Thursday, December 10, 2015

Swirls and splash

It was a +6.2' tide this morning.  (That's relatively high for Bodega Bay.)  On my way to the Bodega Bay Post Office, movement caught my eye.  Large flocks of shorebirds were swirling over the harbor.  

The nearby salt marsh was almost entirely flooded.  Hundreds of shorebirds were trying to fit on the few small islands of grass remaining above water:

 


On the outer coast, the swell was impressive, crashing against the rocks.  I think the waves were ~12 feet at this time:

 

Right now (at ~9 p.m.) wave heights at the Bodega Bay buoy are reading 24 feet! 

P.S.  For the record, there was a significant southward movement of loons this morning.
 
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2 comments:

  1. megDecember 12, 2015 at 8:16 AM

    Could you tell which species were in that big flock?

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  2. Jackie SonesDecember 12, 2015 at 11:15 AM

    Hi, Megan!

    The birds were primarily Marbled Godwits and Willets. There could have been some smaller species mixed in (e.g., Dunlin), but most of the birds that are visible in the picture are godwits and Willets.

    Jackie

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