matt goff

I am an aspiring naturalist who seeks to learn all that I can about the more-than-human aspects of this place that is my home.

Dipper

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When I was at Indian River yesterday, I stopped to watch a dipper sing. It sat on a rock in the middle of the river at the top of a short rapid. After it finished singing, it flew upstream a short distance to an alder tree that had fallen into the river. It would dive … Read more

Redoubt Lake

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I went to a talk last night about sockeye salmon studies in Southeast Alaska. One of the few systems with sockeye that has much data on returns over the year is Redoubt Lake a few miles south of Sitka. Here are some interesting facts about the lake (some I learned from the talk and others … Read more

Lichen

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While hiking up Indian River today, I noticed a leafy lichen growing on trees. It appeared to be a species of Lobaria, perhaps L. pulmonaria. There were some differences between what I observed and what I read in the guide books, so I am not sure. One thing that seemed particular interesting to me was … Read more

Birds

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The birds seem to be getting more vocal. When I went outside this morning to investigate budding plants, I noticed more bird singing than I have heard in the mornings recently. In particular I saw and heard two different winter wrens. I did not hear the full song, but they did seem to be calling … Read more

Budding Plants

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I looked out the window of the bathroom this morning and was a little surprised to see that the salmonberry buds appeared to be breaking open. Thinking that those particular bushes were opening early due to being near the clothes dryer vent. Upon checking the bushes on the other side of the house, I saw … Read more

Varied Thrush

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Somewhat similar in form and coloring to their relative the robin, the varied thrushes spend the winter quietly foraging in the forest. My observations so far are that they seem to travel mostly in small groups of 3-6, although on occasion I have seen larger flocks. I most commonly see them flying on or near … Read more