Overcast with rain. Breezy and temperatures in the lower 40s.
Since I missed the Surfbirds at the park yesterday, I planned to check earlier to.
My motivation to get going was stoked further when I checked the weather radar and saw a mass of rain appeared to be at the Pyramids and heading this way.
Heading out, a light sprinkle had already started. As it turned out, the precipitation did not get much heavier while I was out. It seemed the rain either got stuck on the Pyramids, or stayed more out over the sound.
I was somewhat surprised how many shorebirds were at the beach, even though the tide was not very far out.
I counted 21 Black Oystercatchers now far down from in front of the visitor’s center.
The Surfbirds were further down, but present in even larger numbers. I conservatively put 400 on my ebird checklist, but I suspect that was a significant underestimate.
One of the first Surfbirds I spotted was the different looking one DK had told me about yesterday. It seemed to stay at the edge of the flock. Perhaps that was coincidental, or maybe the other ones tend to pick on it if it’s in the middle.
It was definitely paler than the other birds. A brownish color that reminds me of the plumage Dunlin have in winter. Other than the brown-ish instead of gray, it looked typical for a Surfbird.
After spending time with the Surfbirds, I completed a loop around the park. Canada Geese were still in the estuary, but I did not see the Gadwall. Given the lack of reports, I imagine it’s been spending most of the winter elsewhere in the area. There are plenty of spots waterfowl overwinter that people are not regularly checking and reporting on.
I did not see any swans, nor did I see any at Swan Lake or Starrigavan when I checked each place this afternoon. It seems they have departed.
We had enough for 5 on 5 at ultimate this evening. It’s the first time we’ve played since the cold/dry weather started early in the month. People could only stay until 5:30, but it was nice to run around for a bit.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
