Weather: When I got up this morning, it was partly cloudy, with clear skies overhead and thick dark gray clouds off shore. There was little breeze and it looked like the snow level had dropped to about 1800 feet overnight.
Birds: I made it for a walk to the park in the morning and again in the afternoon and was able to see a Red-breasted Merganser (I think it’s the same lone female I keep seeing), a couple of loons, 3 Green-winged Teal, Buffleheads, small Calidris sandpipers, as well as some other shorebirds that sounded like Black Turnstones that heard as they flew along the shoreline in the distance. There was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet singing near the trail and a pretty good sized flock of geese flew overhead.
On my way back in the morning I heard two or three Winter Wrens singing fairly near to each other. I had been on the beach, but walked up to the edge of the woods and was able to see one of them. It was displaying in a manner that I think they use for courtship purposes, but I did not see any other wren around to observe. I was able to get some pictures (see above).
Flora: The salmonberry flowers are starting to open up a little bit along Lincoln Street and near the Indian River estuary.
I did not check the stream violets in the park, but I did see one along Westwood Trail that had a flower bud growing out.