Temp in the high 50s, S wind 10-20 mph mostly cloudy.

We are getting Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches, Song Sparrows, and Lapland Longspurs (collectively known up here as Rosy Long-Sparrows!) at the feeders, but nothing else so far.

It rained last night, so we weren’t eating dust all day. Some of the small wet areas got wetter…

Fred (the recently-arrived birder) and I walked the Clam Lagoon marsh edge in hopes that two people might find more birds than one. We did, but not by much. We found 3 Long-billed Dowitchers (as opposed to 2) and 2 Pectoral Sandpipers (as opposed to 1). Still no Sharp-tails.

The Taiga Flycatcher was last seen on Wednesday, 9/23.

The change in weather may have brought in some loons. We had one Pacific and 4(!) Yellow-billed — 2 in breeding plumage and two in non-breeding — at the Seawall.

We also spotted a couple of Kittlitz’s Murrelets, to bring our triplist to 48.

As we came around a bend on the west side of Clam Lagoon, a young Bald Eagle attempted to fly away from the shoreline, but misjudged his takeoff and fell haplessly into the lagoon! Not very suave…

He tried to swim, then tried to take off again, then just swam back to shore — suitably embarrassed.

Embarrassed Bald Eagle, Clam Lagoon, Sept 25, 2015.

Embarrassed Bald Eagle, Clam Lagoon, Sept 25, 2015.

Embarrassed Bald Eagle, Clam Lagoon, Sept 25, 2015.

We saw a Stellar’s Sea Lion at the Seawall and a Minke Whale was giving brief views there as well.

Not a bad way to start our second week.