Totem Park Sunset

This entry is part 39 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

I spent most of today trying to sleep off a cold, but finally decided I should get out for at least a little while late this afternoon. So I used a trip to the post office as an excuse and walked there via Totem Park.

It was cloudy for much of the day, but as the sun dropped toward the horizon, it broke through. There was a pretty good east wind blowing – but I mostly noticed it out toward the southeast end of the flats – other parts of the walk were more protected.

The usual birds were out and about along the shore – including a Common Murre or two in Crescent Bay. The Bald Eagles were apparently feeling predatory or something – they don’t always spook the Mallards off the beach, but a couple of times today I noticed them responding to the flight of Bald Eagles. Also of note were 10 Canada Geese feeding along the flats in front of the Visitor Center.

On the way back from the post office I was able to catch a pretty nice sunset.

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Clear Skies Continue

This entry is part 37 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

Temperatures got down in the teens overnight. I spent some time over at the house this morning, but didn’t pay too much attention to what was going on – I did notice that winds were calm however.

On the way over to UAS I saw several American Robins. I’m not sure if it’s just the weather, or if more have shown up recently, but it does seem like there are more around than there had been.

After calm conditions through much of the day, it seemed like a breeze picked up a little bit around sunset this evening.

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Northbound Sun

This entry is part 36 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

Another busy day kept me from spending much time outside. Temperatures were pretty chilly today, and there was enough wind to keep the warmth of the sun from helping too much. While at the house this afternoon, the kids told me the Eurasian Collared-Dove dropped by the yard near where they were watching the fire (burning up the scrap wood).

I headed home around sunset, and thought I had a chance to look for a green flash. I was a little surprised at how far north the setting sun has moved since I last watched it set from near Hillcrest. I didn’t have much time, but was able to just catch it going down from Lincoln Street near Sage Rock. I’m not positive I was seeing the horizon, however – as there was just a small gap between other islands and such.

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Clearing and Cooling

This entry is part 31 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

Today ended up being a bit more full than I planned, as it took longer to get stuff ready for my dad’s arrival in town this evening. I was able to walk over to the bridge after class and catch the sunset, which was nice. Temperatures were cooler today, but the forecast is for even colder tonight and tomorrow. Winds were minor on the ground, though I noticed the wind turbine going at a moderate pace, so there was apparently at least some breeze aloft (strangely, I don’t recall noticing it much when I was upon the bridge). I took additional note of the patterns of snow on the trees covering the mountains and hills around town. I plan to write a post about my observations later this week.

On my walk I saw a Red-breasted Merganser in the Channel. Their were lots of them in the bays south of town during the Christmas Bird Count, but for some reason they’ve been mostly absent along the road system this winter. It was also interesting that I noticed the smell of seaweed and whatever else goes into the mix to create the fairly distinct low tide smell. (Interesting because I hadn’t noticed it yesterday when I was trying to pay more attention.) Several gulls seemed to be taking advantage of the low water levels to try and find food along the shoreline. I didn’t have enough time to watch and see if they were finding any success. I imagine at other times of year, they wouldn’t even bother, but from now until the herring run is probably the most difficult time of the year for them food-wise.

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Gallery: 20110116 – Sea Mart Sunset

This entry is part 9 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

There have been some spectacularly colorful sunsets this winter (as is true many winters – now that I think of it), but the one today was much more subdued. Although the location where it drops below the horizon is moving north again, it’s still well in the south. Mt. Edgecumbe is approximately west of town, … Read more