We gathered for our monthly Audubon field trip led by Mark Elliott at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. For a change, it was a bright sunny day but with a pretty good east wind that brought the temperature down to about 25 degrees! About 20 people braved the weather in search of birds that winter over in this bay. After scouting the bay loop trail, without seeing anything out of the norm, we all jumped in our cars to warm up and drive the short distance to the south jetty in the bay. Here we saw a flotilla of Western Grebes which were very close to the road. A short distance further down the jetty we spotted male and female Long-tailed Ducks. These ducks are not uncommon at this time of year but seldom seen. It was a first sighting for most of us.

Sightings of the Day
Surf Scoter
American Wigeon
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Western Grebe
Bufflehead
Mallard
European Starling
Horned Grebe
Greater Scaup
Common Goldeneye
Northern Pintail
American Crow
Common Raven
Rock Dove
American Robin
Northern Harrier
Song Sparrow
Red-headed Merganser
Hooded Merganser
Varied Thrush
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Long-tailed Duck
Glaucous-winged Gull
Western Gull
Brant Goose