Sunday:
Connor, Rowan, and I went down to Sage Beach for a little while early this afternoon.
Weather: Overcast and cool.
Other Notes: We found another caterpillar on the Sitka alders. I looked a bit more at the large beach log and found quite a few more fruiting Black Reflecting Cup fungi.
Tuesday:
Weather: Overcast and cool, with some wind and rain.
Birds: I stopped by Swan Lake this morning. The usual Mallards plus Cackling Goose were there plus quite a few gulls. One gull in particular had molted in to its breeding whites.
Wednesday:
Weather: Overcast and cool.
Birds: I noticed several Varied Thrushes, Dark-eyed Juncos (including Slate-colored birds and Pale Feathers), and many Pine Siskins around the house today.
Thursday:
Weather: Breezy and rainy today, with temperatures up to near 40 (though it felt chilly in the wind).
Birds: A lone Lesser Scaup was on the limited open water of Swan Lake. There were quite a few Glaucous-winged and Thayer’s Gulls, plus the usual assortment of Mallards and a Cackling Goose. The Mallards were getting on into breeding aggression, as I saw a couple of the males fighting, and another male trying to court a female. The goose seemed curious about the fighting, and attentitively watched the fighting males at times. A little later, I saw it give a male Mallard a bit of a chase.
Quite a few gulls were in the channel. I noticed at least one Herring Gull, then saw there was a second when I looked at my pictures. Also plenty of Thayer’s, Mew, and Glaucous-winged Gulls. I did not see many scaups, but there were over 200 Long-tailed Ducks, plus some Barrow’s Goldeneye and Common Mergansers. I saw a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers by the work float.
The Varied Thrushes were active in the backyard. I saw a few juncos, though I missed the big movements of them. There were once again hundreds of Pine Siskins around the house. They’re mainly feeding on the ground, especially where Connor has been putting food out this winter. I originally was thinking that’s the only reason they were on the ground, but then I noticed quite a few of them feeding on the ground along Etolin Street where I doubt anyone has been putting out food (right near the road), so perhaps the seeds in the trees are running quite low.
Other Notes: The chives in a pot in front of the house are coming up. I also noticed daffodils with significant growth downtown. The flower buds are visible, but they’re not close to opening yet.
Friday:
Weather: Overcast with temperatures near 40 and a little bit of rain.
Birds: I heard a Song Sparrow singing between Biorka Street and Oja Street. There were also Dark-eyed Juncos trilling along Park Street.
Other Notes: Other signs of spring included leaf buds starting to open Sitka Alder and Trailing Currants along Lincoln Street Beach and an Early Blueberry with buds split near the bridge in Totem Park.
Saturday:
Weather: A little bit of snow fell overnight with less than an inch on the ground this morning. It melted throughout the day.