Warmer and quite wet. Plenty of rain. Temperatures in to the upper 40s, calm winds.
I didn’t have work until 10:30 this morning. I was surprised to see how high Indian River and Thimbleberry Creek were running. I hadn’t realized how much it had rained overnight. It looks like over 3 inches in the past 48 hours. With the freezing level rising significantly (the Harbor Mountain weather station reported temperatures in the 40s at 2500+ feet), I’m sure a bunch of melting snow contributed to the swollen rivers.
At Sawmill Cove light to moderate rain fell much of the time I was there. However, warmer temperatures and calm winds made for a much less chilling watch than yesterday.
Once again, the rain was too much to keep my camera out. I had some nice looks at birds close to the dock, but no photos. I did not expect them to stick around if I made a move for my camera. I did take photos of some further out.
On more than one occasion I heard Marbled Murrelets calling for each other when they became separated. They would swim towards each other. One time I saw one close the final distance with a dive, then it popped up nearby its companion. When they came back together, one or both would usually put their head up and they would swim in a close, staggered parallel formation. I am guessing it’s some sort of pair bonding behavior, but I’m not sure.
They completed pile driving right around sunset. With the heavy clouds, darkness fell quickly.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
