Just another day at the "office" - Lower Hood Canal

Its days like today that make me love my job. When i get to work in the field, and its gorgeous and sunny and warm. And the water is teeming with life after the spring phytoplankton bloom. Today i wore a TEE SHIRT on the boat, on deck, while it was moving at top speed, and i was warm - hot, even! This is Seattle, after all - tee shirts on boats and such things are unheard of here (well, for us cold-blooded types anyway). But the best part was my species list for today:

3 Harbor seals
5 Bald Eagles
2 Kingfisher (Belted?)
1 Osprey
1 Guillemot
1 Lions Mane jellyfish
Oysters
Mussels
Sea stars
Dungeness Crab

...and those were just the ones i could see without binoculars. Hood Canal is dreamy.

Species list for the weekend

Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, Saturday
Rainy. Cool. Spectacular.

Bald Eagles (2)
Mallard Duck
Canada Goose
Black tailed deer
Northern Flicker
Northern Harrier
Osprey
Bufflehead
Snow Goose
Common Loon
Steller's Sea Lion
Dark-eyed Junco
Great Heron

Golden Gardens (Seattle City Park, Sunday)
Partly cloudy. Cold. Teeming.
American Widgeon
Brandt's Goose
Barrow's Goldeneye
Common Loon

It was a good weekend.