Continuing outflow weather, though less strong than over the weekend. Temperatures overnight were in the upper 20s, and rose into the upper 30s today. Gusty winds continued at some locations, though seemingly diminished compared to previous days.
I spent the afternoon out and about.
I went out to Silver Bay first.
Dave (aka Starling Birch) was ice climbing along the road, so I stopped to chat with him for a few minutes. He said the ice quality wasn’t great (like climbing up a snow cone, I think were his words), but he was going for it anyway. Sometimes winter sports enthusiasts take what they can get for frozen water around here.
Next stop was Swan Lake. Several people were out skating or walking.
I ventured out to look for features in the ice. I continue to be fascinated by cracks in the ice. I’m particularly curious about the spiral fractures.
One of ways I like to enjoy this kind of weather is to find a calm spot along the water with nice sun. The wind is not always conducive, but with today’s conditions, I thought the beach south of Harbor Point might be nice.
On my way down, I detoured to check out some deer tracks. I climbed up to the top of a forested bluff and found where it had bedded down since the snow fell.
One end of the beach was nicely out of the wind, and I sat for a bit to soak in the sun.
Curiosity got the better of me and poked around a bit.
A squirrel seemed to be mildly annoyed with me when I was on the ground under a spruce tree. It came down the tree and gave me a look while calling a bit.
Looking at the ground around me, I noticed spruce cone scales and cores. I suspect the squirrel liked to perch on one of the dead branches above while eating, and I was cramping its style.
I had been taking a closer look and photographing vetch plants that were already coming up. I tried to wrap that up and get out of the squirrel’s way without further delay.
While I was at the beach a group of 5+ sea lions arrived and just seemed to be hanging out not far off shore. I heard them breathing when they surfaced. I’ve noticed them in this area when driving by (especially in later winter), so perhaps it’s a spot they like to spend time for some reason.
Heading back up to the road I saw a set of mammal tracks. I would have thought mink (or maybe marten) based on size and what I expect to be around. However the pattern was more of a walk rather than a lope. I didn’t bother with photos, because there was little detail in the tracks. Now I am having regrets (as is so often the case). The tracks seemed too carefully placed for a dog, so I wonder if maybe it was a cat. If I think of it tomorrow, perhaps I’ll go see about photos (hopefully I did not mess them up too much with my own tracks).
One other curiosity about the tracks was how they followed the human trail. Given the likely size, it could easily have taken a more direct route under/through bushes, but it followed the sinuous route of the human trail.
Sunset from the bridge proceeded similar to yesterday’s. Probably due to warmer temperatures (so less difference between water and air), there seemed to be less distortion of Vitskari Island, so I thought that might make a difference for the sunset. I think it did, but the differences were minor.
The omega sun made an appearance.
My camera caught just a touch of green capping lens of light showing as the sun had nearly disappeared.
I forgot to look for Venus during the day, but saw it visible right after the sunset.
Back at home, I noticed an interesting color to the sky. It seemed a bit more indigo/violet than I am used to seeing. I’m not sure if it was just me, or if there was something going on in/with the atmosphere.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
