Sitka Nature

It was a pleasant partly cloudy morning, with increasing clouds into the afternoon. I took a late morning walk to Totem Park, but did not see anything out of the ordinary. By this afternoon there was a light rain.

Weather: Skies were partly cloudy when I went to class this morning. The sun was shining at 10am with skies still partly cloudy. As the morning went on into early afternoon, clouds increased. By late afternoon a light rain had started. I think it rained for an hour or so, but not hard. It felt like temperatures were in the mid to upper 40s. Morning winds were out of the west.

Birds: I think the Winter Wren was singing this morning, but I was too tired to wake up enough to hear it consistently. I observed a crow acting differently after my classes this morning.

Still not many birds at the park. A student reported seeing the Killdeer this morning at the park (a couple of them got up early to go fishing for Dolly Varden), but I did not see it. Birds I did see included a pair each of Common and Barrow’s Goldeney, a probably female Red-breasted Merganser, 5 Common Mergansers (4 female, 1 male), a few gulls (approx. 25-50), Winter Wrens (saw one, heard more). I heard a couple of Kingfishers rattling up the river. I heard a woodpecker making the squeaky toy call, so it was probably a Downy or Hairy’s woodpecker. Overall it seemed fairly quiet.

There were a pair of Ravens making interesting sounds when I came home from work. I was able to get a recording, but shortly after I started, one of them apparently left (I did not see it fly off, but only one Raven was calling). The Raven I was able to see seemed to be pecking at the branch it was perched on. It is possible it has holding something that it was working over with its beak. I could not tell for sure as it was too high up in the trees.

Flora: The plants are moving along. Leaves are growing out on Red Elderberries (multiple places) and the Trailing Currants (near the point at the mouth of Indian River). I also noticed a plant that I think is Sea Watch (Angelica lucida). In the forest I saw what I suspect are Purple Sweet-cicely plants growing, but I’m not sure. I did not notice any sign the stream violets yet.

Other Notes: I saw a seal (maybe two) near the mouth of Indian River.

This morning between classes I observed the crow seen here. I did not notice it until I had already walked underneath it (how’s that for awareness?) at which point it made a gurgling sound that caught my ear. It was a sound that reminded me of a cross between a laugh and gurgling water. It only made the sound a couple of times and I did not get a good look at it while it was making the call, so I am not sure what it was doing. During the time I watched it, it cawed a few times and also made an interesting clicking sound (presumably with its beak). It would point its head downward with the beak near its breast and make the clicks (it was doing this when I took the picture). It did this a few times while I was observing. This bird also kept one of its feet raised. I did not notice it right away, so I am unsure whether it had its foot up the whole time or not.