Fauna | Sitka Nature

Blue Lake

Filed under: birds, flora, photojournal — matt goff @ 10:37 pm

Hairy Rockcress (Arabis hirsuta) flowers

Hairy Rockcress (Arabis hirsuta) leaves

Hairy Rockcress (Arabis hirsuta)

Alpine Milk-vetch (Astragalus alpinus)

This female Belted Kingfisher was a bit wary of me as she prepared to deliver a meal to a nestling.

The female Belted Kingfisher flies into her nest to deliver food to a young one.

It appears the Belted Kingfishers excavated two different holes, though I'm uncertain whether they connect inside.

Northern Single-spike Sege (Carex scirpoidea)

Bering Chickweed (Cerastium beeringianum) is fairly common on the gravel bars of the river flowing into Blue Lake.

Purple Monkey-flower (Mimulus lewisii)

Common Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris)

Cluster-cup Rust Puccinia caricina on Stink Currant (Ribes bracteosum) leaf.

Moss Campion (Silene acaulis) in bloom.

Previous in series Next in series

Comments (0)

Moss and Mergansers

Filed under: birds, flora, photojournal — matt goff @ 10:03 pm

I counted at least 15 young Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser) with a single adult female.

Young Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser) with adult female.

Orthotrichum lyellii

Ulota megalospora

Previous in series Next in series

Comments (0)

Blue Lake

Filed under: birds, flora, photojournal — matt goff @ 11:16 pm

Baneberry (Actaea rubra)

Orange-peel Fungus (Aleuria aurantica)

Sitka Black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) antler Shed.

Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) sign tree.

The water was quite low in Blue Lake over the winter, but it's been slowly filling up. By late fall, it should be full.

Blue Lake Shoreline

Many stumps were exposed on the flats at the upper end of the lake by the low water.

Upper Blue Lake shoreline

High water would be near where I was standing when taking this picture.

Looking down Blue Lake.

These small brown mushrooms were fairly abundant in the exposed mud.

Lakeshore Sedge (Carex lenticularis) was incredibly abundant on the upper part of the explosed flats.

Common Horsetails (Equisetum arvense)

The texture and/or layering on this rock caught my eye.

Close up of the rock.

It's amazing to me that some of the stumps still cling to the steep rock, despite the loss of all the soil.

This fly did a pretty good job imitating a bumblebee in appearance and sound.

Though I was familiar with Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) from the lower-48, this is the first time I've seen it in Sitka.

Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) are reasonably common around Blue Lake.

Waterfall along the Bear Mountain side of Blue Lake.

I'm pretty sure these holes are from a Hairy Woodpecker.

I'm pretty sure this hole is from a Hairy Woodpecker.

Previous in series Next in series

Comments (0)

Indian River Valley

Filed under: birds, flora, photojournal — matt goff @ 9:54 pm

Blooming Three-leaf Goldthread (Coptis trifolia)

I think this is a fairly common forest fly, but it's possible (likely?) there is more than one species.

Thrush eggshell on forest floor.

Chamisso's Cottongrass (Eriophorum chamissonis) in bloom.

This seems to be a species in the genus Polyporus. It was growing on elderberry, but similar ones were growing on alder nearby.

Sitka Mistmaiden (Romanzoffia sitchensis) in bloom.

Scapania sp

Bog Beacon (Mitrula elegans)

Alaska Violet (Viola langsdorffii)

Previous in series Next in series

Comments (0)

June 25, 2008

Blue Lake

June 18, 2008

Moss and Mergansers

June 3, 2008

Blue Lake

May 31, 2008

Indian River Valley

Blogroll

Websites