The new moon of Feb. 27 brings the continuing cycle of 6-foot-plus morning tides and corresponding afternoon low tides. The heavy rains and high tides of recent weeks breached the sand barrier at Abbotts Lagoon, opening the lagoons to saltwater and recharging the lower lagoon. The sand barrier will be built up again over the summer months.
Sightings from the lighthouse of migrating gray whales are still few and far between, but folks there did see a trio of bald eagles last week. This recovering species has been slowly returning to West Marin after pesticides weakened their egg shells and populations plunged in past decades. Bald eagles are fish hunters and typically stay near waterways such as Drakes Estero and Tomales Bay. Similar to osprey, they build large stick nests.
Wildflower season is wandering in. Shady areas are seeing milkmaids, usually the first to bloom. These small, four-petaled flowers have a dash of pink. Also, look low for purple violets with their heart-shaped leaves. In the hills above Limantour, even a few Douglas iris are in bloom. Pink sprays of flowering currant shrubs round out the early blooming crowd.