Low to mid-level overcast with occasional misty rain. The sun broke through briefly later in the afternoon. Temperatures in the 40s.
I received a message about plovers at the park this morning. I wasn’t able to get out until this afternoon, but had hopes they would stick around.
I walked to the park and found 7 Black-bellied Plovers near the mouth of Indian River. Several Greater Yellowlegs were there as well.
A nice mix of dabbling ducks continues, though I think numbers are a bit lower than they had been. Plenty of scaup and goldeneyes continue to hangout off the tideflats.
On my way to the beach, I heard two or three Townsend’s Warblers along the river. Prior to that, it had actually been unexpectedly quiet on my walk through the neighborhood.
Walking along the seawalk towards the science center, I heard mellower calls, but didn’t catch sight of the birds. I’m pretty sure they were Short-billed Dowitchers.
I walked over the bridge and checked the channel, then over to airport road before heading back.
Hundreds of gulls in the channel, but I didn’t catch sight of any unusual looking ones.
My feet and legs were feeling the distance by the time I was heading home. I’m not sure how far I went, but I think something close to 5 miles. So much of it on pavement probably didn’t help, but I think the biggest issue is I just haven’t covered much distance walking lately. It may be worth adding some longer routes into the mix of hiking I’ve been doing (like Indian River falls).
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
