Clear with temperatures in the 40s. Breezy (in the afternoon, at least).
The Gavan Hill ibuttons were due for servicing, so I walked up there late this afternoon.
When I headed out, I noticed the breeze felt chilly. Once I was on the trail the breeze was no longer so apparent.
Many of the shore pines in the muskeg near the start of the Baranof Street connector did not look very happy. Several have died not far off the trail, in the direction of the cemetery but that’s been going on previously.
Many of the shore pinees in this muskeg had needles turning orange due to a needle blight
What stuck out to me today was how many of the trees had many (or all) of their needles turning orange. It was not just the ones near the trail, but also others further back in the muskeg. I wonder if there is a disease affecting them.
I stopped to check out liverworts on a couple of cedar trees near the low point between Pherson Street connector and the Cross Trail intersection.
I noticed a thallose liverwort that at first made me think Pellia. I’ve never seen that growing up on a cedar tree, so I took a closer look. The lobes were too narrow, and looked different in other ways as well. I now suspect it’s Aneura pinguis, but I’m not sure.
I took pictures of Metzgeria conjugata even though it looked a bit battered. I assumed it was due to recent freezing and the winter season. Upon reviewing my photos, I noticed black bits associated with the bleached out parts. Now I think what I had attributed to seasonal wear and tear is probably due to a fungal infection. I’ll need to go back and make a collection. There are some folks who do bryophilous fungi, so I might even be able to get a name on it, if that’s what it is.
I only noticed the black stuff on the liverwort when I reviewed the photos at home. I think it is a bryophilous fungus
Pale patches lit up by the sun on an alder along the cross trail puzzled me until I got close enough to see they were patches of Scytinotus longinquus that had been infected a mold-like fungus (maybe a Hypomyces) that had covered them in cottony white.
I let the sun on a moss covered outcrop be an excuse to take a break while on my way up the hill. I climbed up and investigated. While there, just a handful of feet off the trail and in plain sight, someone came down the trail and walked by without noticing me at all. To be fair, I was behind the rock from where they were coming, but all it would have taken is a glance to the right as the passed, and I would have been right there.
The ibuttons were still about 100 hours from full, but it was good to take advantage of the dry weather. It made for a more pleasant outing.
I found only small pockets of snow in the woods. This was around the 600ft level
While walking back, it occurred to me that the Baranof Street to Indian River road loop is a nice route for observing important types of habitat in this area. There’s both high and low productivity old growth, a couple sections of second growth, some wind throw, muskeg, and riparian habitats. I think all of our local tree species except cottonwood can be found right along the trail. I may work on a little self-guided tour sort of thing that folks could refer to as they walk the trail.
Along Degroff Street I noticed a chunky looking bird up in a branch. Before I got my binoculars on it, I was trying to make sense of what it might be. Once I had a better look, I realized it was a (the?) Townsend’s Solitaire. I didn’t notice any berry bearing trees nearby (it was on a spruce branch), but it was reported in the same area within the last week or so. I imagine it must be finding something.
As I approached my porch, a chickadee flew up and landed on an old crab pot Connor scavenged (I’m not sure what he intends to do with it). It started picking at a crevice. I couldn’t figure out what it might be going after. I didn’t thin there would be any spiders or insects there. When it pulled out a peanut (or something like that), I realized it had stashed it there previously and was retrieving it.
At first I was puzzled about what it was going after, but I eventually worked out that it had stashed food and was now retreiving it
I saw on Facebook the whales were active not far off between Sea Mart and the breakwater for awhile late this afternoon or early evening.
I spent a chunk of the afternoon updating my print sales spreadsheet. I have now sold 185 prints of 100 different photos. Only seven photos have 5 or more prints sold (in various formats), and those account for nearly 1/3 of total prints sold (and almost half of total revenue). If I include the two additional photos that have 4 sales, it’s over third of total prints and over half of total revenue.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
