2 February

 eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S80331539

Weather:  8 am 0C Wind S2,  1pm 7C  wind E6

Tide:  11 AM 4.4M,  falling

I wakened to a clearing sky, a bright waning moon.  Strange to relate, the Canada Weather office reported 0 Celsius, but the morning felt mild.  Stupidly I wore my warmer jacket, trusting the weather office, and regretted it all morning.  It was a very warm morning, and there was minimal wind.

It has rained the past two days, but today was dry.  Notwithstanding that, the fields were flooded (in part from the rain and I'd guess in part from a high tide last night).  


There were abundant and noisy Canada geese and mallards in the flooded fields.


The clearing sky was reflected in the fields.

The path to the merganser pond appeared open, but very boggy.  The pond had doubled in size.




The river was up again, and very muddy.  The snow pack has moved up in elevation, and the rain has brought up the river as well



The sunlight filtered into the woods, leaving patches of light




Checking out their nests, there were no signs of eagles this morning.  It's still early in the year for them to be breeding, but they are certainly starting to pair up.

It was mid-tide, but a high mid-tide.  The sun illumined the Straits.





There was a mix of ducks--the wigeons were very vocal.  

Returning, there was just the first hints of new growth on the foliage.



It appears that a pair of great horned owls have settled into a couple of pines near the trail head.  I've only seen one, and he/she is mostly so deep in the foliage that I've yet to manage a photo, but the folks who live in the house with the trees tell me that there are a pair, and they chat at evenfall.  Like the eagles, certainly something to monitor.  

A good morning.  Tomorrow is supposed to be colder and clear.




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