Re-terning?

Another windy day — 30 knot NW winds, with 40 knot gusts this afternoon — and another nice view of Forster's Terns (Sterna forsteri) in Bodega Harbor.  I noticed a flock near Porto Bodega on my way to the post office mid-day.  [Click on the photos for larger versions.]

 

 

A few terns came in to land on the pilings next to the parking area:

 

 

 

Two views

Two views of the Pacific Ocean from Bodega Head on 24 February 2018:


Silver sea

 

Silver lining 

 

 

Going down and going green

Recent weather conditions (cold and clear) have created great conditions for green flashes.  Here's one on 23 February 2018:

 

 

 

Gold or bronze?

 

Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa), Bodega Harbor, 19 February 2018

(Click on the photo for a larger and sharper version.)

Wind-sculpted

I love the wind-sculpted waves of late winter.  

The northwest winds are blowing hard enough in these conditions (~25 knots, with gusts to ~35 knots) that it's difficult to hold a camera steady. 

 

It's also very cold when it's this windy.  I did something funny yesterday.  I hardly ever need to wear gloves in Bodega Bay.  When I was taking these pictures, I thought to myself, "I'm going to have to put on my (fingerless) gloves."  But then I realized I already had them on!

 

 

 

Terning in?

On my way home from work in the late afternoon, I noticed a flock of Forster's Terns (Sterna forsteri) on the tidal flats near Spud Point.

It was another very windy day, so perhaps the terns were looking for shelter in the harbor?

There were at least 21 terns.  Here are a couple of photos showing most of the flock:

 

 

Many of the terns appeared to close their eyes as soon as they landed.  In the images below, note the white spot at the lower edge of the black ear/eye patch.  When the terns' eyes are open, their dark eyes blend in with the black ear/eye patch.  But when their eyes are closed, the white lower lid comes up and contrasts with the black eye/ear patch.  This had the interesting effect of making the birds look awake when their eyes were closed — i.e., from a distance, it looks like the terns have white eyes.  [Click on the pictures for larger versions.]

 

 

One more close-up:

 

Nice to see some terns today!

Small craft advisory

 

Northwest winds were blowing ~30 mph (~25 knots) with gusts to ~40 mph (~35 knots) in Bodega Bay this afternoon.  Hold on!