Sitka Nature

While sitting near Indian River yesterday, a kingfisher came along. Most of the time I have seen kingfishers they have been perched on a piling or branch above the water and from there they dive into the water to catch fish. The one I saw yesterday did this, but also, as it was flying along it would suddenly plow into the water. I assume that it did so on purpose to try to catch a fish, but it looked a lot like it was an accidental crash.

I noticed today that elderberry flowers have a fairly strong odor. To me it seems sour, not like a lemon, but I cannot think of what else it might be similar to.

Last night it started raining for the first time in at least a couple of weeks. Perhaps the change in weather combined with recent events that have occupied my days have given things a new look because today it seemed like many things had suddenly shown significant growth. Many of the plants I have been noticing slowly grow over the last weeks now look much larger. I took a short walk down at the beach this afternoon and saw beach greens all over the place looking full grown. Last time I was there I had not noticed any at all. The currants were blooming, there was vetch starting to bloom, and the villous cinquefoils were blooming as well. I am still waiting for the lilies to bloom, however.

A bear was killed along a popular hiking trail near town yesterday. According to the paper, it was a healthy three year old male. It had taken and killed a dog and then false charged the owner when he went back to look for his missing dog. He called the police and they, along with fish and wildlife officers tracked the bear down and shot it. Such situations lead me to stop and consider my attitude towards the local bear population.

As a general rule, I do not carry a gun while hiking. I know that bears are around and I have seen them while hiking. Occasionally (it seems like it is about once every year or two around here) there is significant trouble with a bear and a hiker or hunter. I tend to think that most of the time bears want nothing to do with me and they will go out of their way to avoid me. In fact, in my two closest bear encounters, they did just that. In each case, it seemed likely that they were surprised and I did not seem them until they were running away. (My photojournal has more details about the second encounter.) Certainly there is a risk due to bears, but when I think about how many people go out and spend time in bear country around Sitka and how rarely a violent encounter occurs, it seems reasonable to think that the chance of running into trouble with bears is small. Of course, it is also sensible to take reasonable precautions to avoid close encounters in the first place.