Mostly cloudy, temperatures in the 40s. Light winds.
It was afternoon before I made it out today.
I appreciated the interactions of water, clouds, and light at the kelp patch pullout. I watched for a few minutes, hoping for a Pigeon Guillemot.
At Starrigavan I scanned the gulls and ducks, but didn’t spot anything unusual. There were no swans, however. I suspect they’ve moved north.
I drove up Nelson Logging road to see how much snow was still around. The road was snow free, but there was enough along the sides for me to think it might not be worth being too ambitious about getting the atv trails ridden.
I stopped and walked around part of the flood plane on the downstream side of the bridge. There’s a pullout and a couple of obvious trails there. I think people may fish there, and perhaps have picnics along the gravel bar (I have vague memories of a family picnic there when I was young).
I was a little surprised to find four different crosses, three metal ones with names. The fourth was a simple wooden cross. I am assuming they are all for pets that passed.
Perhaps in part because this area stays humid due to the nearby creek, epiphytes were abundant on the salmonberries and the trees. I made a few observations and a couple of collections of things that caught my attention, before moving on.
At the kelp patch pullout, the light wasn’t as dramatic. However, there was mist in the far distance. Or perhaps it was lingering spray from waves breaking on rocks.
I stopped at Sandy Beach and here my ongoing search for a Pigeon Guillemot was rewarded. I spotted it briefly, but it dove before I could get a look I was happy with. Fortunately, it came up again in the same area, and I was able to get a (very distant) photo.
By this time the tide had fallen significantly, so I checked the mouth of Indian River to see if the Eurasian Wigeon (or possibly it’s a hybrid) was there.
No luck on the wigeon, but I did spot a (the?) Tufted Puffin off of Cannon Island. It was pretty far out, and I was having trouble getting photos sufficient to be confident it wasn’t a Rhinoceros Auklet, but did eventually manage.
There was only one swan that I saw at the mouth of Indian River. I also had seen one on Swan Lake while driving by. I am pretty sure I saw more within the past couple of days. It’s possible I just didn’t see the ones at the river, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve moved north.
It’s been easy to get used to this spring-like weather. The forecast says it won’t last. We’re expected to get heavy rain the next couple of days, with colder temperatures next week (20s overnight and highs in the low 30s).
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
