On a Lifelong Journey to Learn my Place
The kids and I went for an afternoon outing up Herring Cove Trail as far as Bear Mountain Waterfall. This picture was of the first small falls near the start of the the trail – I don’t often see it in full sunlight.
I was up before 6 this morning and took a walk down to O’Connell Bridge. It was enjoyable to take some long-exposure photographs in the predawn light.
During the school year I usually walk to UAS twice a week in the afternoon. It’s interesting to observe the changes, especially as the season turns to spring. The Channel boat harbors have boats in town for the Herring Sac Roe fishery tied up two and three deep to the transient floats. Long-line season starts a week or two prior, and the gulls are feasting on the effluent from the fish processing plants. Bald Eagles line the shoreline keeping an eye out for opportunities to eat, but it seems they are especially watching for the first herring spawning when the fish will be abundant close to the surface and relatively easy to feast on.
Spent the morning on the Food Web Cruise fund raiser for Sitka WhaleFest. They asked me to be aboard as the bird expert. It’s typically an enjoyable ride on an Alen Marine Sightseeing Vessel. We saw several whales, sea otters, Steller Sea Lions, and of course many birds.
Later this evening I went for a walk to scan gull flocks along the channel. Didn’t find anything unusual.
Today was the first opening of the 2011 Sitka Sound Herring Sac Roe Fishery. It was held in the afternoon near Middle Island. I don’t think it was close enough to see from the road, but it did not matter too much for me since I needed to teach class during that time. Total precipitation … Read more
