As I start north, a seagull some 100 yards ahead plunges straight into the water from 15 feet up. It climbs back up and circles for a few minutes, hoping for a second chance at its prey.
I pass a small Clark's grebe.
At the mouth of Union Bay, there are three western grebes, necks laid back along their bodies. Most birds are resting when they hold that pose, but the western grebe will often paddle across the surface in with its neck down on its back. It looks quite strange.
I break my paddling briefly as I head up towards the NE corner of the bay and when I do I hear the whistling of bald eagles. I find them on the diodar cedar that they prefer as a perch on this shoreline. It is probably the north nest pair. I have not seen them in perhaps 2 months, and I assume they were following a salmon run.
In the NE lagoon, I check for tracks in the usual spots and find raccoon and rat and something in between in size that I don't recognize. It has rained hard recently, so the blackboard is pretty clean.
I run across the north shore and down the western islands thinking that this is one of the nicest days that I have seen in some time. It is almost clear, low sky fall sun, blue sky, the yellowing of cattails and leaves, the shattering of summers lily pads, with a cool wind from the northeast, a long sleeve day.
I check with 3-stars in the south lagoon, as usual.
The migratory ducks have not arrived yet. I imagine that they have started on their way.
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