Temp in the mid-50s, mostly sunny, light to moderate NW wind swinging around to the west by afternoon.

Just another balmy, sunny day on Adak…

The morning started with two of yesterday’s Semipalmated Plovers which had made their way down to the Sweeper Channel.

Just up the road apiece, we spotted a Snow Bunting for the trip list.

We drove up to the Marine Memorial and found several (of the thousand) longspurs perched in the spruces.

Lapland Longspurs, Marine Memorial, Sept 9, 2013.

I walked across part of Contractor’s Marsh, but didn’t scare up anything. However, a young Bald Eagle was curious about my presence.

Bald Eagle, Contractor’s Marsh, Sept 9, 2013.

Even on nice days like this, Mount Moffet usually keeps some clouds obscuring its top.

Mt Moffet, Sept 9, 2013.

But, a few hours later, it showed itself.

Mt Moffet, Sept 9, 2013.

While walking through the Elfin Forest looking for stray Asian passerines, one of Adak’s giant Song Sparrows posed for me.

Song Sparrow, Elfin Forest, Sept 9, 2013.

I walked out the Clam Lagoon Peninsula, but had no shorebirds. We ran into scattered Rock Sandpipers and one turnstone as we drove around to the seawall and Candlestick Bridge.

On the way back, I walked the peninsula again, this time finding four shorebirds. There were three Western Sandpipers and a slightly larger bird that I was unsure about. The jizz said Dunlin, but I had never seen a Dunlin in this plumage before. So I was puzzled.

Dunlin and 3 Western Sandpipers, Clam Lagoon, Sept 9, 2013.

Once I got back to the car, a quick look at Paulson’s Shorebird Guide revealed that it was a juvenile plumage which is usually molted out of before migration and rarely seen south of the breeding grounds. So this counts as a semi-lifer (a new plumage that we had not seen before)!

Our trip list stands at 41. Hoping the weather changes and brings some new birds.