a nonchalant WANDERING TATTLER strolled along the shoreline, foraging for amphipods and other invertebrates.
