Mostly cloudy at daybreak, becoming overcast by mid-morning. Light snow and rain developing late in the day.
I was up on the early side (for me) for a call, and saw enough of a break in the clouds to do the call while on the move.
One well placed gap to the southeast allowed shafts of yellow morning sunlight to highlight the snow covered trees.
The light was spectacular, but it was hard to know where would be the best place for pictures. Even if I could figure it out, there wouldn’t be time to get there.
I started at the channel and took some pictures of the mountains. Most of the waterfront was not hit by the sun, so it wasn’t as compelling as it might have been.
One exception was Eliason Harbor.
From the channel I went across the bridge and took some pictures looking towards the mountains.
I thought a fishing boat anchored out in the bay would accent the scene better from a different angle, so I moved over to Crescent Harbor. In the couple of minutes it took me to get there, the light had pretty much faded. (As it turned out, the boat was more broadside from that location, but would not have been in line with the best light.)
The forecast was for some sun today, so I thought the clouds might be breaking up.
I drove out to Sea Mart to see if Mt. Edgecumbe my catch some good light.
I did see a gap in the clouds. A bit of brightness along the rim persisted for a few minutes, but never grew.
Eventually I moved out to Sandy Beach.
I spotted a Horned Puffin not long after I arrived. Later I thought I saw a Rhinoceros Auklet. Reviewing my picture of it, I decided it was more likely a Tufted Puffin.
Shortly before I left, the sun did find one sizeable gap and brightly lit the snow-covered slopes above tree line. It was a nice last hurrah for the sun.
Contrary to my understanding of the forecast, the gaps I saw were the last ones as the stratus layered continue to thicken.
At the kelp patch pullout I didn’t see many water birds, but did get pictures of the Fox Sparrow. I had previously seen it, but don’t think I had photos yet this year.
One other bird highlight was two Horned Puffins at the north end of the channel.
Someone must have spread food shortly before I arrived at Swan Lake. A couple of swans and many Mallards were actively feeding.
People regularly drop corn and other bird food a the lake. Often there is a scramble to eat it
I thought it was interesting how the Mallards could basically walk under the swan. At one point I the swan tired of the Mallard horde, grabbed several and moved them away. Others got the message and backed off. That was short-lived, as they crowded back around shortly after.
I believe this is a kind of gorse planted on the border of an Etolin Street yard
I haven’t checked for crocus blooming yet, but given the mild January and February, I wouldn’t be surprised if some are up. On the other hand, there hasn’t been much sun. I did see a landscaping plant blooming along Etolin Street today. I think it’s a kind of gorse, but I’m not sure.
I recorded a conversation with Simon for my radio show this afternoon. We talked about his experience working as a guide for cruises to Antarctica in November and December.
On my walk to the radio station I checked the cottonwoods on Lincoln Street. I saw Lobarina anomala, something I don’t remember noticing on previous looks (not that there have been many).
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
