Overcast this morning with rain starting around midday.
I didn’t make it out until after lunch. By then the rain had started.
At first it was a light drizzle, but it increased in intensity while I was out.
I looked around a few places for birds and didn’t see anything unusual.
Someone mentioned on the Sitka Birds Facebook group that a Red-tailed Hawk has been around for a month. It apparently has frequented the trees on the island side of the bridge where eagles often perch. The big cottonwood was empty when I drove by.
I stopped at Castle Hill to make some observations before heading home.
A white lichen on a mountain ash tree caught my eye. When I put my camera up to take a picture, I noticed a springtail. It was nicely cooperative, so I got photos of it as well.
I noticed an exposed root crown of what clearly was a carrot family plant with leaves starting to develop. I suspected cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum), and a scratch and sniff approach confirmed for me.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
