Month: February 2011

Return of the Sun

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This entry is part 30 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

The forecast was for cloudy to mostly cloudy skies with a chance of snow. Instead it ended up partly cloudy with the sun only occasionally being partly obscured by a small cloud. After lunch I was thinking the kids and I would go for a walk around the park, but the sun was nicely warming … Read more

Snow Flurries

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This entry is part 29 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

Although temperatures had warmed up enough overnight for precipitation to fall as rain first thing this morning, it did not take long for things to cool off again and the snow to return. The forecast had been for rain and snow mixed with no accumulation of snow, but for much of the day a heavy … Read more

Herring Cove to Bear Mountain Waterfall

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Herring Cove Creek

I’m trying to get out with the kids on at least a short hike once or twice a week. On at least one trip a week I would like to make sure we go up a significant hill. Hopefully starting this way will make it easier to get the kids (and myself) out on more lengthy or strenuous hikes without as much resistance. To this end, for the second Saturday in a row, we hiked up the trail from Herring Cove. While we hiked all the way around Beaver Lake last time, this time we only went up to the Bear Mountain waterfall view point. Like last week, I had done a bunch of squats the day before, however this time my legs did not feel particularly fatigued as we walked up the steeper portion of the hill.

Overnight the temperatures dropped sufficiently for precipitation to be mixed with snow. By the time we were driving out the road, we were seeing mostly snow, though it was still mixed with a bit of rain. As we hiked up the trail, we were seeing pure snow with increasing intensity. Near the waterfall viewpoint a half inch or more had accumulated in openings, with more falling steadily. As this was about 400 feet elevation, I half expected it to be mixed with rain again as we went back down, but by the time we returned, it was snowing at sea level.

The weather forecast described indicated this snow occurred as colder air from the north was pulled to the south over the Gulf of Alaska and then east as it wrapped around a low pressure center. I don’t think it is often the case that Sitka gets snow while Juneau is still seeing rain and temperatures several degrees warmer, but such was the case today.

Throughout the rest of the day, there were periodic snow and hail/graupel showers – sometimes even fairly intense. I also noticed a break or two in the clouds which allowed the sun to brighten things up for a bit.

Over the last two days a couple different people mentioned how frantically it seemed like the juncos and other sparrows were feeding. Marge suggested they might be sensing the coming snow – a behavior she has noticed before. It certainly seems like being able to gorge prior to a food-obscuring snow storm would have some survival advantage for our small winter residents.

The trail was pretty quiet on the way up – though I did hear a Pacific Wren or two. On the way back down, there was a loose flock of 20 or more Varied Thrush (it’s always hard to count these – as they are difficult to see when not moving, and they tend to be dispersed over a fair area).

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Rainy Day Birds

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This entry is part 27 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

Rainfall was continuous today, though the intensity varied from moderate to heavy. All told, over an inch of it was recorded at the airport recording station. No doubt more fell in some of the wetter areas of town. Temperatures dropped slightly, falling into the upper 30s after spending the past several days in the 40s. … Read more

Lengthening Days

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Fading Light

Today was the first day I could go out after class (~5pm) and take a picture in lighting that was closer to day than night. It was definitely getting noticeably dim compared to when I arrived for class a couple hours early, but on the other hand it was not twilight yet, either. With over 4 minutes and 30 seconds of additional daylight each day, my future walks home from class should all be in increasing brightness.

With temperatures in the mid-40s today, it was easy to forget that we could still face some additional winter weather (which it turns out is called for in the long-term forecast). I showed the kids where I often see the first crocus of the year, and while we did not spot any, I asked them to keep an eye out – it can be a little surprising how they seem to be completely absent, then one day there they are, blooming. It’s actually not too unusual for the first crocuses to have bloomed by now (though in such years, they often get beat back by later snow and/or freezing conditions). There have been scattered days with sunny conditions and temperatures in the upper 30s, but apparently nothing extended enough to promote sufficient crocus development where I’ve been looking.

Sprinkles early this afternoon prompted me to carry my umbrella on the walk to class. In the end, I probably did not need it, but it was only inconvenient a couple of times when the Southeast wind gave a little extra push. By the time we were going over the bridge, it was not even raining, which was nice – as it made it easier to take pictures of a couple of sights that struck my eyes today.

There was a kind of strange patch of fog hanging out at the entrance to Camp Coogan (see photo below). At the time I imagined it being a sort of fog glacier filling up the bay, but it occurred to me later that it may have only been right at the entrance. It would be interesting to know how extensive it was, and also why it formed and persisted there. Perhaps it had something to do with the several float houses that are in that area, as I didn’t notice any other patches of fog elsewhere.

Also, for some reason the view from near the top of the bridge toward the SSE was interesting. There’s a line of rocky islets/island extensions that line up there, with a far backdrop of a forested Baranof Island near Samsing Cove (see photo below).

Nothing of note stuck out to me bird-wise today. It was once again fairly quiet as I was leaving the house (the kids had gone on ahead of me to see some concrete getting poured at the new place). While we were at the new place, Rowan was able to find a Brown Creeper – she has managed to find one several times when we’ve been there. It seems like she finds this somewhat reassuring, as one of the things she was concerned about was how hard it would be find Brown Creepers once we moved away from the hill and its forested spots.

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Rainy Day

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This entry is part 25 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

Temperatures warmed up again today and topped out in the mid-40s. The rain never seemed particularly heavy, but it was pretty much non-stop through daylight hours. The kids and I braved it to visit the house for a little bit this afternoon. Much of the snow that fell late last week has now melted off, … Read more