Outdoors/Adventure

In Unalaska, rare birds brighten winter days

Unalaska is experiencing an exceptional showing of unusual birds this winter, and some of them are causing quite a stir!

In late fall, migrating songbirds heading south from Arctic and subarctic regions strayed into the Aleutians, and some stayed well into December. Sharp-eyed residents got a chance to see Yellow, Wilson's and Townsend's Warblers, rare but not unheard of in Unalaska, and an Orange-crowned Warbler, which was a first for the Aleutians. In early November, an American robin, also rare in the Aleutians, appeared on Strawberry Hill, followed by a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet (second Aleutian record) and two Golden-crowned Kinglets (first Aleutian record). Bright and spunky, the kinglets soon found the old Sitka spruce trees planted around town, enchanting everyone who got to see them.

Not to be outshined by birds from the east, species from the west are also showing up in Unalaska this winter. Bramblings are delightful little finches with warm orange and black markings, whose normal range is from Scandinavia to Eastern Russia. Occasionally seen in the western Aleutians, they are very rare and exciting to see here. A single female is still among the small flock of passerines (perching birds) near Town Creek, taking shelter in the salmonberry bushes and feasting on sunflower seeds offered by local residents.

During winter, our mainstay passerines are large flocks of Gray-crowned Rosy-finches and Snow Buntings. On very rare occasions McKay's Buntings show up in a flock, and look startlingly white compared to Snow Buntings. Rarely even seen as far south as the Pribilofs, McKay's Buntings breed on St. Matthew and St. Lawrence Islands and winter south to Nunivak. This winter, McKay's have strayed far to the south, as they occasionally do, and we had one here a couple of weeks ago. Also around town are the resident Song Sparrows, streaked brown over a soft gray, and the tiny Common Redpolls, with black chins and a crimson cap. Dark-eyed Juncos are a casual winter visitor; we usually see one or two every few years. This winter at least a dozen showed up and seem to have settled in for a while. They are easily recognized by their dark 'hoods,' white bellies and white outer tail feathers. We've also had at least three Golden-crowned Sparrows in with this mixed flock.

Hunting them are Merlins (a small falcon) and Sharp-shinned Hawks, nearly identical in size and markings and difficult to tell apart in fast flight. The Sharpies have broader wings and smaller heads. Northern Shrikes also go after their fellow songbirds; not much bigger than their prey, they have gray and black markings and a black mask over the eyes.

I am often asked why unusual birds show up out here, and all I can truly say is I'm thrilled they do. Some species seldom stray from their courses during migration. Others make wide forays outside their normal ranges on an unpredictable but regular basis. Is the appearance of unusual birds this winter an indication of climate change? That's difficult to determine without a look at long-term trends, but changes over time could tell us things. Weather is certainly a factor, and storms do bring in exciting species, sometimes blowing birds off course.

Last week's storm brought in perhaps the most astonishing bird I've ever seen out here: a male Eurasian Bullfinch, its breast so drenched in brilliant orange-red it looked lit from within. With its striking black cap, wing tips and tail, and a handsome gray cape this bird took my breath away. A bird from Japan, China, Kamchatka and other parts of Eurasia, there are records of this bird from the far western Aleutians -- Attu, Agattu, Buldir -- but this was a first for Unalaska. A few local folks got glimpses, but this stunning fellow hasn't been seen again.

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Wrapping up this report on Unalaska's birds are the results of our Christmas bird count. On New Year's Day, 23 hardy Unalaskans participated in the annual count which is organized by the Audubon Society. We were exceptionally lucky with the weather. The winds were light and the morning's heavy snow flurries let up by afternoon. We had around two feet of soft snow; so many miles were covered by foot and snowshoe. Most fresh water was frozen and part of the inner harbor had thin ice.

Our most exciting bird by far was a single Short-Eared Owl that flew off the cliffs and circled the heads of our counters out near Dutch Harbor spit. A highly unusual winter sighting, it was a first for us! Also seen during count week but not on our count day was a single Black-billed Magpie. Another unusual visitor, it quite possibly caught a ride on a boat from somewhere along the Peninsula.

Here are the results of the Christmas bird count for the Unalaska Island Count Circle.

Emperor Goose, 944

Mallard, 5

Greenwinged Teal, 45

Tufted Duck, 4

Greater Scaup, 351

Steller's Eider, 321

King Eider, 1

Harlequin Duck, 608

White-winged Scoter, 248

Black Scoter, 832

Scoter sp, 35

Longtailed Duck, 75

Bufflehead, 26

Common Goldeneye, 40

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Common Merganser, 9

Redbreasted Merganser, 88

Pacific Loon, 3

Common Loon, 21

Yellow-billed Loon, 1

Horned Grebe, 3

Red-necked Grebe, 6

Grebe sp., 1

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Double-crested Cormorant, 4

Redfaced Cormorant, 5

Pelagic Cormorant, 71

Cormorant sp., 26

Bald Eagle, 713

Sharpshinned Hawk, 1

Merlin, 1

Rock Ptarmigan, 21

Black Oystercatcher, 37

Rock Sandpiper, 60

Mew Gull, 74

Herring Gull, 3

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Glaucouswinged Gull, 274

Glaucous Gull, 1

Gull sp., 163

Common Murre, 50

Pigeon Guillemot, 15

Marbled Murrelet, 12

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Short-eared Owl, 1

Belted Kingfisher, 4

Northern Shrike, 1

Common Raven, 506

American Dipper, 8

Song Sparrow, 19

Golden-crowned Sparrow, 2

Dark-eyed Junco, 14

Snow Bunting, 230

Brambling, 1

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, 327

Common Redpoll, 231

Learn more about the Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Counts.

Suzi Golodoff is a naturalist and longtime resident of Unalaska. This article was originally published in the Dutch Harbor Fisherman and is reprinted here with permission. Alaska Dispatch encourages a diversity of opinion and community perspectives. The opinions expressed herein are those of the contributor and are not necessarily endorsed or condoned by Alaska Dispatch. To submit a piece for consideration, e-mail commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.

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