Temp in the 40s, partly sunny, Wind East at 15-20 mph.

Nothing earth-shattering today, but a few nice birds.

Aaron had reported about a half-dozen Glaucous Gulls while he was here. We have seen three, so far.

Glaucous Gull, Sweeper Cove, May 17, 2018.

As we made the rounds today, we filled the various feeders that we maintain while we are here. Some of them already had seed in them from the previous tour groups, but we did not see anything unusual at any of them today.

The Rock Sandpipers are back displaying and raucously calling in the Sweeper Channel, as well as at the Landing Lights.

Rock Sandpipers and a Ruddy Turnstone, Landing Lights, May 17, 2018.

Also at the Landing Lights today was the first Bar-tailed Godwit of the season (the previous tour groups had none)!  We also had Black Oystercatcher and Semipalmated Plovers to get our shorebird list started.

As I walked out to the Landing Lights jetty, this young Bald Eagle didn’t want to leave.

Bald Eagle, Landing Lights, May 17, 2018

Up at Clam Lagoon, there was a flock of Cackling Geese, plus the usual suspects — Buffleheads, Mallards, Common Teal, Northern Pintails, Eurasian Wigeon, Marbled and Kittlitz’s murrelets, Red-breasted Mergansers, otters, etc.

Cackling Geese, Clam Lagoon, May 17, 2018. Note the white neck collar, typical of the Aleutian subspecies.

Aleutian Terns were back, as well as Parasitic Jaegers.

Out on the Flats, Barb spotted the Black-headed Gull that Aaron also had told us about.

On Goose Rocks, a lone Emperor Goose was appropriate! Note — we did not see a single Emperor Goose on either of our trips last year. The Seawall also produced several Pacific Loons, a Red-necked Grebe, 10 White-winged Scoters, Harlequin Ducks, and Common Eider.

The winds aren’t supposed to turn to the west until Monday, so we expect another few days in the doldrums.

Our trip list is 41.