Partly cloudy early, becoming mostly cloudy with rain later in the evening. Temperatures into the low 50s. Quite breezy with some strong gusts.

I had agreed to go on a walk with some college students here on spring break. They wanted to learn about mosses. I had suggested Kitty come along, since she knows much more than I do about the botany of mosses.

  Now that I am familiar with *Orthotrichum pulchellum*, I'm finding it much more frequently by looking on red elderberry branches

I met Sejal, Cora, Brady, and Eric (Cora’s dad) at the park at 10am. Kitty was running a little late, but I was surprised she had made it at all due to the strong, gusty winds raising whitecaps all across Crescent Bay.

The folks were enthusiastic about mosses, birds, and other things we saw. We walked around the park, up Westwood Trail and then through part of the SJC campus.

Along the way a couple different Pacific Wrens sang songs that seemed to be approaching full vigor.

We looped back towards the park along the seawalk. While some of us were checking out some mosses on the beach, Kitty noticed a boat on its side in Crescent Harbor.

  Strong successive gusts of wind pushed this boat over on its side as it was leaving the harbor

It turns out it had been heading out of the harbor to go get ice (so was probably riding fairly high). Apparently a strong gust of wind caught it broadside and pushed it over.

Early this afternoon Connor spotted a banded junco in the yard. I was able to get some photos.

  One of the juncos banded in our project, most likely in fall 2019

At the channel I saw a large pale first-year gull, without a by-colored bill. It might be the same one I saw yesterday and am wondering if it’s a Glaucous x Glacous-winged hybrid?

  I spotted a California Gull out in the mix and was able to get some photos before I lost it in the multitude.

  The more extensive black on its primaries and yellow feet indicate this is a California Gull

When I came back later in the afternoon, the California Gull on the ramp at the edge of the flock. That made it much easier to photograph.

  My iNaturalist Observations for Today

The post Morning Moss Walk, Afternoon Birding first appeared on Sitka Nature.