Mostly cloudy this morning, becoming overcast and rainy this afternoon. Breezier in the afternoon, temperatures in the 40s.
Given the sun I was seeing this morning despite the forecast for rain all day, I decided to get out and about while the weather held.
Herring Gulls have begun to show up. It's possible some are around all winter, but I tend to think of them as some of the earliest spring migrants
The tide was rising, but still just low enough for me to find the barnacles with the potential algae growing on them. I was able to pick up a couple of small rocks with several barnacles of interest.
While there, I poked around a bit more. A couple mosses caught my eye. Both on the trunk of a mountain ash.
I also found Lachnellula resinaria a small fungus that grows on resin (in this case of a spruce tree).
Thicker clouds had moved over during my time at Starrigavan.
Driving back by the ferry terminal, I saw the mountains of Chichigof showing brightly. I think the clouds were still thin up that way. I stopped to take pictures. The atmosphere may have been unsettled in the 30+ miles between me and the mountains, as they never really came into compete focus.
I heard a comment about craving sun on the radio this afternoon. It happened to be not long after I had seen the photo above as I worked through September photos (mostly getting observations into iNaturalist).
I know this time of year many people who live here seem to be missing sun and warmth (and often plan trips accordingly). I don’t remember feeling like that. I imagine it’s partly because I grew up here and am used to it. I still like to get out explore here, and see what’s going on through this time of year. I also wonder if working through my photos from the past year helps me feel connected to the warmer and lighter season during the dim gray days.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
