Windy

The weather fluctuated today with snow in the morning and clear skies by the afternoon. The wind however, was strong, consistent and coming from the N/NW all day. Less than favorable conditions for waterbird migrations and the numbers reflect this.

Weather: Cloudy with snow in the morning. Clear skies and sunny by the afternoon but temperatures never really climbed out of the 30s. Winds from the N/NW were very strong, kicking up sand by the end of the day.

Waterbird Count: 36 sandhill cranes, 6 common loons, 5 red-necked grebes, 5 LT ducks, 3 RB mergansers, 1 common merganser, 1 common goldeneye and 1 great blue heron.

Other Sightings: Bird of the day for me was the bald eagle. Two arrived on the tip in the 3rd hour, one adult and one immature. They seemed to get into a scuffle with some gulls and a raven over some freshly caught fish. The adult stayed perched on a snag on the beach for about a half hour. I also spotted another swan just as I arrived at the shack in the morning. Once again didn't get a great look but probably a tundra swan.

Things are looking up tomorrow. Forecast is for mostly sunny skies with occasional clouds. Temperatures in the 40s and winds from the SW at 10 to 15 mph. Hopefully some more waterbird movement will come with the wind shift.

Andy N
Waterbird Counter