Went with the class for a kayak trip to Indian river. Scads of harlequins and scaups. Looked in the channel between SPC and UAS for ducks, but the sea gulls are still present in the hundreds, so no ducks...
The storm petrels seem to have moved on from the Crescent harbor area.

More than once this week it has rained over 3 inches, but I still didn't expect the amphibians to come into the house to get out of the rain. This morning, Ian found a rough-skinned newt walking across the kitchen floor. I wonder how long it has been inside. It can't have too happy in the house? Or is the humidity high enough everywhere in southeast.

The fork-tails are still present. I may have finally realized why they have such a name, the view from above is of a fan shaped tail, but yesterday I finally saw a clear view of the underside of the tail, and it looked much more forked.

There is one Epilobium angustifolium still blooming by Crescent Harbor. It must have germinated quite late, all of the others have been producing mature fruit for the last month.

Widgeons, mallards, common mergansers, savannah sparrows, black turnstones (40?), a sharp-shinned hawk, flicker and hairy woodpecker and yes, innumerable sea gulls at the Historical Park. The sharp shin tried for a sparrow and the flicker, but no luck. About 200 geese (Canada?) flew over by the Sage building. They seemed quite windblown (okay disorderly) in their flight.

This morning there was a raft of about 300 small geese or large ducks in Eastern Channel. Unfortunately it was raining so hard, even the spotting scope couldn't help get a clear view. All that I could tell for certain was that they didn't have any white patches. Maybe they were yesterdays blown about geese?

The high point of a rather wet Tuesday was watching fork-tailed storm petrels and a sharp shinned hawk near the Sealing Cove cleaning station. I have been seeing the storm petrels on my way back and forth from the island for the last 5 days. I'm fairly certain that I have seen both the fork tailed and the Leaches storm petrel. The latter has a much more pronounced white band on the rump and a darker color (brown).
The sharp shinned hawk first tried for a Kingfisher and then moved on to the Storm petrels. The hawk didn't spend too much time at it, about 3 passes on different individuals before flying off to a tree on the small island north of the bridge entrance to Sealing cove.
A bald eagle was seen capturing a storm petrel earlier in the day.
On Monday, a student brought a nice collection of Coprinus atramentarius to class, they are now a lovely inky mess in the refrigerator.

Saturday the 16th took the mushroom class up Indian River trail searching for fungi. It was another sunny warm day, but the diversity of fungi was not all that I was hoping for. We did manage to see all of the major types of fleshy Basidiomycetes, just not the variety of agarics.
Did find ample Dentinum repandum, D. umbilicatum, Cantharellus cibarius and C. infundibuliformis, Cortinarius spp., and of course a reasonable number of Russula and Lactarius species. L. fallax was the most abundant Lactarius. The Russula with a solid white stem, and a bicolored red and yellow cap that is very hot tasting was the most abundant. Some nice Lycoperdon perlatum in all stages were found along the river in the red alder.
No Polyozellus multiplex, Hiericium, Rozites caperata or Bolteus mirablilis. Two rather moldy king boletes were found, so at least people were able to see the pore layer.
No coprinus, but there was a nice inky mess in Marge and Tedin's yard that might be promising next year.

The last several days have been enjoyably sunny.
Class went to Swan Lake to take some water quality data and some bird/plant observations. A nice supply of mallards were available. Two quite mysterious domestic ducks were hanging out in the pond lilies. Have since been identified as Swedish Blue Ducks. Thanks Matt.
The pond lilies are yellow and wilted, the Hippuris however remain green.

Also visited Starrigaven in hopes of seeing the Parasitic Jaeger. No luck, but did see four Hooded Mergansers, Mallards, and 2 Great Blue Herons from the bird viewing platform.
Students got a good look at a sapsucker and a winter wren in the spruce near the salmon stream. No dippers seen in the stream, maybe they don't like the smell either.

Yesterday the class was treated to a relatively sunny morning and reasonable birding just outside the door of Sage building. There were three rather eclipsed pintails, two black turnstones, a single mew gull and the usual glaucous-winged gulls near the outlet of the hatchery. The pintails were distinguishable by their sleek, long necks, bluish-grey bills and dabbling duck behavior.
The turnstones were working the drift, but also seemed to be feeding on a pink salmon carcass, something I hadn't noticed before.
We couldn't have had a clearer view of a mew gull. Great look at the yellow legs, size and black wingtips.
This morning at home, there are song and golden crowned sparrows, juncos, robins, varied thrush and two ruby crowned kinglets. Don't see too many of this type of kinglet in the garden.
Although the fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) is going to seed in town, there isn't any ripe fruit in the garden.

At long last a day without rain or at least very little. A flock of Golden crowned sparrows is working the garden beds. They are probably just passing through on their way south.
The juvenile robins and varied thrushes are eating their way through the few berries of Vaccinium parvifolium and V. ovalifolium that they can find in the garden. They also seem quite fond of the raspberries.
There were three sapsuckers in the trees this morning. One in a European mountain ash, one in a vine maple and the last in a Western Hemlock.
No sign of mature fruit/seeds from the Epilobium angustifolium as of yet.

Raining hard this morning during the field trip to Starrigavan. Luckily the birds aren't as sensitive as the people. Introduced mallards, great blue herons, herring and glaucous winged gulls, black turnstones and hooded mergansers.
Students also had a look at Menziesia ferruginea, Oplopanax horridus, Carex lyngbyei and Elymus glaucus.

Weather is better today, only cloudy. Two pine siskins by the business office. Wilson's Warblers and Chestnut backed chickadees flitting through the alders outside of the computer lab.