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The Daily Bucket - New Year's, Day in the Life (a few recent ones) [1]

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Date: 2025-01-01

Late December 2024

Salish Sea, Pacific Northwest

It’s 2025 today, but in many ways today is very much like yesterday, and the day before, and that’s especially true in nature, where it’s the seasonal, annual and longterm changes that mark time.

So for our Bucket today I’ll toss out a few days of local nature observations from the past week, wildlife just doing their thing, making a living (nature version of “Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head”?). It’s heavy on birds since that’s who’s notably active in winter (no flowers for example). As weather systems continue to roll across the region through the winter, there’ll be more daily nature activity to see. We’ll see what 2025 brings, and eventually compare that to 2024, and earlier years.

Stormy seas

December 22:

A kind of amphipod. Like shrimp but really tiny.

A strong windstorm drove swells and a mass of amphipods into one bay about a week ago. Some ducks were feeding on the tiny creatures but really notable was a giant flock of gulls feasting, snatching them up from near the surface. About 80% of the gulls were first-year, and mostly Olympic gulls (some Mews also). Amphipods are high protein food, easy to catch when driven by wind into a bay like this. The next day there were about half the number of gulls, the next day just a few and then the amphipod boon was gone.

Brown gulls = born this year



Calm drizzly day on the pond

December 30:

I went up to see if the Avocet was still there. I noted on the county’s eBird rare bird alert that several birders from San Juan island had come over here to see it. To get it on their 2024 list? The avocet is apparently making a good living on this pond, been there every time I’ve checked.

A few Turkey vultures generally stay behind for the winter rather than migrating south. Probably some carrion nearby.

The lone vagrant avocet, with Mew gull for scale (Short-billed)

The avocet seems to be doing fine

Windy, choppy day

December 27:

There was actually some sun that day for a change, which meant a brighter sky and some nice colors. I spent some time watching ducks in a bay where a westerly wind hits straight on. They could have sheltered in a calmer spot but they chose to hang out there. The rough seas might be stirring up food. There was a good size flock of Buffies, Hoodies, Red breasted mergansers, and of course lurking gulls.

I’m starting to see drake RB mergansers now in breeding plumage

Olympic gulls are gigantic compared to our diving ducks

Sub-flock of Hoodies in foreground



Light wind, calm sea

December 31:

Even in winter we occasionally get fairly calm days, in between storm systems.



This was actually a few days ago (the 26th, between the windstorm and the drizzly day) on very flat calm waters. Red-breasted mergansers grooming

Yesterday it wasn’t quite as calm as on the 26th but both these photos and the following video were taken in the very same bay where the gulls were gorging on amphipods a week earlier in rough conditions. It all depends on the wind that day. The ducks can handle any conditions, though sometimes they’ll shelter in the lee of a headland in a major storm.

A few buffies were foraging in very shallow water by the shore on the final day of 2024. I haven’t gone out yet today but chances are they’re doing that now too.

We had an actual sunbreak yesterday afternoon — iridescence!



🌎

Every day is different in winter here in the Pacific Northwest.

One of the madronas by the roadside broke off in the recent windstorm. By the direction it fell I know it was a SE wind.

Then there are the extremely rare glassy calm days like this one. Even in winter!

🎉

A bit of a lull in the stormy weather to start the New Year here in the Pacific Northwest islands. Moderately breezy and overcast. Still unseasonably warm. No freezing weather yet.

What’s up in nature in your neighborhood?

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