Ring around the Rock Pool

Sometimes the black line of black band lichen (Verrucaria maura) is described as a bathtub ring when rocky shores are viewed from a distance. A trip to John Brown’s Beach this past spring was the first time I had noticed such a narrow distinct band around the edge of a pool in the rocks. The … Read more

Sitka Singers: Sparrows

My second post in the series about singing birds around Sitka is on the sparrows. (previously I wrote about Thrushes). There are only four commonly breeding sparrows known from the Sitka area. There are some additional species that migrate through and may be heard singing during a brief window of time in spring, but I’ll … Read more