Overcast with periods of rain, especially in the afternoon. Light winds and temperatures in the 40s. Snow was down to under 2400 feet.
I went out this afternoon, but didn’t stray too far from the car.
I had noticed salmonberries blooming along the road to Herring Cove yesterday, but didn’t stop for photos. I revisited today to get a photo documenting the flowering.
The channel was not as busy as yesterday. The herring fishery had an opening today, so perhaps the gulls were more focused there. Ducks were also scarce. I don’t remember if I saw any Long-tailed Ducks. If I did, there were very few.
I checked the walls at Totem Park and found moths for the first time this year. Three Orthosia praeses and one pug moth (Eupithecia).
I noticed feathers out in the yard today that I didn’t remember seeing before. I’m not sure how long they have been there, but suspect no more than a couple of days. I think they are pigeon feathers, perhaps another kill by the Sharp-shinned Hawk that’s targeting them.d
I also found a small egg and another similar-sized egg shell. The egg was dented enough to break the shell a bit at one end, but otherwise intact. It’s a bit of a mystery as to how/why it ended up on the ground below the bird feeder. Perhaps an attacking Sharp-shinend Hawk terrified a bird enough to drop an egg.
Based on the size and shape, my initial guess was a pigeon or Eurasian Collared-Dove. Checking on-line, they both lay cream/white eggs like this, but this one may be smaller than expected for a rock dove and about the right size for a Eurasian Collared-Dove.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
