Starrigavan at Flood Tide

Connor, Rowan, and I took a brief trip out to Starrigavan today to see the high tide. With a predicted high of 12.2 and observed levels this morning that were pushing over half a foot above predicted, I thought there was a good chance we would find the water higher than it had been through … Read more

Raven Radio Show #71 – Kitty LaBounty

Download Radio Show The 18 January show featured a conversation with Kitty LaBounty. We talked about results of the recent Christmas Bird Count and upcoming seminars in the Natural History Seminar series she coordinates. If you have questions or observations you want to share, please feel free to leave a comment here or on the … Read more

Biofilm(?) on Cut end of Log

When trees fall across maintained trails, it doesn’t usually take long for someone to come along and cut through them to clear the trail. I think I started noticing the stuff accumulating at the downhill ends of these maybe 20 years ago. (I hadn’t thought about it in a long time, but I think my … Read more

Gulls and a Sea Star

On a trip to Magic Island last February, I noticed a young gull working on a small sunstar (Pycnopodia helianthoides). It didn’t seem too excited about it, but picked at the legs, and then didn’t seem too excited about eating them. At one point an adult gull came over and checked out what was going … Read more

Indian River Song Sparrow

Song Sparrows are not an uncommon bird around Sitka. Although they are present throughout the year, it’s not clear how many (if any) individuals are actually present year-round. It seems like pretty much any area along the road system with a sufficient amount of brushy vegetation will host at least one Song Sparrow. They are … Read more

Not so Frosty Winter

Large Frost Crystal along Green Lake Road, February 2014 Last winter was pretty mild until February, at which point temperatures dropped a bit and we had some pretty chilly weather. As it’s still only the middle of January, it’s hard to be certain this winter will remain warm, but looking at the prediction maps on … Read more