January 6, 2008
Stan W: Saw the following at Mail Bay: A pair of Golden-crowned Kinglets, 12-15F, 24-30M Buffleheads, 1m Common Goldeneye, 2male Harlequins, 2f 2m Red breasted Mergansers, 2 Horned Grebes,1 Bald Eagle, one Raven. Stan took the photo at left in December, of a juvenile Bald Eagle (distinguishable from a Golden by its yellow beak).
Glen R: 13:45 Point Hammond farm 9 geese in orchard, saw 48 Canada geese there about 10 days ago. Went down to beach to walk Farm Bay landing to Otter Point. Hi tide at 1:30 p.m. wind out of SSE <25 mph. Temps low 40s. Overcast. Recent high tides in storm combos took out a lot of shore edge. Lots of small pieces of plastic in driftwood at Oyster Rocks. Saw 3 buffflehead 75 yards from shore in front of garden dogleg. Between there and Otter Point saw 1 horned grebe, 2 gulls, 1 d.c. cormorant, 2 male harlequin ducks (75 meters offshore). Stopped at Otter Point. Watched 2 ravens cruise cliff edge to South from there. 2 minutes later an immature bald eagle cruised same path. 2 minutes later an adult bald eagle came cruising along shore southbound, about 50 feet overhead. Sat an watched an adult bald eagle perched at Point Hammond Snag overlook. 6 red breasted mergansers flew by low southbound.
David L: Caught a baby fish, probably sand lance, in Cowlitz plankton tow, tried again in President’s channel and caught another baby fish. Exciting, especially since when we did the forage fish egg search some years ago, no forage fish eggs were found. We now have proof that the eggs must have been somewhere, even if we didn’t find them.
Glen R: 13:45 Point Hammond farm 9 geese in orchard, saw 48 Canada geese there about 10 days ago. Went down to beach to walk Farm Bay landing to Otter Point. Hi tide at 1:30 p.m. wind out of SSE <25 mph. Temps low 40s. Overcast. Recent high tides in storm combos took out a lot of shore edge. Lots of small pieces of plastic in driftwood at Oyster Rocks. Saw 3 buffflehead 75 yards from shore in front of garden dogleg. Between there and Otter Point saw 1 horned grebe, 2 gulls, 1 d.c. cormorant, 2 male harlequin ducks (75 meters offshore). Stopped at Otter Point. Watched 2 ravens cruise cliff edge to South from there. 2 minutes later an immature bald eagle cruised same path. 2 minutes later an adult bald eagle came cruising along shore southbound, about 50 feet overhead. Sat an watched an adult bald eagle perched at Point Hammond Snag overlook. 6 red breasted mergansers flew by low southbound.
David L: Caught a baby fish, probably sand lance, in Cowlitz plankton tow, tried again in President’s channel and caught another baby fish. Exciting, especially since when we did the forage fish egg search some years ago, no forage fish eggs were found. We now have proof that the eggs must have been somewhere, even if we didn’t find them.
January 7, 2008
Julie and Camilla: Frost this morning, hail this afternoon. Eight ducks (female buffleheads?) at Adams’ pond.
Tony S and Isa D: There are more birds around now. Few ducks on the water. The mallards and Widgeons stay on freshwater until it freezes.
Glen R: 7 a.m. clear. Like often lately still a pair of Great Horned Owls hooting aound South Mail Bay woodlands.
Tony S and Isa D: There are more birds around now. Few ducks on the water. The mallards and Widgeons stay on freshwater until it freezes.
Glen R: 7 a.m. clear. Like often lately still a pair of Great Horned Owls hooting aound South Mail Bay woodlands.
January 8, 2008
Julie L: Some pockets of hailstones still on the ground.
January 9, 2008
Julie L: Three beach seines at Cowlitz, Frances’ Cove, TNC, 10:00 - 12:30. Cloudy, wind <12 mph, tide high and rising, air temp 8ºC, water temp at dock 7ºC. Fish: 2 7” smelt, 2 3” sculpins, 2 1” salmon-shaped fish, 6.5” tubesnout, 2.5” round fish with a suction belly, 3 sanddabs. Amazing thing of the day: We caught a salmon, over 12 inches long, very fat, but it got away before we could identify it further. Birds: 5 Buffleheads, 3 Bald Eagles, 4 Horned Grebes, 1 Surf Scoter, 15 Crows, 1 Common Merganser.
Stan W: while waiting for David in Mail Bay this noon saw about 4 eagles soaring over Beckstrom Point. Gulls in the bay and flying over, maybe 5-6. On the way to the library near Jeff & Vickie a small flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets. They were in the road and hung around for a bit. They are cute.
Stan W: while waiting for David in Mail Bay this noon saw about 4 eagles soaring over Beckstrom Point. Gulls in the bay and flying over, maybe 5-6. On the way to the library near Jeff & Vickie a small flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets. They were in the road and hung around for a bit. They are cute.
January 10, 2008
Julie L: Plankton count at Fred & Donnas’. Fish fry found in samples from the first of the month. Possible sand lance, kelp greenling?
January 12, 2008
Stan W: Mail Bay: 3 -5 Brown creepers. Nuthatch with creepers.
January 13, 2008
Stan W: Mail Bay: A good birding day: Ravens, for breakfast and lunch.
Golden crowned Kinglets, by woodshed, 4-6?.
Yellow crowned Sparrows, in blackberries, small flock 10-15.
Purple Finch, 1 with ycs, another at feeder.
Song Sparrow with ycs
Juncos many at feeder
Towhees, several with ycs flock 6 or so at feeder
Robins, flock 10-15?
Flickers 6-8
Buffleheads, a pair and later 7m, 2f in mail bay
Red-breasted Grebe. I watched for 10 minutes as he ingested a flat fish maybe 6 inches long
Double-crested Cormorants,
Black Turnstones, 4-8 , Beckstroms’ point
Surfbirds, 2 with black turnstones
Kingfisher
Crow 3-4
Starlings flock
Golden crowned Kinglets, by woodshed, 4-6?.
Yellow crowned Sparrows, in blackberries, small flock 10-15.
Purple Finch, 1 with ycs, another at feeder.
Song Sparrow with ycs
Juncos many at feeder
Towhees, several with ycs flock 6 or so at feeder
Robins, flock 10-15?
Flickers 6-8
Buffleheads, a pair and later 7m, 2f in mail bay
Red-breasted Grebe. I watched for 10 minutes as he ingested a flat fish maybe 6 inches long
Double-crested Cormorants,
Black Turnstones, 4-8 , Beckstroms’ point
Surfbirds, 2 with black turnstones
Kingfisher
Crow 3-4
Starlings flock
January 15, 2008
Fred and Donna A: Two plankton tows at Severson and North Bays, 15<1cm fish at North Bay. Other critters in the sample included hyperiid gammaraids, which are larger than the sand lances!
January 16, 2008
Julie L: COASST walk in the late afternoon to take advantage of low tide around 17:00. Dark clouds, no wind, cold. Strong tidal rip. We watched a seal, an otter, and a string of ducks (possible surf scoters???) ride the current from Hammond to the clay point and then go back and do it again. At Hammond, a Great Blue Heron, a juvenile Bald Eagle, 10 Harlequin Ducks, and a very noisy flock of 100 crows and 200 gulls.
January 17, 2008
David L: Two plankton tows at Cowlitz and TNC, one <1cm fish at TNC
January 18, 2008
Julie L: A series of very dark weeks, though it hasn’t rained the whole time. In the afternoon, a Pileated Woodpecker spent some time pecking at the apples rotting on our tree. Our cats bring in Winter Wrens, and, earlier this week, a kinglet with a vivid orange crown. Juncos around the fruit trees.
Camilla L: Saw a flock of small yellowish birds with yellow heads.
Camilla L: Saw a flock of small yellowish birds with yellow heads.
January 19, 2008
Julie L: Rain, rising wind.
January 20, 2008
Julie L: Northeaster forecast for last night, but it took until midday to really kick in. Around 9:00, lots of small birds in a bare alder at the quarry. Around 15:00 at Cowlitz, four large ducks, 1 b&w male, 3 females (surf scoters????) at rock, 12 crows on dock posts, relatively gentle waves to the base of the bluffs.
January 23, 2008
Julie L: Frost on grass all day today and yesterday. Chirping birds in pine trees along Charlie’s Road. The cats have been bringing in Orange-crowned Kinglets and Winter Wrens.
Laurie G: found a very dead loon near her beach.
Laurie G: found a very dead loon near her beach.
January 24, 2008
Julie L: 8:00, Cowlitz, freezing weather. Images: a Bufflehead male and a pair of ducks (scoters?) near the rock reef below the P.O. At Deer Harbor, a crow and a gull were working on a disemboweled ratfish. The graspers at the anal fin show that it’s a male.
January 26, 2008
Julie L: Unabated freeze through today, more forecast. A Pileated Woodpecker in our apple tree at 10:00 a.m.
January 27, 2008
Julie L: Frozen pellets on the ground this morning. It hailed again at least three more times before midnight. Image at left of gulls at Sandy Point. Not too many birds in the water, ten or so smallish ducks, one pair larger ducks.
January 30, 2008
Julie L: Thaw today.