It was the fourth day that I did a vigil at the Swamp Sparrow location, and still no picture of it, but I enjoyed the birding anyway. It was a clear morning, but apparently there had been fog overnight forming new rime ice on everything.
I arrived earlier at the spot than on previous days, giving me more time to watch the same birds. I again phtographed Dark-eyed Juncos, the Varied Thrush, the Spotted Towhee, the Northern Flicker and the Eurasian Collared-Doves.
For the first time while I was there, the Northwestern Crows came in, eventually 20 of them snarfing up the birdseed.
I also took time out from birding to photograph one of the nearby harbor seals.
Along the road a couple Pacific Wrens sneaked around in the grass as did the Wilson’s Snipe. I will try to include a video of the latter here as it bobbed up and down while it fed.
I’m back in Anchorage, hoping a new rarity is found somewhere in the state before the year’s end and that I can manage to go for it.
307 species so far
Lynn Barber's Birding Blog 