Now we know it's spring

On the White Rock beach yesterday, it was so warm that we had to take off our jackets. That's a first for this year. The tide was high, and a mixed flock of waterfowl were diving for goodies, some fairly close to shore, most too far out to identify.

View of the pier, with one bird close enough to be visible.

Common goldeneye, male.

I always have to look it up: the Common goldeneye has a round white patch on his cheek; the Barrow's has a comma-shaped patch. Otherwise, at a distance, they are very similar.

Quite a few of the divers were almost completely black, except for a white patch on the breast or a white ring around the neck, and a yellow beak. They were probably Barrow's females.

(About those computer problems; it's working again. But only as long as I rest it on a layer of ice packs. I think the fan is kaput, but at least I'm still online, for now.)