Sitka Nature

(Concerning events from 7 June Hike)

Four Spotted Skimmer

Perhaps it was because of the weather. The muskeg was bathed in the warm sunlight. It was the first full sun this area had seen in over a week. I noticed a black and yellow dragonfly and saw it land not too far from me, so I followed it to see if I could get a picture. I tried to approach slowly, but as I got closer it would fly off, but each time I was able to see where it landed so I tried again. Eventually, I was able to get some pictures, as the dragonfly either got used to me or became tired. While I was chasing the first one, I noticed another one. This one was a brown and black damselfly. With a little persistence, I was able to get photos of it also.

As I continued on, I noticed a few other dragonflies flying around, but when I stopped near a muskeg puddle, I happened to see a dragonfly that had recently emerged. As I looked more closely, I noticed at least 10-15 exuvia (the larval husks) both with teneral s (dragonflies that have emerged from husk, but can’t fly) and without. The tenerals were in various stages, from very recently broken out to looking flight ready. I also saw at least one where the dragonfly had just crawled up the sedge but not yet broken out of its last larval shell. It appeared that all the emerging dragonflies in this puddle were the same species. I think they were Hudsonian Whitefaces, but I am not sure. Ordinarily they would be black and red, but I read that when they are still immature adults they can be yellow and red. I was a little surprised at how different they look after just emerging. Compare the two below.

This dragonfly had been out of the larval husk for a while, but had a long way to go. I saw some that looked even more flimsy and less dragonfly-like than this one.

This dragonfly was getting close to looking like an adult, I do not know how long it would take for it to be ready to fly.

As I continued walking around the muskeg I made an effort to look in the ponds. I did not find any ponds with quite the number of exuvia/tenerals as the first one, but I did see three damselfly (two exuvia, one teneral) on a pondlily leaf in one pond, and a few other exuvia that probably were the same species as those I noticed in the first pond. I also flushed up a robin from near one puddle. It had a beak full of what appeared to be at least a couple of tenerals.

All told, I saw at least three species of odonate, the ones I am tentatively calling Hudsonian Whiteface (lots of them), a few damselflies (as yet unidentified species), and a Four-spotted Skimmer.

My mom leaves tomorrow, so I took advantage of the last day with someone to watch the kids until Melissa gets back and got out on a hike. I went up Mt. Vestovia and ended up making it up to the top of the main peak. I felt fairly good about it, though I did suffer from some sun burn and not quite enough food and water.

Weather: This morning it was partly cloudy, but by afternoon it was pretty much clear. I could see in the distance a bank of fog, though it remained off shore of Sitka Sound (it did appear to be much closer shore a few miles south of town). Temperatures in town were in the 60s. I’m not sure what they were on the mountain, but it felt quite warm.

Birds: I heard a number of birds on the hike, including Townsend’s Warblers, Winter Wrens, and Varied Thrush in the woods on the way up. From where the trail leaves the trees to the Main Peak, there were Dark-eyed Juncos, Wilson’s Warblers, American Robins, Orange-crowned Warblers, Hermit Thrushes, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and crossbills. Eagles were soaring on the updrafts. I watched a pair of juveniles start out a few hundred feet below me and within a minute they were well above me without ever flapping their wings.

I found a robin eggshell below Picnic Rock. I also found a nest that I think was built by a junco right below Picnic Rock. It did not have anything in it, so I am not sure whether it was active or not.

This evening I heard some cheeping and thought it might be a sapsucker nest. I went back to look closer and saw that it was actually a Tree Sparrow nest that had been built in a hole made by a sapsucker in a utility pole across from the Fire Station downtown.

Flora: Not too much of note down low. I was a week or two early for most of the plants up high. One exception was Cooley’s Buttercup which seemed to be nearing the end of its blooming period. Alaska Mountain Heather was blooming, though it was difficult to say whether it was near its peak or not. Among the flowers getting started were Narcissus Anemones (with just a few blooms), paintbrush, lupine, shooting stars, and Alpine Azalea.

I was interested to notice a couple of Trailing Black Currant plants growing between the rocks at the summit of the main peak. This is a species I see mostly just above the beach.