It was a busy day with classes and students coming to get help with end of the semester projects. I did not have time to get out for a walk until this evening near dusk.
Weather: The day started mostly clear over town, but in every direction I could see clouds. It was partly to mostly cloudy throughout the day with increasing clouds in the late afternoon. By the time I went on my walk it was completely overcast. There was only a light breeze down at the park. The trees were covered in snow down to below 300 feet this morning, but most of that was no longer in evidence by this evening.
Birds: I heard what I think is a Townsend’s Warbler for the first time this year as I was getting ready for class this morning. I need to get a recording of it and confirm, as the call is not really similar to the one for Townsend’s Warbler on the Bird Songs of Alaska CD.
I did not see any ducks on the flume today. I spoke with a guy who has an office that looks over the flume and he said he had not seen the birds on the flume for awhile. He said there had been mergansers, dippers, a heron, and the mallards that all spent time there. He commented that it seemed like the birds ate all the small fish (salmon fry mostly) in the flume and then stopped coming.
There was a Hermit Thrush in our backyard this evening when I came home (see photo above). After it flew off a little ways I thought I might have heard its song. If it did sing it, it was only quietly, like he still was not quite ready for his on-stage debut. While I was watching the thrush, I heard a hummingbird buzz by.
It was a quiet evening for birds down at the park. I heard a couple of Winter Wrens, I did not see or hear any shorebirds. There were a few Buffleheads along the west shore, about half a dozen Mallards near the mouth of Indian River, and I saw (but identified it mostly by its call) one American Wigeon with the Mallards.
Other Notes: I talked to a student of mine who was fishing for steelhead. He said it looked like there were at least 10 of them swimming in the pool and while we were talking one splashed a little downstream of where he was fishing.
I noticed a few different moths flying around. Maybe I would see them more often if I went for walks around dusk on a regular basis.
The stream violet flowers along Westwood Trail have still not opened up.
Melissa and Rowan saw the two deer behind our house again.