It has been a while since I went for a wander, so I decided to take advantage of a nice afternoon and go look for some raven tracks in the snow on the Sheldon Jackson campus (Connor told me he had seen some) and then along the waterfront in case I might find the Dusky Thrush.
As the the photos attest, I did find some raven tracks in the snow that had fallen overnight, but no luck on the thrush.
Walking along Etolin Street I stopped short upon hearing a Hermit Thrush singing. Listening more carefully, a follow up song revealed to my ears that I had actually heard a starling doing a pretty good imitation. I wanted to record it, but was unsurprised to find the batteries on the small recorder I carry had died. It’s been several month since I pulled it out to record. Previously I have heard starlings imitating Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and bottle-rocket sounds (like they shoot at the airport), but this was the first time I heard a Hermit Thrush. Shortly before on Park Street I also heard a staring imitating a junco for the first time.
I walked home and was struck by the contrast of Baranof School playground with alpenglow on the snow-covered Sisters as a backdrop. I don’t find the playground and surround area very aesthetically compelling as a foreground, but the Sister’s looked nice.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
