A Wild Life

Last night, Dad, Connor and me had a fire.
I watched the fire while Connor went and got hotdogs and hotdog buns at the store. When Connor came back, he set the bag with the Hotdogs and buns on the bench that I was sitting on and sat down on a bucket, then after a few minutes he came over and sat by me because it was closer to the fire.
Before he’d gotten back the fire was just embers and I asked Dad, who was up on the top deck, if I should add some more wood, he said yes and I put some more on. It didn’t light on fire right away but it smoked a lot, once I looked away briefly and when I looked back the wood was on fire and it stopped smoking as much.
Not too long before dad came to sit and eat by the fire, I went and got the ketchup.
While we where cooking our hotdogs Dad and Connor had a conversation about why Connor chard his hotdogs, while he was currently sticking his already blackened Hotdog back in the fire.
After I was done eating my hotdog, I went in to see if we had any marshmallows. We had three. But Connor didn’t eat any, so dad ate two.
Sometime after I was done eating, there was a Hawkmoth that came by and drank from the fireweed that we had around, and I tried to catch it. I almost did a few times and I my hands got close enough that I could feel its wings before it flew off.
Why did the fire smoke so much before it finally lit of fire?
Why did Connor Char his hotdog?
Where did the Hawkmoth go after it left our yard?

Yesterday dad,Rowan and I went up verstovia.

It was a warm sunny day, we got to the trail head about 10:45 we got out of the car and started up the trail. I started up the trail in front of dad and Rowan. Dad said I could go and wait for them at the first view point. I went on ahead of them, and waited for them at the first view point.

When I got to the first view point I was dripping sweat, so I took my camera and stuff off, and took off my long sleeve shirt as that I only had a short sleeve short on. by the I had gotten off my long sleeve shirt, and had stored it in my pack, and all my stuff back on dad and Rowan were getting to the first view point. They took a short break then we continued on up the trail.

Between the first and second view point I stayed closer to dad and Rowan. I would hike in front of them for a little ways then I would stop, and wait until I could see them again, then I would get up, and start hiking again. It took me about the same amount of time to get to the second view point as it did for me to get to the first view point.

I got to the second view point and sat down on a bench, dad and Rowan got there shortly after that. We sat there and rested, then talked to a couple of people for a little while, and started up the trail a bit later.

It took us about an hour and forty five minutes to get to picnic rock from the trail head, and an hour and a half of that was spent hiking. So I thought we made it up there in good time. We sat down and ate lunch on picnic rock. Just after I was done eating lunch a few more people came up, I listened to dad talk for a while then I got up and looked around a little bit. While I was looking around I saw a flycatcher in the top of a tree a little ways away. I took some photos and told dad about it. We watched it for more then hour, and tried to get good photos of it. After we had been up there for about three hours we headed down. It took us about an hour and a half to get back to the trail head.

Once we got home I looked at my photos of the flycatcher and decided that it was most likely a western wood-pewee.                                                          Western wood-pewee

Yesterday it was sunny and Dad, Connor and I went for a hike all the way up to picnic rock on verstovia.
We took a short break at the first view point before continuing up.
Connor and I passed two people (a man and a woman) just before we made it to the second view point which actually had a bench that we could sit on.
The two people we passed came up not long after dad did, and they talked with dad and I just listened. They were from Sweden and they talked with us for a bit before we continued up.
We passed some other people that were headed down.
When we got to the top, it was sunny and there was only a small breeze. We ate lunch, and while we were eating some one else came up and she started eating her lunch.
After a little while, she and dad started talking. Eventually the two people we talked to at the second view point made it up as well.
After that more people came up and there was this bird that Connor and dad chased after while I stayed were I was.
Two people that were in a group started heading up to the top of verstovia while the other one in the group stayed.
Sometime after they started heading for the top, another guy came up and ate something then headed for the top as well. When one of the two was close to the top the one guy passed him. We saw him at the top on the rock.
Not long after he made it to the top, Dad, Connor and I started heading down.
We talked to a few people on the way down and one of those times the guy that had made it to the top passed us, like we thought he would.
Once we made it home, I drank some water.
Later in the day, I saw that I had a sunburn on my arms and my face.
Why was there only a little breeze?
Why did people make a trail up the mountain?
How did they make the trail up the mountain?

Today Dad and me went some of the way up verstovia. It was sunny with clouds when we went and I was glad that it did not rain.
On our way up I talked to dad about some of the books that I read.
At one point, which I think is about half way to the first view point, there is a place that got washed out or something. It was very muddy and I was glad that I didn’t slip, though I have before.
When we made it to the first view point, we stopped and took a break and dad was deciding weather or not we were going to go up farther and I drank some of my water.
He decided that we would go up to the thousand foot marker and then turn around and head back.
On our way up to the marker and some of the way down, I talked to dad about some of my story.
We stopped and took a short break at the marker and dad took a photo of me by it.
On the way back down, we passed a guy with two dogs and there was a guy behind us that was coming down as well.
How did the trail get washed out?
Why did they put the marker there?
When will they fix the trail?

This morning I got up and went out for a walk to the airport.

It was blowing rain for some of the time, so I got quite wet. I walked over the bridge and down to the channel. I looked at the gulls that were in the channel, then walked up to the airport.

As I walked up to the road that went along the runway I heard and saw a lot of shore birds. I saw sandpipers, pectoral sandpipers, dowitchers and a lesser yellow leg. I got a few photos of the yellow leg, but the others were flying by and not landing. I saw a few eagles and robins out there as well. I watched a plane take off. Then I headed home. On my way home I walked around alice island loop and saw some more sandpipers fly by then I walked down to the channel and looked through the gulls again then walked home.

Today when I went down to the park, it was windy and rainy and later it got even more rainy.
When I was on the trail by sage beach, there was someone taking a photo of a raven in a tree.
When I was in the park, it was wet and the trees were dripping water onto the ground and onto me.
When I was at the battle site bench, I didn’t stick around for long because it was really wet and sort of windy, but I saw some sea gulls out on the beach.
When I was on the trail by the river, I saw a group of female mergansers out in the water.
I also saw some fish moving around in the water.
When I was nearing the foot bridge, I saw that the trail camera was gone.
When I was on my way back home, I saw a juvenile robin on top of a bike shed.
When I was near home, my sleeves had gotten so wet that I could wring water out of them.
Who took down the trail camera?
Why was the robin standing out in the rain?
Will they put the trail camera back up?

Today when I went down to the park, it was cloudy and raining but it was also warm.
When I was on the trail by sage beach, I saw Connor fishing out on some rocks and dad was watching him. There were also some other people there and a seiner was out in the water.
When I was getting closer to the park, I saw a seal out in the water not too far away.
When I was nearing the battle site bench, I saw a squirrel in a tree eating a pine cone.
When I was at the battle site bench, it wasn’t raining that much and I saw some sea gulls out on the beach by the water.
When I was on the trail by the river, I saw some bear scat that has been there for a while.
Not long after I got off the trail by the river and was at one of the trails that go across to the other trail, Dad saw me and called me over. We talked a little bit and he took a photo of a slime mold and after that I walked with him for a little bit before heading back the way I came.
Is that squirrel I saw the same one I’ve seen before in the same area?
Will a bear come by the park again?
Why was it still warm even though it was raining?

Today when I went down to the park, it was cloudy and there was a light rain.
When I was nearing the breakwater, I saw a female mallard fly from over by the science center.
When I was out on the breakwater, I did not see much, but there were some boats out on the water.
When I was at an opening that was near the battle site bench, I saw a squirrel running over some rocks and into the bushes and I saw some ravens out on the beach.
When I was at the battle site bench, it was low tide and I saw an eagle and raven out on the beach.
When I was on the side trail near the trail by the river, I saw some ducks out in the water.
When I was on the trail by the river, I saw a belted kingfisher on a stump by the river. I also saw an eagle on a stump closer to the forest.
When I was nearing the foot bridge, I saw a couple of squirrels. I also saw that the trail camera was still were it had been before.
Did they ever take the trail camera down while I was gone?
Why was the squirrel running around on the rocks?
How long has that trail camera been there?

This morning I walked over to the airport to see what was over there.

It was cloudy out and a little windy but it was not bad.

I walked around out at the airport and listened to the birds in the trees. I walked back into the forest and looked around then I walked across the road and looked around in the forest on the other side I saw a lot of robins over there and a few orange crowned warblers some fox sparrows and a few hermit thrushes. I then walked down the road and back across the bridge. I walked up to the lake and looked around up there I saw a few mallards and that was all I saw a few older ducklings and a few younger ducklings that looked that had hatched out not that long ago. I then walked home.

Yesterday dad, Rowan and I went up indian river.

It was sunny but there was a bit of a breeze so it was not to warm up there.

We walked up to the second bridge then we got off the trail and went up into a muskeg. We walked around in the muskeg for a little while tried catching some dragon flies and moths. We looked at plants and other things in the muskeg. Then we went to the river I walked across the river on a log and dad and Rowan waded across. We got back on the trail and walked on it for a while then we got off and went into another muskeg. We wondered around in it for a little while then dad told me that him and Rowan would take a short cut and I could go back up the muskeg and get on the trail that way if I wanted to. I said alright and headed back up the muskeg and go on the trail. I walked down the trail. I was not walking all that fast in the beginning because I was not sure where they would come out at. Once I got down the trail a ways further I saw a wet shoe print that looked like Rowan’s shoe print so I picked the pace up and as I walked I saw a shoe print that looked like dads too so I keep walking.  I eventually caught up with them and we walked back to the car together.