Male long-tailed duck.
Another absolutely cloudless morning. In fact, the sunlight angling across the bay began to warm things quickly—from about 14 degrees (F) first thing to a bit above freezing in afternoon. Filling the air were the voices of the crows that flapped across the road, stalked the neighbor’s driveway, perched for a moment in the leafless lilacs. The sky remained a perfect blue all day.
Bonaparte's gull.
From the deck, I watched a herring gull hurrying north as if late for an appointment. On a trip to town, I saw ring-billed gulls and rock doves and exactly seven starlings in a tree. The day remained calm, the air seemed warm. On the way back to the office, I decided to walk the breakwater.
Tide headed out. Mallards in the shallows. A few humans walking the great granite stones. Right away I spotted common goldeneyes and a loon. From somewhere came the chuckling yodels of long-tailed ducks. Then I heard a faint high-pitched whistling in the direction of the islands—a sound I soon recognized as the voice of a guillemot. Through my long lens I spotted three of them; one had something to say.
Harbor seal.
Herring gulls dropped urchins on the flat stone surfaces, as usual. I saw a great cormorant and a red-breasted merganser on the wing. Twice I caught sight of the flight of bonaparte’s gulls. On the return trip, a pair of long-tailed ducks came near. And sunning themselves on small tidal rocks offshore were three harbor seals.
I write this at night. In the still clear air just a minute ago, the stars of Orion and Sirius seemed as bright as they’ve ever been.
Today’s List
1. American crow
2. Herring gull
3. Ring-billed gull
4. European starling
5. Mallard
6. Common goldeneye
7. Common loon
8. Long-tailed duck
9. Black guillemot
10. Common eider
11. Bonaparte’s gull
12. Black duck
13. Red-breasted merganser
14. Great cormorant
Herring gull with urchin.
Tags: American crow, black duck, black guillemot, Bonaparte's gull, common eider, common goldeneye, common loon, European starling, great cormorant, herring gull, long-tailed duck, mallard, red-breasted merganser, ring-billed gull
