Around noon (shortly after the 12.38 high tide) I went for a walk down along Lincoln Street and through the park. I was thinking with the high tide there might be some birds fairly close to land, but it was much quieter than I hoped. I did see some Harlequin Ducks and gulls by the park. Black Turnstones on the beach, and Red-breasted and Common Mergansers off-shore and in the river, respectively.

Weather was quite gray this morning, though it was starting to get brighter by the time I left. While out walking, the clouds broke up and I saw a brief bit of sun and blue sky between the rain and hail squalls.

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Immature Mew Gull in Flight over the water at Totem Park.

A pair of Harlequin Ducks off Totem Park.

Immature Mew Gull in Flight over the water at Totem Park.

Immature Mew Gull in Flight over the water at Totem Park.

Black Turnstones sitting on a driftlog at Totem Park.

This Mew Gull was picking at the surface just off the beach at Totem Park.

Raindrops hit the surface of the ocean just off the beach at Totem Park.

Glaucous-winged Gull in flight off Totem Park.

Eurhynchium oreganum growing on long-stranded driftlog at edge of forest in Totem Park.

Eurhynchium oreganum growing on forest floor in Totem Park.

Eurhynchium oreganum growing on forest floor in Totem Park.

Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) bark often has a fairly distinct look due to the way it flakes off.

Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) bark often has a fairly distinct look due to the way it flakes off.

Male Red-breasted Merganser in flight at Totem Park.

The foreground ridge runs west from Peak 2550, while the middle-ground ridge runs north from the same peak.

Yesterday I saw 3 Northern Pintails, 6 smaller dabblers (I thought Green-winged Teal at the time, though they may have been Northern Shovelers), at least 4 Caspian Terns (including a hatch-year bird), many Thayer’s Gulls, Mew Gulls, a handful of Herring Gulls, Glaucous-winged Gulls, and a couple of Black-legged Kittiwakes. 5 or so White-winged Scoters did a fly by and there were at least 40 phalaropes out on Crescent Bay in two or three flocks that I saw. Shorebirds included Least Sandpipers, Black Turnstones, a Ruddy Turnstone, and what I intially thought might be a Wandering Tattler, but now wonder if it might have been a Spotted Sandpiper.

Last night I heard the terns flying over the neighborhood.

Today there were 8 Northern Shovelers, 10 or so Black Turnstones, a Ruddy Turnstone, at least 5 Least Sandpipers, a Western Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, many gulls; I noted Mew, Herring, Glaucous-winged, and Thayer’s. Ravens and Bald Eagles, and a couple of warblers in the alders along the beach. The warblers were very yellow and the one I got a good look at had a hint of streaking on the breast, so I’m thinking Yellow Warblers.