Weather: The forecast for overcast finally came to be. Today there were only a couple of small breaks in the clouds. When I went for a walk this afternoon, there was a breeze out of the southwest. There were a few very light sprinkles; not even enough to make anything begin to get wet. Although it was no colder than it has been, it felt cooler with no sun to warm my skin.
Birds: After watching the Winter Wrens yesterday, I thought I would go back and see if I could observe them again. On the way through the park I heard some Varied Thrushes practicing their buzzing trills. I managed to spy one up in a tree as well, but only because I heard it moving around. There were a few calls that sounded like kinglets as well with an occasional Winter Wren singing in the distance. There was also a call that sounded unfamiliar to me. It sounded like it was coming from across the river and I thought it unlikely that I could find the source, so I did not pursue it. Despite the calls and songs I heard, the overall feel in the park was quiet.
As I approached the estuary, there were a couple of Kingfishers rattling. They were both perched, and I am not sure whether they were rattling at each other or not. They were too far away for me to tell whether they were male or female.
When I got to the place I watched the wrens yesterday, I did not see them. I sat and waited for awhile but they did not appear to be in the near vicinity. I took a closer look at the beginnings of the nest and then moved on.
In the estuary and near the river mouth there were some Mallards, I counted at leat 5 pairs. There were also some ducks further out that were diving underwater. I think they were goldeneye, and I was able to get a good enough look at a male Common Goldeneye with what I assumed to be a female of the same species up in the river mouth (which was partially flooded by the incoming tide).
Having just learned one of the ways to distinguish Thayer’s Gulls from Herring Gulls, I decided to try getting a look at the gulls that were on the tidal flats. Due to time constraints and their wariness, I was not able to get too close to them, but I did take some pictures. Upon reviewing the pictures at home, I once again felt a little bewildered trying to tease out the variations in gull shape and plumage to get correct identifications. (Of the ones pictured here, I think the top photo shows a Herring Gull, but I am not sure about the bottom one. My best guess at this point is 3rd year Herring Gull.)
There were a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers in one of the flooded depressions that create a large tidepool when the tide is out.
Flora: There were a few blueberry flowers out. I think they may be a little hesitant after the recent cold snap. The huckleberry buds were starting to break open. The elderberry leaves are out of their bud but still quite small and not yet extended. Along Lincoln Street I alder catkins that had swollen dramatically. I have not paid close enough attention in the past to know for sure, but it looked to me like they were close to opening up completely.
