I was interested to note that back in 2007 on this date I noted that it seemed as though the amount of daylight had suddenly jumped to noticeably longer days. I had a similar feeling today. When I was getting ready to head to class, the sun was already well up, and this evening it remained up for quite a while after I was finished with class. I think it has a lot to do with exceptionally clear skies we had today so it’s bright and clear for the entire time the sun is up.
I this morning after class I went for a walk with a friend doing a 1000 species project this year. I think he is probably going to have more success than I did, because of better tools (he’s using inaturalist to help track), and because he’s much better with marine organisms than I am. Today I helped him get a few of the easier bryophytes and lichens.
After that I met with a visiting birder in town from Ketchikan for the Board of Fish meeting. He introduced me to another birder who has just recently moved to Sitka, and we walked around to do a little birding. It was pretty quiet, but a nice day to be out.
I didn’t get to my sit spot until the sun had set. Venus was out, and as I watched and listened for 10 minutes, I noticed additional stars (and Mars) fading into view. It’s kind of a strange thing to watch the stars come out, as I have the impression of realizing they are there, but without awareness of them becoming visible (even though just a few moments before, I couldn’t see them). While I was sitting, I heard a robin make an agitated sounding noise. It was coming from the spruce tree on the corner of Park and Biorka. I imagine it was one of several in the tree for the night, but I’m not sure what got it riled up enough to call out.