On a Lifelong Journey to Learn my Place
Last summer I noticed these white growths while doing some plant surveying work along Blue Lake Creek. At first glance I thought maybe they were rootlets coming from the trunk of the tree (either Red Alder or Sitka Willow, I can’t remember which). Closer examination revealed that they were actually growing directly from the moss. … Read more
This gull is another mixed bag of characters. Once again, I had difficulty getting photos of this bird with other individuals of more obvious identity. Unfortunately, I was also unable to get a straight profile shot. That said, my impression was that the size of this bird seemed consistent with what I consider normal for … Read more
Mid-February seems to bring the arrival of mystery gull season. I’m not sure if it’s just an impression, or actually true in practice, but it seems like around this time more large gulls show up around town where they are easy to observe. For them, it’s the lean time of year, and the food available … Read more
I took this picture last February at Swan Lake. Currently, my best guess is that this is a hybrid gull, possibly Glaucous-winged x American Herring Gull, or a somewhat odd (to my eyes) Thayer’s Gull. I eliminate pure Glaucous-winged Gull because of the very dark on the primaries. I eliminate pure Herring Gull due to … Read more
This afternoon I was able to observe the mystery warbler again several times, and was also able to get some better photos. In addition, I discovered there was a second warbler, this one far more yellow than the first. Though the warblers did not remain together in an exceptionally close association, they did seem to … Read more
I have had a few responses to the Loon Identification post I made a couple of days ago. One of them pointed out that there is a discussion of Loons in the Peterson Field Guide to Advanced Birding by Kenn Kaufman. I have had the book for some time, but did not think to look … Read more