Daily Observations

Moss

It was a busy day with little time to go for a walk or spend time sitting outside.

Weather: It was overcast throughout the day. The ceiling varied, it seemed that most of the day the mountain peaks were visible, but on at least one occasion I noticed that Gavan Hill was shrouded in clouds down to about the 800 foot level. There were periods of sprinkles, but only enough to just dampen the surface of the ground.

Flora: The blueberries in the old garden are starting to send out flowers. None of them are completely open yet, however.

I took a closer look at the mosses near the spruce tree. I am uncertain about all the terminology, but I believe the spikes pointing up are called sporophytes. There were many showing, but I am not sure whether they are all new or if some are left over from last year.

Birds: The winter wren continues to sing behind the maitenance shop. I think it may be worth trying to observe it for awhile. Perhaps it will be nesting in the area.

Melissa called to tell me there were four birds making squeaky toy noises across the street from our house. I was in class and by the time I got the message, the birds had gone. She said she did not know what they were but Connor thought they were Flickers. Based on her description of the call, they were probably woodpeckers of some sort.

There was at least one Fox Sparrow near the spruce tree during the late afternoon.

Other: For the second time this week I saw a mink. This time I had just come out of Yaw and noticed ripples on the flume. I thought maybe a dipper was swimming near the bank, so I paused to watch. A moment later, a mink’s faced poked up from behind some rocks. It looked at me for briefly and as I watched it I tried to bring my camera up to attempt getting a picture. By the time the camera powered up and I could look through it, the mink had disappeared back into the water.

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