I dropped Connor off at school this morning then picked him up this afternoon. He and I went down to Thompson Harbor to see if any birds were around there. Prior to getting him from school, I took a quick walk through Totem Park.
Weather: It was rainy and windy this morning, with several breaks in the clouds (sunshine, though still breezy) this afternoon.
Birds: The Cackling Goose and two Greater White-fronted Geese were still at Swan Lake. I did not see any ducks other than Mallards.
At Totem Park there were 3-4 Northern Pintails, 4 Green-winged Teal, 8 American Wigeons and quite a few Mallards in the estuary. I did not see the flock of teal and shovelers that was there yesterday.
There were quite a few gulls around, but in the quick look I took (all I had time for), I did not notice anything unusual. It’s interesting to watch the river just up from the estuary, as the gulls almost seem to treat it like a water park ride. They float down the river and, at a certain point at the upper part of the estuary, they take off and fly back upstream again.
I saw a Winter Wren along the trail.
Other Notes:
I took a look at Indian River after dropping Connor off at school. The water was lower than I expected. At the Sawmill Creek Road bridge, the willows and alders were still well above water. When I checked back later before picking Connor up, it was up 1-2 feet higher, with the base of the willows and alders were under a bit of water.
One of the presumed tomato plants appears to have been stepped on or something, as it no longer appears viable. The other one had a flower open on it today (click on thumbnail below to see). There’s supposed to be an 11+ feet high tide in the next day or so, and I’m not sure, but I think that will be high enough to soak this plant. With the wave action that’s been there lately, it will probably be gone if the tide does get that high.
