(In the) lake life
Sunday, 21 May 2023
Looks like it might be a dead lake, but there’s a fine fishy…in the algae (pronounce fishy and algae to rhyme, plz). S/he’s toward the back, a horizontal grey shape with a dark shadow.
Musings
In which they venture north
Friday, 7 April 2023
First stop. No lie: this is John Sam Lake.
Snow geese migrating…although here they‘re hanging or wheeling.
Show daffodils.
Oyster nursery on Samish Bay.
A deer (!!) in Fairhaven.
A park on the shore at Bellingham. The ducks are buffleheads…or are they Barrow‘s goldeneye?
Fast, flower, slow
Sunday, 2 April 2023
My finger was descending to catch this rabbit in the grass, nice profile, when s/he realized there was a big dog across the road. Ah, well, this way, you get a better view of the cottony tail.
A bit of internet investigation…and I have learned that this is Ribes sanguineum, or red-flowering currant, and native to this area, although this specimen may be a nursery cultivar.
Watching rain come across Puget Sound. It’s slow moving. I’m typing this almost an hour later, and it still has about half the sound to cross to reach us.
Natural history
Thursday, 2 February 2023
Murky, rainy day…so this photo is from one year ago, on a much sunnier day…although you can’t quite tell that. Trust me.
I just read a NYTimes article reporting that bears rub up against trees so that the tree-bark resin/sap gets in their fur and acts as a tick repellant. These bears are I’m not sure where, but it seems rather northern, like Poland, and the trees include beech trees.
I hypothesize this model doesn’t work for southern bears, as leaning against southern trees (e.g., pines) is a good way to get chiggers. Now chiggers are not ticks, but, personally, I’ll take neither…critter infestations of the skin are…ick, yuck, and no thanks.
Article: “Bears May Rub Against Trees for Protection From Parasites” by Rebecca Dzombak, dated 1 Feb 2023.
Dinosaur removed
Tuesday, 8 November 2022
Somehow, an anole got into our bathroom. I managed to herd (I use that word loosely; anoles not only run, but hop and jump) the anole into this bucket. Then, I took the bucket to the balcony and let it go.
I decided not to think about how it got into the bathroom. Total mystery.
I’m also trying not to think too much about the early returns on today’s vote. Also rather a mystery.
Potluck
Tuesday, 27 September 2022
I looked out the window just after I arose this morning and saw we had browsing visitors…I usually don’t spot them this close to the house. [I admit; I got up later than normal. But….]
Later, at a potluck dinner with attendees representing five households, I heard unanimous agreement that all were spotting deer grazing closer to the house the last several days. Not sure if the raininess is a factor in this; mostly I think it’s the looming arrival of winter snow. [Meat and veggie enchiladas made with whole wheat tortillas, plus kale salad. All yum yum yum. We contributed appetizer, not shown.]
Many sandhills
Thursday, 1 September 2022
Among the deer assembled to graze, a flock of Canada geese, and these three sandhills. The one on the right is a wee bit smaller than the others, I’m thinking a juvenile. Moments later I heard calls from the field behind me, probably a pair I saw several nights back. That makes even more sandhills nearby than I had hoped!
Guessing game
Saturday, 30 July 2022
I’m going with juvenile magnificent frigatebird. Love the delicate blue of the bill.
Another in my Remembering Galápagos series.
Regulating w/o thermal
Thursday, 28 July 2022
When I’m not focused on something, my mind drifts back to the Galápagos, including marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)…
…and Galápagos land iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus).
Both do lots of thermoregulating and basking.
My body is finally starting to get used to being here. The relatively brief overnight flight Sun/Mon is what messed me up, I’m pretty sure. Last night I was asleep shortly after 8:30pm, and I slept over nine hours.
And tonight—hey, I’m still awake. 😎
Flights
Tuesday, 19 July 2022
Pre-dawn. The colors are ripening.
Left for a wee panga tour of Caleta Tortuga Negra, called Black Turtle Cove in our literature, on the north side of Santa Crúz island. We left at 6am, or dawn. First up: cattle egrets, still in overnight positions at 6:07am.
Less than thirty seconds later: the exodus begins. They fly way inland to feed all day.
About two minutes later; heading deeper in the cove. Sky color still eye-catching.
I could see the napping shark here with my eyes, but my otherwise talented camera could not. This cove is a shark nursery. We saw several young reef sharks and more adults in this cove.
Ducking to get deeper in the cove.
Sea turtle? Can’t remember.
We returned to the larger, outer cove in time to see a feeding frenzy. What you can’t see is that a shark (or perhaps two) came at a school of larger fish, which turned tail and scooted the only safe direction: up. And the birds could see this happening, and hunted the school from above. Carnivores.
Great egrets. Sleeping in compared to the cattle egrets. This was twenty-seven minutes after the cattle egret shots.
Heron, pretty sure, but don’t remember which one.
Rounding the Grace’s stern just before 7am, ending our last wildlife adventure.
We breakfasted while the captain moved Grace into position for us to disembark for the last time. Our breakfast assortment included tamale with a fat sliver of yummy cheese. The maize flour has far more flavor than boring MaSeCa.
The dock we’re headed to is behind that fancy sailing ship.
It’s our final panga ride, of course wearing our life-jackets, with one of these dangling on either side. Despite temptation, I never pulled one. 😎
Waiting for our plane to arrive; it was a little late. We left through Gate 3. While waiting a pair of finches were flying hither and yon beneath this high ceiling and far below that giant fan. One briefly landed on my hat as I sat quietly pondering our terrific trip. Of all things.
Our final steps on Galápagos were on Baltra Island, headed for our ride. Seats 5A and 5B.
Our bland, large, corporate hotel room near the Quito airport NNE of Quito in the next valley. We are clearly no longer on the Grace.