Gloomy dark day. Rain washing away the snow. Went down to the river just before high tide, found the tide indeed high. In fact high tide has been higher and low tide not as low since Sandy. Today, with snow melt and rain, the waves were cresting just about a foot below the seawall. A few seagulls swooped, staying under the fog which was smudging out the far shore. Two ducks slept on pilings, though I didn't notice them until a guy walked his dog nearby and the ducks jumped up and flew away. Two more had been making their way over to the pilings from the north, rising and falling on the waves and undeterred by dogs. As they got close I realized they had odd markings, so of course I slippy-slided over the icy path to go see them. Turns out they were red-breasted mergansers, which I've seen in Central Park on the reservoir, but never in the river. Beautiful and unexpected. Made my gray morning.