Overcast and windy through middle part of the day. Occasional rain showers changing to snow later in the day. No significant accumulation by later this evening, but forecast continues to call for at least a couple inches by tomorrow.
I spent an hour out at the industrial park dock this morning.
Despite the blustery weather, there were good numbers of birds. The 70+ Pacific Loons were the most I’ve seen at one time along the road system.
These were joined by at least three Red-throated Loons, Red-necked Grebes, Marbled Murrelets, goldeneyes, and gulls.
Winds picked up significantly while I watched. I was intrigued by patterns on the water. The same wind operated at different scales making ripples and waves.
On a stop by the channel before heading home I saw a Glaucous Gull.
A California Gull at Swan Lake is on the late side of things.
After lunch Connor reported seeing a Yellow-billed Loon in the channel.
With a break in the clouds and the possibility of seeing the loon, I went back out.
The sun was shining through a bit, but it didn’t last too long.
I ended up chatting with visiting birder from Anchorage (in town to do some environmental survey work) until it started getting dark.
He was interested in the gulls, so we discussed various ones that were out there. As a result, I spent more time looking at some of the ones I might have otherwise not given much attention.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
