It’s a beautiful day on Adak…
Temp in the 40s, light NE wind getting stronger later in the day and switching to NW. Occasional light drizzle, partly sunny.
The morning dawned to sunshine, bathing Mount Moffet in morning glow.
Mount Moffet, May 19, 2015
As I was out photographing Mount Moffet, the High Lonesome group informed me that there were now TWO Hawfinches hanging around town. I saw one of them and, later in the day, Barb and I saw the pair together.
We checked the feeders and Sweeper Cove. Nothing new.
We headed up to the Airport Ponds and saw the two pair of Tufted Ducks.We got a call that there were three Arctic Loons off the Navfac Creek area. We raced over there, but by the time we got there they were too far out for photos. However, while looking through a flock of Black Scoters, I picked out a larger duck with an orange bill. It turned out to be a young male King Eider — a new bird for our Adak list!
Clam Lagoon still had 8 godwits and one Dunlin. Shotgun Lake still hosted one female Smew.
We came back down to Contractor’s Camp Marsh and found two of the Wood Sandpipers, who were much more cooperative today.
Wood Sandpiper, Contractor’s Camp Marsh, May 19, 2015
Wood Sandpiper, Contractor’s Camp Marsh, May 19, 2015
Wood Sandpiper, Contractor’s Camp Marsh, May 19, 2015
The High Lonesome group had a couple more nearby and Kitty was nearby and got to see them again. We continued through the marsh area and came upon a flock of a dozen Pacific Golden-Plovers.
Pacific Golden-Plover, Contractor’s Camp Marsh, May 19, 2015
Everyone saw those, too.
We headed back to town, got dinner and decided to go back out again — as it was so nice out.
By the time we got back up to the marsh, it had started to drizzle again and the wind was much stronger! The Sitka crew were there looking at the plovers and told us the Gyrfalcon had just passed through. Missed it again!
We left them and headed up the road, but just a short distance away, we saw a brightly-marked bird fly across the road. We slammed on the brakes, got out and quickly found it. A Brambling — a lifer for all of the other birders, except us and Forest (the leader of the High Lonesome group). We called the Sitka crew over and they got it. We called Forest and although they had just ordered dinner, they got the restaurant to hold it for them and headed out. They got it too! Yesterday, the Sitka crew had a bird, which they believed was a Brambling, fly across the road a short distance down the road from here. We all looked for it then, but came up empty. It was nice to confirm their sighting today.
Our trip list is at 59 and the first week isn’t even over, yet.
Oh, and one more new Adak bird…
Angry Bird, near Palisades Lake, May 19, 2015