January warmth

The calendar says the season is winter, but today's weather felt more like late fall or early spring with temperatures warming to the low 50s. The morning sky wore pure blue, adding cloud decorations as the day wore on.

It was a good day to visit the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Yes, I know, it's always a good day at Parker River!

I started on the ocean side of the refuge, walking, listening to the ocean, wondering why there were no birds playing on the beach. Ah, I see - the birds are all on the salt marsh side. There were large flocks of Canada Goose seeming to stand on water since there was a skim of water covering ice. There were some trees loaded with birds, some robins, lots of black feathered birds.

Here's a quick view of the ocean and inland sides of the refuge.

More photos from today can be found in the gallery Parker River - 2012. This will be a running gallery for the year, with newer photos at the beginning.