Spent the morning on the Food Web Cruise fund raiser for Sitka WhaleFest. They asked me to be aboard as the bird expert. It’s typically an enjoyable ride on an Alen Marine Sightseeing Vessel. We saw several whales, sea otters, Steller Sea Lions, and of course many birds.

Later this evening I went for a walk to scan gull flocks along the channel. Didn’t find anything unusual.

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Stellar Sea Lions have returned in numbers to feast on the herring moving into shallow waters to spawn.

Three species of gull are shown in this picture of gulls resting on a building along the waterfront.

The gathering of gulls at Swan Lake this time of year provides a good opportunity to practice identifying them.

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Gulls can still be a challenge, but this seems to be a fairly typical Thayer's Gull (Larus thayeri).

Gulls can still be a challenge, but this seems to be a fairly typical Thayer's Gull (Larus thayeri).

Gulls can still be a challenge, but this seems to be a fairly typical Thayer's Gull (Larus thayeri).

Two similar pictures - slightly different postures. Probably a pale-eyed Thayer's Gull.

Two similar pictures - slightly different postures. Probably a pale-eyed Thayer's Gull.

Trumpeter Swan feeding on grass at Swan Lake.

This gull is a little confusing to me; very pale eye and apparently dark underside of primaries (plus minimal white on primary tips) lead me toward Herring Gull, but orbital ring appears pink rather than yellow and both bill and overall size seems small, suggesting Thayer's Gull.

This gull is a little confusing to me; very pale eye and apparently dark underside of primaries (plus minimal white on primary tips) lead me toward Herring Gull, but orbital ring appears pink rather than yellow and both bill and overall size seems small, suggesting Thayer's Gull.

A fairly typical dark-eyed Thayer's Gull.

Another confusing gull for me. Overall structure relatively small - I'm not great at judging bills, but it doesn't seem particularly large. Underside of primary tips looks fairly pale. All pointing toward Thayer's Gull. On the other hand, very pale yellow eye and orbital ring looking closer to orange than pink suggest Herring Gull.

Another confusing gull for me. Overall structure relatively small - I'm not great at judging bills, but it doesn't seem particularly large. Underside of primary tips looks fairly pale. All pointing toward Thayer's Gull. On the other hand, very pale yellow eye and orbital ring looking closer to orange than pink suggest Herring Gull.

This gull seems to be a fairly typical Thayer's Gull (Larus thayeri)

The kids and I walked around town today to see if we could pick up any birds that were missed on the Christmas Bird Count yesterday. We were able to add three to the list, Lesser Scaup, Herring Gull, and Hermit Thrush. We had hoped to find Bohemian Waxwings, which we had seen as recently as last Tuesday (two days before count week started), but were not successful in that regard.

While walking around the Baranof Street Cemetery, I noticed a patch of moss I had photographed a couple of years ago, but this time it had sporophytes, so I took pictures and made a small collection with hopes of getting it identified.

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Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) observed on Swan Lake.

Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) observed on Swan Lake.

Herring Gull observed at Swan Lake.

Herring Gull observed at Swan Lake.

Bucklandiella affinis observed growing on rock at Baranof Street Cemetary.

Bucklandiella affinis observed growing on rock at Baranof Street Cemetary.

Bucklandiella affinis observed growing on rock at Baranof Street Cemetary.

Yesterday I saw 3 Northern Pintails, 6 smaller dabblers (I thought Green-winged Teal at the time, though they may have been Northern Shovelers), at least 4 Caspian Terns (including a hatch-year bird), many Thayer’s Gulls, Mew Gulls, a handful of Herring Gulls, Glaucous-winged Gulls, and a couple of Black-legged Kittiwakes. 5 or so White-winged Scoters did a fly by and there were at least 40 phalaropes out on Crescent Bay in two or three flocks that I saw. Shorebirds included Least Sandpipers, Black Turnstones, a Ruddy Turnstone, and what I intially thought might be a Wandering Tattler, but now wonder if it might have been a Spotted Sandpiper.

Last night I heard the terns flying over the neighborhood.

Today there were 8 Northern Shovelers, 10 or so Black Turnstones, a Ruddy Turnstone, at least 5 Least Sandpipers, a Western Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, many gulls; I noted Mew, Herring, Glaucous-winged, and Thayer’s. Ravens and Bald Eagles, and a couple of warblers in the alders along the beach. The warblers were very yellow and the one I got a good look at had a hint of streaking on the breast, so I’m thinking Yellow Warblers.

I had an early afternoon basketball game today, and on the way home I stopped by Swan Lake to spend a little time watching. Later in the afternoon, Connor, Rowan and I went for a walk down to Totem Park.

Weather: It was a cool day with some rain in the morning. Mostly cloudy skies with a little bit of clearing in the afternoon. Winds were light.

Birds: At Swan Lake there were 4 Northern Shovelers, 6 American Wigeons, 1 Hooded Merganser, 5 Scaup (probably Lesser), 1 or more Green-winged Teal, and the Cackling Goose (in addition to the assorted Mallards that are typically there).

While I was sitting at the lake, I happened to notice two Ravens fly over the lake (from the Southwest toward the Northeast), the second starting across just after the first one had moved beyond it. This would not be particularly remarkable except for what I saw each raven do as it flew over. As the first one was flying over the lake, I heard it make a two note (higher-lower) call with a partial roll. It did this two or three times while it was over the lake, but once it was beyond the lake, I did not see it do it again, though it was still in view for a few seconds (the time between these actions while over the lake was only a second or two). The second raven, following shortly after the first one made a different call (more of a typical caw), but executed what appeared to me to be the same style of partial roll while flying over the lake. I also did not see it do this once it moved beyond the lake. I am at a loss as to why these birds might have done that, though it seemed to me to be some sort of acknowledgement of the lake (though what that might mean, if anything, I don’t know).

From Totem Park I could see at least a dozen (presumed) Fork-tailed Storm-petrels across the bay in front of Turning Island. The weather was calm, and I was tempted to go kayaking to get better views, but it was getting too close to dark by the time we got home.

At the park we saw a couple of Mallards in the Visitor’s Center tidepool, with many more around at the river mouth. I think I saw a Northern Pintail at the river mouth as well, though I am not sure.

We saw scattered gulls, with one flock out on the flats closer to the Visitor’s Center, but more out near the river mouth and in the estuary. I saw all 5 species, with Thayer’s Gulls seeming to be the most numerous, followed by Glaucous-winged Gulls, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Mew Gulls, and just a few Herring Gulls.

There were lots of Harlequins off shore from the river mouth.

At the upper part of the beach there were Savannah Sparrows and an American Pipit or two.

I heard some Black Turnstones, but didn’t investigate to see how many there were.

There was a Winter Wren right by the trail where we get back on it at the end of the park.

We saw one or two Great-blue Herons in the tidepools (probably two, but it’s possible it was just one that moved while we were on the trail in the woods).

There was a small flock of Chestnut-backed Chickadees near family housing when we were walking back.

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