Busy and Gray

After yesterday’s break in the weather, gray skies returned. I did not have time for any observations before calls for work started. By the time I was done with them, I was pushing for daylight to get my three observations for the day. I needed to go to UAS to do a tech check for … Read more

Estuary Life Trail

The day started gray overcast with the promise of winds and rain.  Wanting to get some obersvations in before the day fell apart, my big year collaborator and I took a drive out to Starrigavan to walk the Estuary Life trail.  The tide was out, and the swans were scattered on both the estuary side … Read more

Dim Day

Today was one of those where cars had their headlights on at midday. With rain and wind, it was an inspiring day to stay inside, but I wanted to get at least three observations in, plus I had a couple of errands to run, so I headed out with Connor and Rowan after lunch. At … Read more

Wet Weather Returns

The weather was just the sort that inspires one to hang out in a warm dry house.  Overnight temperatures only slightly above freezing combined with the frozen ground a bit of precipitation left streets and sidewalks coated in a treacherous glaze of ice. School was canceled, and the RIDE (public bus transportation) stopped running for … Read more

Cooperative Creeper

After getting the report of a Virginia Rail at Swan Lake, I decided to take Connor and Rowan down there to look around.  We had the lake mostly to ourselvesas we walked to the upper end to check out the marshy area where the bird had been released (apparently unharmed) after being captured by a … Read more

Virginia Rail

The following report came in to the Sitka Birds email List from Serena Wild today: “Thought you all might be interested to know that there is a Virginia Rail at Swan Lake. I live up at the very end of the lake and on Sunday my cat (a feral cat turned house cat, who hunts … Read more