2008 March Observations · 10 April 2008, 12:04 by Julie Loyd
Photos will follow later.
08.mar.01Gretchen W: In previous years at this time, the noise from the frogs outside her doorway was deafening. Now, there are only one or two calling.
Julie L: Sunny, sweater but not coat weather. 13:00 – 17:00 low tide beach walk from Fishery to Mail Bay. Saw 20 ish gulls, two Bald Eagle, few Buffleheads, few Harlequins, a few other ducks, no mammals. Lots of otter scat on driftwood, looks like they’re eating crabs. Didn’t see any small fish in the water at Hammond or Little Hammond.
On trail between Appel’s beach and Mail Bay, stinging nettles are up to a foot high, and elderberries are showing up to 5 inches of leaves at joints. There was even a blooming red-flowering currant! At my house, they’re not ready yet.
Glen R: 3:40 -5:15 p.m. Sunny, clear, temp=52; wind < 12 mph from SW. Hi tide=7.4@ 10.am; lo tide= .7@ 6:20 p.m. Roundtrip (each way 1/4 mile) walk Cowlitz from rockier beach by McGraws to rockier beach base of incline N.C. cliffs. Saw: 6 Red-breasted Mergansers, 6 Surf Scoters, 12 Vuffleheads, 4 Goldeneye. Approx 70 Gulls (40% sure of I.D. as Mew Gulls). Gulls wading, rarely dipping heads in water.
3-2-08Glen R: Flocks of 30+ (possibly hundreds) robins at Mail Bay pastures, Farm (Mittelstadt’s) Bay fields. Flocks of dozens of robins in fields middle of Sandy Point road. Rolf Thorson says he has suddenly seen large flocks appearing here in last week or so.
08.mar.04Pirouze B: There are lots of frogs at her place.
Glen R: Moderate frost in morning. 9 am heard Bandtail Pigeon in South Mail Bay woodlands.
08.mar.05David L: 7:00 summer-like group (3 – 4 dozen) of Pigeon Guillemots just inside Point Disney, first time (did not observe yesterday). Pair of Harbor Seals just beyond moorings.
Glen R: 12:45-1:30 p.m. Sunny, clear, temp=55. Wind<4 mph. Perused beach both ways from path perch in front of McGraw area. 63 gulls, 17 Red-breasted Mergansers, 6 Goldeneye (60% sure this ID).
Saw a crow drama over five minutes. A single crow flew with something in beak about 75 meters down rocky beach area. From about 8 feet height it dropped object (about 3/8 diameter, dark), pirouetted and landed, where it pecked around <2 seconds then picked up object, flew off opposite way down beach. About 75 yards away, it repeated the same routine: drop, pirouette, brief peck around, pick object, fly off opposite direction. Its flight back and forth were to about the same rock clusters on each end of the flight. It certainly appeared that the crow was not picking up the same object each time. Where the crow landed each time and picked up an object, it was several feet away from where the object hit the ground. With binoculars I never saw object bounce. This routine went on about 10 round trips. On about trips 6-9, 2 other crows flew over to see what the crow had caught and the subject crow exhibited evasive manuevers. These other crows up-close half-heartedly inspected the subject crow on later flights, and then abandoned their interest on about trip 9. After trip 10, the subject crow flew off down the beach and didn’t return to the area before I left.
I heard a Pileated Woodpecker in the south Mail Bay woodlands.
08.mar.08Glen R: 15:15 – 17:30 pm.; roundtrip walk (with Jim Johanssen coastal processes group) from Nature Conservancy trailhead on road to east end of the lower lagoon and return. Thin sunny overcast, low 40s, wind < 17 mph (variable). Low tide 11:20 am =2.6; hi tide 5:40 p.m.=7.7. In upper pond saw seven American widgeons. At area near where bluff incline meets the beach saw 5 salmon jump in half hour period (15:40-16:10) 12-16 inches, about 30 -100 ft from shore. Saw heron in lower lagoon. 4 Red-breasted. Mergansers, about 18 Buffleheads. Ollie Wilgress found a chunk of coal on beach, If natural, Jim Johannsen said they were probably 40 million years old, arrived from up north.
3-8-08 saw large bat, 10” wingspan at 9 pm overhead South Mail Bay woodlands.
Julie L: TNC 15:00, overcast. On the trail, there was scat (owl? fox? probably not otter?) with white and grey feathers in it. A very long black and yellow errant garter snake at the beaver dam.
08.mar.09Glen R: 10 a.m-13:00 pm; roundtrip walk (with Johanssen group) Point Hammond farm to Huntley lagoon and return. Cloudy, 40-50 degrees. Wind at 10 mph early, then becoming < 2 mph at 12 noon. High tide 7:10 am = 8.9; Low tide 1 p.m.=1.4. Saw about 60 robins in flocks around orchard. 2 ravens. Between Farm Bay landing and Little Hammond saw approx 22 Buffleheads. About 16 Red-breasted mergansers, 1 Common Loon, 3 female Scoters. 2 Glaucous-wing Gulls. Between Little Hammond and Otter Point saw 2 Oystercatchers, 2 Harlequin Ducks. At Otter Point saw 1 cormorant in water, 1 heron on beach. Could see 5 seals hauled out on Bare Island. 1 seal in Huntley lagoon, along with 5 Harlequin Ducks, 1 river otter.
In Mail Bay woodlands 17:00 pm heard Pileated Woodpeckers, Rufous-sided Towhees, r.b. nuthatches, ravens, Varied Thrush. Seeing flock of about 15+ Pine Siskins daily.
Julie L: At home, woodpeckers are calling. Red-flowering Currant is pink and flowering. The first daffodils are open, though there are also some that aren’t even thinking of budding yet. The alders puff pollen when you throw sticks at them (don’t ask). Lots of robins hop around in the grass, and at 15:00 we saw some kind of small hawk swoop through the robins, landing on the rock wall 10 feet from the house, sans robin.
3-12-08 Glen R: 18:00 pm – 19:15p.m. round trip walk from West edge Cowlitz lower lagoon to bluff start at East end. Hazy, temp at 48. Water glassy smooth. 15:30 pm Lo tide= -.8; Hi tide 23:30 p.m. = 7.6;
Saw approx 45 Buffleheads, 23 Red-breasted Mergansers, 5 Surf Scoters, 4 crows in wrack, 1 cormorant, 1 Harbor Seal, 40 scattered gulls mostly Mew Gulls. Saw about a 10 inch salmon jump in about 2 feet deep of water, in front of west end of lower lagoon.
08.mar.14Glen R: 15:45, Cowlitz Dock. Partly cloudy after morning rain. Water glassy. Temp 55º Plum trees blooming. High tide at 10:00 low mid-afternoon. Water clear. A flock of
5 Red-breasted Mergansers cruising <5’ from shore in rocks 75 – 150 yards south of dock. About 10 other Red-breasted Mergansers in bay.
5 Goldeneye in vicininty of Frances’ Cove.
4 Surf Scoters further out.
Appx 15 Buffleheads
Flicker & Pileated Woodpecker in madronas at dock head. – Glen R
08.mar.15 Glen R: 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Roundtrip walk from upper parking lot P.O. down to Francis Cove, along beach to mid-lower N.C. lagoon; back along trail past upper swamp. Overcast, temps low 40s, wind generally <12 mph. Hi tide=7.8 @ 10:45 a.m. Some plums in bloom along road. At sunnier cliff spots, Oregon Grape in bloom. Scared a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers resting off rocks Frances’ lagoon. Tried shore fishing with salmon gear intermediately along beach, no fish sign anywhere. 10 Canada Geese came by, as did a kingfisher at bluffs. At Ditch rocks just west of shore opening, a concentration of about 40 gulls, offshore 100 yds about 30 Buffleheads. Along rest of beach stretch saw 1 killdeer, 1 cormorant, approx 15 r.b. mergansers, pair of surf scoters, 20 gulls, approx 8 goldeneye, 25 more bufflehead.
Barry M. met me near lower lagoon where we saw one river otter, 2 pairs mallards, one pair r.b. mergansers,1 Red-winged Blackbird in cattails. At beaver pond above we saw <6 r.w. blackbirds proclaiming. Saw 2 Turkey Vultures perched in tree far pond edge, which lifted skyward when an adult Bald Eagle passed by, and later returned to tree when eagle left. In water approx 25 buffleheads scattered, 4 goldeneye, 4 mallard, one unidendified duck. Saw 24+ Violet- green Swallows flying over pond, mostly North end. Heard Ruby-crowned Kinglets come by while in Large Maple flats. Immature eagle flew treetop height 40 overhead on way back to parking lot. Drove off. On road uphill from T saw about 20 Northern Flickers in group.
Julie L: The frogs are calling from the Adams’, daffodils are about 50% in bloom, some rock tulips. Some of the Red-flowering Currant is wilted.
COASST walk 15:30: Brilliant sun, 50 degreesish, slight breeze. At Hammond, a Great Blue Heron, a Bufflehead pair, six Harlequin Ducks, two Oystercatchers. On the rocks, zillions of what might be fucus saplings or whatever they call themselves, swarming with gnats. No seals or eagles.
On the way back, we noticed two clumps of whelks (a predatory sea snail about an inch long), about 100 per clump, on some rocks just at the low-tide line where the water was lapping. There were yellowish grains about the size and shape of rice near the rare open spots between whelks, which we speculated were their eggs.
In the evening it rained.
08.mar.17Glen R: 13:45 – 14:00, Cowlitz Dock. High tide about now at 7+. Cloudy, intermittent sprinkles earlier. Temp 49º. Wind 15 mph out of SW. Saw 24 seabirds,
8 Goldeneye
others mostly Buffleheads
some Red-breasted Mergansers
some Surf Scoters
No gulls, no mammals. All but 3 birds (1 Red-breasted Merganser, 2 female Goldeneye) are out from Frances’ Cove.
Overcast temp=45, wind<5 mph. Red currants in blooms. Saw 4 swans fly over over South Mail Bay woodlands, about 100 ft above trees, from NE to SW. Tony S later said no swans at swamp.
08.mar.19David L: 16:30, Cowlitz Dock. First sighting this year of small fish on surface near dock, evidently salmon.
08.mar.21Glen R: saw first hummingbird, (Rufous) in Mail Bay Woodland, on red currant bushes.
08.mar.25Cathy Mc: North Bay. We found a big-ass octopus on the beach by my cabin today.
08.mar.26Glen R: Saw first ‘Morning Cloak’ butterfly. Seemed interested in either Nettles or Himalayan Blackberries. Mail Bay Woodlands: been catching both gold/drab small butterflies and white/ black butterflies, both < 1 inch wingspan. Lots of them fluttering around. White ones have black and white pattern, gold ones have hind wind gold, fore wing is not. No, I don’t think i’ts an Island Marble.
08.mar.27Glen R: 15:30, Cowlitz Dock. Snow flurries yesterday. High 30’s now with rain, wind <3mph about now low tides
Pair Hooded Mergansers at dock
4 Goldeneye
1 Red-necked Grebe
2 female Red-breasted Mergansers
4 Surf Scoters
Isa D: Cold, rainy. Forty-eight robins in my field all at once. In general, there seems to be an inordinate number of robins on my place this year, like four times what I usually see.
08.mar.30Glen R: been hearing Band Tailed pigeons the last few days at South Mail Bay Woodlands.
Julie L: COASST walk to Pt. Hammond. At Hammond, 2 Oystercatchers, 6 Harlequin ducks. Water had washed entirely over the tombolo. We found a teensy kelp plant in the wrack, from holdfast to bulb to fronds.
08.mar.31Julie L: 13:00 Went to Cooks’ Beach with the schoolkids in a light snow. There, the sand had been pretty thoroughly rearranged, with berms and gravel in unexpected places. Grey plum-sized sea sponges had been washed up into the wrack line. Glenda says these sponges appear twice a year at North Beach. When we left at 15:00, the sun came out.
Views of Hammond tombolo March 2 and 16.
commenting closed for this article