Birding and Whaling in Seward

My birding buddy Leilani came down from the MatSu Valley last Sunday, in preparation for a whale watching cruise we booked for Monday.   Shortly after she arrived, we went birding in Seward.


The very first bird we saw was a hawk of some sort.   It was too far away to get a definite ID, but it foretold what we found when we reached the most prolific birding spot in Seward:   nothing.   The spot has been hunted by hawks and the birds are elsewhere.

Most likely a sharp-shinned hawk.

The sky was blue and clear but a nasty wind chilled us when we were out in it too long.   It also stirred up the water of Resurrection Bay so there weren't many sea birds to be found.

We did see pigeon guillemots in a protected harbor, though.   They are a first for me.   Unfortunately, they were too far away to get a decent photo.

A little post-mating celebration.

Otter tracks on the beach.

We checked out a few other places.   In the Seward Lagoon, a small body of water near the small boat harbor, the common goldeneyes were still involved in courting behavior.   The posturing and displays were so entertaining, I could watch them for hours.

 Even the hens got into the act.

No, dear.   The head must go back even farther.

Like that, Hon.

More entertainment came in the form of common mergansers bathing in the lagoon.

A head stand.

Preening time on shore.

Joined by her mate.

Along Lowell Point Road we were treated to a small flock of harlequin, one of the prettiest waterfowl to visit Alaska.

Back in town, we cruised the campgrounds that line the shore of Resurrection Bay and spotted a group of gulls and Northwestern crows around a family having a picnic.   Apparently, the birds had some pizza crusts and were in a feeding frenzy.

Northwestern crow

Glaucous winged gull

Glaucous wing gull

Complete with a bald eagle fly-by.

Back in Moose Pass that evening, we drove to Tern Lake tocheck on the trumpeter swans and this juvenile bald eagle posed nicely for us.

The weather the next day--Monday morning--was entirely different.   Overcast skies and no wind.   We arrived in Seward mid-morning and searched for birds.


Along the beach, we spotted a harbor seal with a large fish.   That's a fin sticking up over its eye.

We had been scouring Seward for sparrows--any sparrows, and kind--and had found none.   Just before we were to check into the office for our cruise, this little song sparrow popped up on some rocks in front of us, and posed nicely in its favorite spots.

 And off it went to do sparrow things.

But,, a little farther down the beach:

Another song sparrow, perched on the tallest boulder around, singing to us.

 A couple more shots, and we were off to find whales.

Not too many days can you do this on Resurrection Bay.

Maybe They Should Have Stayed at the Office...

You know the old saying "A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work"?

Depends, doesn't it?   You could have a nice load of halibut and rock fish, but if your boat is sinking, well, maybe you should have stayed at work.

I'll let the photos tell the story.

This is Lowell point, immediately east of the seaside town of Seward.   The water is Resurrection Bay.

The beach, part of Kenai Fjords National Park.

A Boston Whaler in trouble during an attempt at loading it.   The shipyard across the bay is much farther away than it appears to be in this photo.

A boat trailer is backed into the water to load the whaler.

Waves wash over the stern, making the loading process impossible.

That's as far as they can get it onto the trailer.  Greg from our group goes over to assist.   He grew up around boats on the Kenai Peninsula.   He's the one facing this way in the group of men.

Bailing to lighten the load.

Lifting the bow off the trailer to refloat the boat doesn't work.

Some ballast on the bow to keep the stern out of the water.   The bow should be on the trailer as far as the guy on the left.

That works, so let's try loading it again.

Ah ha! 

Paul and Hailey in the successfully-loaded boat.

Nice cottage right on the beach, and a front row seat to any tsunami coming up the bay.

Well, a day on the beach watching boats in trouble is better than a day at the office any time.