Chestnut-backed Chickadee in Pine

Today was quite full, with nearly non-stop activities of various types from 8am until almost 10pm. While on a call late this morning, I noticed several chickadees foraging in the large shore pine tree (Pinus contorta) outside my house. Although I didn’t get a picture of it, I was interested to see a chickadee working … Read more

Dropping Snow and Sun

When I checked the forecast this morning, it called for rain showers, mostly before noon. However, when I looked around outside, it seemed pretty nice. On my way to a walk around Totem Park, I noticed the snow levels had dropped to around 3000 feet. It’s the first time I remember noticing snow on the … Read more

Trip to Ataku

I was invited to tag along on a boat trip to Ataku Island, location of a WWII era lookout bunker and home to some cranberries our boat captain had noticed on a trip earlier this year. Located near Biorka Island some miles south of town, I had been down that far in a boat in … Read more

Raven Radio Show #65 – Nancy Huntly

Download Radio Show The 26 October show featured a conversation with Nancy Huntly, a SIRF at the Sitka Sound Science Center. We talked about her work looking at some of long term signs of human ecological occupation and use that can be found in the ecology of plants. If you have questions or observations you … Read more

Sunset from O’Connell Bridge

It was a sunny and reasonably warm day, and though I was tempted to take Rowan out for a hike somewhere, we ended up staying home and taking care of some tasks that have been waiting. A little over a week after I started (and over three years since I purchased it), I finally finished … Read more

Crabapples and Crows

A few days ago I noticed some crows perched in a crabapple (Malus fusca) loaded with fruit. They seemed fairly unconcerned with me, so I was able to watch and photograph as they pulled off the small fruits to eat. The native pacific crabapple fruits are small -about the size of the end of my … Read more