A Wild Life

This morning I went for a walk down to the park. I casually walked along the road then I turn and walked down a dirt road towards the park. On my way down the dirt road I found a piece of Obsidian lying in the middle of the road partly broken apart. I carefully picked it up feeling the sharp and point edge of the pieces as I moved it over to the side of the road so that it would be less likely to pop someones tire. I got to the park and saw that there were some gulls out on the beach. I got down onto the beach and quickly walked out towards the gulls because the tide was coming in fast and I wasn’t waring boots. I got out to the gulls and after deciding there were no rare gulls in the flock I started walking back to the top of the beach. While I was walking along the top of the beach I saw and heard a couple of Black oystercatchers out at the waters edge. I walked out and looked at them for a few moments then I walked back up and got onto the trail. While I was walking down the trail I heard a couple of Hermit thrushes calling. I walked down the trail further and saw a couple of them chasing each other around. I walked on by and headed home.

This morning I got up and walked to the lake. On my way to the lake I heard some Wilson’s warblers among other things singing. Later on I made it to the lake and walked out onto the peninsula. Descending from over by the trees on the other side of the lake a Tree swallow flew low over the water. This I was glad about because that meant I didn’t need to wait to see them. Out on the lake I saw a family of ducklings with their mother swimming across the lake. Down on the lower end of the lake I saw three Ring-necked ducks swimming across the the lake. On the peninsula were some Mallards, a flock of Greater-white fronted geese and a couple of Cackling geese. With that I started back towards the house. Right after I left the lake I smelled some wood smoke. I continued on down the road towards the house but I took a little detour and headed for the park. The tide was up when I got to the park so I walked through the woods. I got out to the end of the park and felt a slight breeze, I walked out onto the beach and down towards the river. Near the river I saw a couple Townsend’s warblers flying around in the low bushes. Going on up the trail I heard some Pacific-sloped flycatchers calling and singing, from there I happily walked home.

Yesterday I went for a walk. I walked to the park but the tide was high so there were only some Long-billed dowitchers and a Spotted sandpiper. While I was in the park I heard a few Wilson’s warblers, Orange-crowned warblers and Hermit thrushes among other things.

I walked to the lake after I was done at the park. I got to the peninsula at the lake and walked out onto the dock and sat down in the warm sunshine. When I first got there I didn’t see any swallows darting around the lake but after a bit I saw a few then I saw the Violet-green swallow fly by. In the time I was there I didn’t see either of the Northern rough-winged or Cliff swallows. After I had been there for a bit I saw the Vaux’s swifts flying around above some trees on the other side of the lake so I excitedly got up and walked over there. When I got there I sat down on the side of the road and waited for the swifts to fly where I could get decent photos of them. After I had sat there for a bit and had gotten quite a few photos of the swifts I saw someone I knew working in their yard so I walked over and talked to them for a bit. After I was done talking to them I walked back and watched for the swifts for a few minutes but didn’t see them so I walked down the road. On my way down the road I smelled some Cottonwoods. I walked to the Turnaround but didn’t see anything there so I walked to Moller field then down to the park.

When I got down to the park the tide had got out quite a bit but my camera was almost dead so I didn’t walk out onto the beach. I walked along the top of the beach then I took my socks and shoes off and waded across the river. When I got to the other side I sat up on some rock and let my feet and legs dry off then I put my socks and shoes back on and headed home.

This morning I headed to the lake. I walked to the lake in the clean morning air. I got to the lake and saw that there were some swallows flying around as well as some waterfowl on the peninsula. I walked out onto the peninsula and watched the swallows flying around. After a few minutes of watching them I saw the Northern rough-winged and Cliff swallow, only one of each this time though. While I was there I heard a Wilson’s warbler singing. After I was at the lake for about a half hour I walked down to the park. I got out to the end of the park and saw a Whimbrel flying away. I walked out onto the beach and saw a group of sandpipers I looked through the group of sandpipers and  Semipalmated plovers and saw that there were a couple of Semipalmated sandpipers in with the Western and Least sandpipers. I let dad know then I waited out there on the very windy, and cold beach watching the sandpipers. While I was there I saw three Hudsonian godwits fly in and land further down the beach. Rowan and dad got down there and saw the Semipalmated sandpipers. I walked down the beach excitedly to see if I could find a Glaucous gull. I did not find any Glaucous gulls so I walked up to the top of the beach and watched the dowitchers picking around in the seaweed at the top of the beach. I saw there and watched them for a bit then they flew and I walked up and watched warblers with Rowan and dad. After I had watched them for a bit I walked home. On my way home I smelled Skunk cabbage.

This morning I got out of bed and went up stairs to do a couple of things and saw that it was quite foggy over at the lake so I decided that I would stay home a bit longer and see if the fog would clear. About 7:15-7:30 after eating breakfast and doing to dishes I tied my shoes, got my stuff on and left the house. I darted across the road and walked down towards the lake.

When I got down to the lake it was quite misty. I saw Tree swallows flying around the lake and among them I saw a Violet-green swallow. I tried to get a couple photos of the swallow then I looked over at the wires and saw that there was what appeared to be a Tree swallow and three Northern rough-winged swallows. Since I had only been seeing two rough-winged swallows at the lake I went down the road be get closer to be sure that they were all rough-winged swallows. I got down to where I was pretty much directly across the road from them and took a few photos of them. I looked at one of my photos and saw that one of them was a Cliff swallow not a Northern rough-winged swallow. I went back to the peninsula and sent dad a text saying that there was a Violet-green and Cliff swallow at the lake with the two rough-winged and several Tree swallows. I then went and tried to get better photos of the Violet-green swallow. I saw out there for a bit before dad showed up. We stood there watching the swallows and trying to get photos of the Cliff and Violet-green. The swallows started landing on the wires more so we walked over there and took photos of them. The two Northern rough-winged swallows, a couple of Cliff swallows and a Violet-green swallow plus the Tree swallows were up on the wire at one time or another. While we were there a person we know showed up and we talked and watched swallows with them for a bit. As it got later the weather got nicer, dad called Rowan and had her come down. While I was down there I heard and saw a Yellow-rumped warbler flitting around in in a Willow bush next to the road. Rowan got there and she got photos of a Cliff swallow on a wire right away but the Violet-green swallow was no where to be seen so we walked over and stood on the peninsula. After a while dad left but we stayed and waited for the Violet-green swallow. After about an hour or an hour and half later the flock of swallows had started to come back after they had left, and in with them I noticed a Vaux’s swift. First it was one then it was two then I saw that there were at least five flying around with the swallows. I let dad know then I continued to wait for the Violet-green swallow. As we waited it got a bit colder, the sun had gone behind the clouds and it was starting to get a bit windy.  After a while of waiting and not seeing the swift or the Violet-green swallow the swallows started to show up again and with them came the Violet-green swallow. We went out onto the dock and Rowan was able to get some photos of it. Since dad had came to see if the Vaux’s swifts were still there we walked over and told him that since she had gotten the Violet-green swallow we were heading home. Then we headed home. Northern rough-winged swallow Vaux’s swift Cliff swallow Violet-green swallow

Yesterday a couple of people were coming into town on a cruise ship and they had made arrangements for dad to take them out birding, but dad ended up having a call so I got to take them birding instead and he just drove us around.

We met them by the Library and then went out to Starrigavan. We got out there and dad let us off by the bird viewing platform then went and parked some place else. We walked out to the birding viewing platform and watched the birds that were out there for a bit. There were probably a couple hundred Green-winged teal, quite a few Northern shovelers, a few Semipalmated sandpiper, some Long-billed dowitchers, a Semipalmated plover, some Dunlins and a few Least sandpipers. After we watched the birds at the viewing platform for a bit we walked around the estuary board walk. We saw a Red-tailed hawk land in a tree and some Cackling geese fly over and heard an American robin, and heard a Lincoln’s sparrow singing. After got around the estuary trail we walked up the Forest and Muskeg trail. We heard more birds up there than we saw. We heard both Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned kinglets, I also got to see a Golden-crowed kinglet bathing. We heard Yellow-rumped and Townsend’s warblers singing, as well as a Hermit thrush. After we had walked the trail we went back and walked out onto beach a ways and looked at the birds out there. There were a lot of shorebirds and ducks out there. We saw Pectoral sandpipers and Black-bellied plovers, we also saw a female Hooded merganser, and I saw a Merlin fly over with a shorebird. After that we went to lunch.

After lunch they wanted to walk around town for the bit before they had to be back out to the ship so we went our separate ways they went into town and I went to the park. By the time I got to the park it a bit warm out. I walked out to the end and saw some Brants and other waterfowl. I walked up by the river and saw that there were some shorebirds up there so I sat there and watched them for a bit then I crossed the river and went over to wait for Rowan on the other side, because we were going to go look and see if the couple of shorebird that she didn’t have yet were still there. Grandpa called while I was waiting so I talked to him for a bit then when Rowan got there I handed the phone to Rowan since it was her birthday then we walked towards Back beach. We got one of the birds we were looking for at Back beach but the other one had flown over to the park, so we walked over to the park and got the other one then walked home.

This morning I walked to the lake to see what was there. It was raining on my way there, but it wasn’t raining very hard.

On my was to the lake I heard a woodpecker but I didn’t see it.

I got to the lake and saw that the swallows were perched on a wire, but before I could get my camera out most of the swallows the Northern rough-winged included started flying around the lake. I walked over and stood just off to the side of the road and stayed there for the majority of the time I was at the lake. I happily watched one of the Northern rough-winged swallows fly around quite close to me then the second one showed up. They flew around for quite a while then I walked over and smelled the Willow that was by me. It smelled like a green plant. I continued to stand there feeling the rain fall on my while I watched the Rough-winged swallows fly around. Eventually one of them landed on a wire and I was able to get some photos of it. I then walked home.

A few weeks ago (April 20th 2019), when I was headed down to the park, I saw Orcas.
I had been considering not going out onto the breakwater, but in the end I decided that I would, and when I was looking around briefly, I saw a large fin come up out in the water.
I realized that it must be an Orca, and there were a few more fins that came up before I managed to get my camera out.
I was jittery and could hardly believe it, part of me doubted that they actually were Orcas, so after they went out of sight near the channel I checked my photos for the white spot near their eye. I did get a couple of photos that showed at least some of the spot.
While I was taking photos, I saw that there were a few boats fallowing the Orcas as they headed towards the channel, though most of them broke off as they got closer.
Afterward, I realized that maybe I could’ve run to the bridge and seen if they went under it, or zoomed out on my camera to get a picture of the surrounding scenery with the Orca fins. Both idea’s to keep in mind for next time I suppose, now that I’ve seen and got pictures of them.
I was definitely glad to have gone out on the breakwater and also brought along my camera that day. I would have been a little annoyed to find out that they had been there and I hadn’t seen them, or seen them but didn’t have my camera.

Before lunch Rowan and I walked down to the lake to see if Rowan could get photos of the Northern rough-winged swallows that have been around.

We got down there and saw that both of the Northern rough-winged swallows were down there with some Tree swallows. We watched them they around for a bit then they both landed on a couple of wires. We quickly walked over to take photos of them sitting on the wires. I excitedly got into a good position and got some good photos of them. While they were on the wires I heard them call some, they sounded a bit different than the Tree swallows. They sat there on the wires for a few minutes preening then they flew off. After that we walked up to look for a Snipe. On our way back down to the peninsula, after not being able to find a Wilson’s snipe for Rowan to photograph, a Snipe flew out of some grass. It flew around for a bit then it looked like it land at the upper end of the lake. We walked back down then headed home.

This Morning after I got to dad’s I walked down to the park. I got down to the park and saw that it was a very low tide. I walked out onto the beach and saw several Marbled murrelets diving periodically. While I was slowly moved along  the beach I noticed that it smelled like salty seaweed… I think. I walked down the beach and saw a couple Black-bellied plovers working the edge of the water. I got out to the end of the park and saw three Caspian terns. I heard Dunlins flying around then I saw them land. There was not as many shorebirds down there today as there has been the last few days. While I was there it was raining and I felt the rain on my hands but my hands didn’t get cold. I was kind of sad that there weren’t as many birds down there as there has been. After I was done at the end of the park I walked up onto the trail and cut through SJ campus.