Sitka Nature

As far as I know this is the first breeding record for Pied-billed Grebe in Sitka, and it seems to be one of only a handful in the Alaska (a couple in Ketchikan and one from the Copper River). This summer I first noticed Pied-billed Grebe on Swan Lake early in June. I heard from a visiting birder that it had been observed singing within a day or two after. Subsequently, I thought I saw it again on 4 July, but did not get a good enough look to be sure, so I inquired from other local birders and heard that one was seen in late June. Last week I saw it again on two different days, with two birds observed the second time. Finally, this morning, I observed at least one adult (but I think probably two) and two juveniles seen in these photos.

Looking at the past reports of Pied-billed Grebes in Sitka, I notice there are a couple of years where the pattern of occurrence suggests possible breeding with observations in May and August. Given how difficult the birds have been to observe this summer after the first couple of days – several times I’ve gone by the lake looking for them and have not been able to find any, and on those occasions when I have seen them, they quickly swim away – it is not implausible that breeding took place.

Thanks to Bill Tweit and Carrie Hisaoka for reports of these birds. The information about prior breeding records comes from the paper “Birds of Ketchikan Area, Southeast Alaska” written by Steve Heinl and Andy Piston and published in Western Birds vol 40 no 2, 2009. Prior records for Sitka are referenced from Marge Ward and Marlys Tedin’s observations.

While relaxing on a bench at Swan Lake, I happened to notice an unusual bird pop up to the surface. I wasn’t sure whether to believe it when I thought I saw a Pied-billed Grebe, but after waiting a while longer, I saw it resurface several more times and was able to confirm (and get the pictures seen here) that it was a Pied-billed Grebe. I had previously seen and photographed a Pied-billed Grebe on Swan Lake two and a half years ago. It was interesting to see the differences – this time of year the pied-bill definitely shows up much more clearly.

Like the first one I saw, this one seemed to prefer to hang out among the weeds and avoid being seen clearly. I did manage to get a couple of clear looks, but most of the time I could not find it, and when I did, it was tucked in among the pond-lily leaves. It was favoring the south side of the peninsula while I was watching it today.

Pied-billed Grebes seem to show up somewhere in Southeast Alaska each Fall. They are considered Very Rare in the Winter and Spring seasons, and only Accidental for summer. In Sitka they seem to be Very Rare Fall through Spring, but this appears to be one of a very few (perhaps the only) June (or Summer) record for Sitka.

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Eurasian Collared-Doves have only been reported in Alaska for a couple of years, and I think last summer was the first time any were reported in Sitka. However, there numbers do seem to be expanding, so it remains to be seen how common this bird becomes and in what seasons.

The recording above features a Eurasian Collared-Dove making the lower frequency (compared to other birds) cooing/hooting sound.

This eggshell fragment was laying on the moss at the edge of a gravel bar on Indian River shortly above the second bridge. Given the size and color, I figured it must be a thrush egg. However, it seems a bit too early for Hermit Thrushes and especially Swainson’s Thrushes to have nestlings. American Robin eggs are pure blue, and the book I have about eggs and nestlings shows Varied Thrush eggs being pure blue as well. I took a look on the Birds of North America On-line account of Varied Thrush and found a photo there of eggs with light speckling. Though that example was not nearly as speckled as this, given the time and location, my best guess is this was from a recently hatched Varied Thrush. I do not expect the nest was particularly close, as it is my understanding that many bird parents will carry such things away from the nest in an effort to help avoid detection and predation of their young.