Clear and cool. Light to moderate winds. Temperatures in the 30s.
This cold snap continues to be warmer than the forecast called for. Not far below freezing at night (though not especially frosty) with temperatures into 30s during the day.
I spent this morning getting ready for the first observing shift at the industrial park.
This included purchasing a mustang suit. I’ve been thinking about getting one to make winter skiff rides more comfortable. The chilly weather this week was enough to push the scales towards sooner rather than later.
We met at 12:30 out at the industrial park. The large barge required some on-the-fly adjustments since it blocked much of the view we had expected to have from the industrial park dock.
I was just arriving at the far end of the barge when I saw a sea lion at the surface not too far out. It dove before I was ready to start observing, and I never saw it again.
Overall there we didn’t see too much this afternoon. There was a whale out towards the mouth of Silver Bay, and a couple of different sea lions outside of the impact zones.
In addition to the mustang suit, the sun on the water and relative calm winds contributed to me feeling relatively comfortable. When the sun dropped below the ridge to the southwest, it did start feeling cooler to me. I stayed reasonably comfortable, however.
I saw a few birds while watching. Among the water birds was a Red-throated Loon.
I also got a brief look at a Sharp-shinned Hawk. It flew in from the direction of the sun and it didn’t catch my full attention at first. I think it may have made an attempt at a bird on the water (perhaps a duck?). What I remember thinking was that it was odd a gull was chasing a duck. I wonder if it had taken a chance at a duck, then missed and flown up. The gull saw it and gave chase? Whatever came before, I did see the Short-billed Gull chasing the hawk, and was able to grab photos of the hawk as it flew by me (leaving the gull behind).
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
