waterbird survey on 24 April

[Furbish + Klensch]

Waterbird survey on 24 April.  Species variety is picking up.  Numbers for ducks are increasing - not so much for gulls and other types of waterbirds yet.  The first Arctic Terns we've recorded this season were seen near the mouth of the Skagway River.

A few highlights below, see full list at https://ebird.org/checklist/S327209422

Bonus:  at least 35 harbor seals hauled out on the west shore of Dyea outer bay at low tide, no doubt waiting for the incoming tide to get something to eat.

Horned Grebe (1)

Canada Goose (2)

Trumpeter Swan (3)

Blue-winged Teal (2)

Arctic Tern (2)

and the winner for number of individuals:  Mallard (385)

[Lynne Davison]

I saw my first hummer in my yard at my hummingbird feeder this afternoon!   Bronze and iridescent green on the back and head.  Looked like an Allen’s that I used to see in Washington state… but I think this is too far north for them here…

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[Furbish + Klensch]

Allen's hummers look very similar to our common Rufous hummers, but their range has been well south of us.  Still, with many expansions happening to the north, wouldn't be too surprising if they started showing up here.

The easiest way to tell them apart is to look close at the adult female back and head:  Rufous is pretty much all reddish , whereas Allen's has green on back and top of head.  The tail feathers are different, but hard to catch sight of.  The males' breeding flight patterns are quite different, so that could be another way to tell them apart.