Overcast, rain beginning this afternoon. Sometimes mixing with snow. Temperatures in the 30s. Moderate gusty winds.
I stopped briefly at Sawmill Cove. Only one boat was loading crab pots today, so I did go down on the dock. I’m guessing commercial dungeness crab season has opened, or will be soon.
I did not see many birds nearby during the time I watched. As I was heading out, I did see Surf Scoters near shore by Silver Bay Seafoods
While watching from the Kelp patch pullout I saw a small completely dark alcid. It dove before I could get a good enough look at it. It may have been a Rhinoceros Auklet, but after last year’s Tufted Puffin, I wouldn’t rule that out either.
After watching without seeing it come up, I drove further out the road (as that is the direction it was pointing). I stopped at Little Magic Island and Kerr’s Island, but didn’t refind it.
I did sea lions along the shore in more than one place. There seem to be more of them around lately.
My last stop was to look at lichens on a log by Sealing Cove. I thought there may have been three or four different kinds. After posting on iNaturalist, the identifications I got back suggested that two or three that I had thought were different, were actually all the same species.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
