Some of the many gulls are using the ice on Swan Lake as a resting place
Mostly cloudy, temperatures in the 40s. Gusty winds out of the southeast and occasional rain showers.
Temperatures were warm enough, it looked like it was above freezing at least to 2500 feet, and probably higher.
I went over to the channel while on a call this morning. There were plenty of gulls out on the water, but few came to shore while I was there.
A pair of Green-winged Teal were at Swan Lake. I wonder if they were two of the three birds that spent much of the winter at Starrigavan, but it’s hard to be sure.
On a return to the channel later this afternoon, many gulls were on the ramp. Most were Glaucous-winged Gulls. I also saw Cook Inlet Gulls and a handful of Thayer’s Gulls and Herring Gulls. Also one Glaucous Gull.
On a visit to Little Magic Island it was still breezy, but a lower tide and less wind than yesterday made it easier to poke around in the tidepools.
My timing wasn’t the best. I got hit by stronger winds and a bit of a rain shower for part of the time.
I did see the branched sapsucker on the same Codium fragile as I first found it. I didn’t take any additional photos. I did spend time with coralline algae and revisited other tidepools on the north side of the island.
Two species of coralline algae
Before heading home, I made a third stop at the channel. This time there were again fewer gulls on shore. One large first year gull seemed on the pale side for a Glaucous-winged Gull, but had a mostly dark bill. I wonder if it might be a hybrid between Glaucous-winged Gull and Glaucous Gull.
This gull seems too pale for a pure Glaucous-winged Gull. The dark bill makes me wonder if it's a hybrid Glaucous x Glaucous-winged Gull
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
