It was very nice to have a day to catch up on a few things at home and to have a relaxing stroll at Westchester Lagoon and the Chester Creek Trail. It was almost at high tide and the Short-billed Dowitchers were loafing on mudflats right next to the busy bike/hiking path Hidden in their midst was a Northern Shoveler. Both kinds of yellowlegs were there, mostly loafing too. Somehow I usually get more pictures of the Greater Yellowlegs than of the Lesser.
The pair of Sandhill Cranes that has been on the mudflats for many days was still there. Nothing remarkable about that, but when I returned along the trail, they apparently had taken a bath and were dripping wet. I was sorry to have missed the sight of them bathing, which I have never seen happen.
There were also a couple of Mallard families and a few Green-winged Teal lurking in the greenery.
The “wild” flower patch along the trail wasn’t as wild as the tundra flowers of yesterday but they were still very beautiful. Altogether a pleasant walk.
277 species so far (see lynnbarber.com for a complete list of species seen to date)
Lynn Barber's Alaska Big Year - and Beyond 