A Wild Life

Today Dad,Rowan and, I went out to starrigaven at high tide to see what was out there.It was raining when we had gotten out there. I parked in the parking lot by the river bridge. Rowan and I had walked down the bored walk a little ways when dad called us. We ran back to him on the bored walk. He pointed out a vole that was swimming in the water by some tree branches. It then swam and got on to some ground at the base of a tree. It then ran into a hole at the base of the tree. It poked its head out  of a different hole a little bit later. We were able to get some photos of it before it went back into the hole then a short time later it stuck it head back out of the hole again, then it went back in to the hole.and stayed in there for quite a while I left be for it came back out again. I walked down the bored walk a bit more then I saw another vole swimming but it went in to the grass before I was able to get any photos of it. I went on down the bored walk but did not see any more voles.I found Rowan at the bird viewing shelter we looked at each others photos and videos. While I was there I saw  a big flock of snow geese fly over and saw a good sized flock of what I think were white winged crossbills but am not sure. I did not see any more voles while I was out there. It was exciting to see the voles.

1. Question why do I not always see the vole on really high tide even if I am out there?
2. Question why do people see more voles at starrigaven during high tide then at the park?
3. Question why do vole like to live where it can easily get flooded?

A week or two ago dad,Rowan and, I went up harbor mountain because dad want to see if the sun was in the right spot to get some photos of the mountains that had some snow and ice on them. Dad was only intending to go to the shelter and turn around and head back. While we were at the shelter though dad decided that he want to go down Gaven hill rather then going back the way we came. The only person that did not like this idea was Rowan. We  sat at the shelter a bit longer then we started heading down Gaven hill. There were only two or threes hills that we had to go up before we started to go down hill. On one of the hills we went up to the top and dad want to get some photos of us up there. While we were up there I took some photos of the landscape. From up there we could see mount fairweather that is by glacier bay which in over 100 miles away. After that we started working are way down the hill. It was a nice hike down the hill. It was not that bad of a hill. It was nice that it was sunny while we were up there. The trail was nice to. I was excited to do the hill.

1. Question why does Rowan not like hills?
2. Question why was there not very many birds up there?
3. Question why did they put the trail up that part of the mountain?               The white mountain in the very back is mount fairweather.

Today when I went down to the park, it was really rainy. When I was on the breakwater,I saw some seagulls and crows and a merganser. When I was by sage beach, I saw lots of goldeneyes, seagulls, harlequins and shorebirds. When I was by the battle site bench, I saw two eagles flying over the water, and I saw a squirrel in the forest on a tree. When I was at the battle site bench, it was really high tide and I did not see any seagulls. When I was on the trail by the river, I saw some mergansers and seagulls and ducks. When I was on my way back home, I saw a thrush. Dad wants me to ask some questions so I will. Why did it have to rain so much? Why were there no seagulls out on the water by the battle site bench? And why do I keep on forgetting to bring my camera to take photos?

Yesterday Dad, Connor, and I drove up harbor mountain road to the trail. It was sunny out yesterday. We hiked all the way to the shelter. On the way I had to tie two of my layers around my waist because it was getting hot. After we got to the shelter and took a break, we decided that we would be going back on the gaven hill trail. Though I did not agree with that. After hiking up the most hilly part of the trail, I stopped at the top and waited for dad. And then once dad got there, he took some photos of us, and I was not happy with that. After walking for a little bit, we stopped and talked to some people we knew for a while. I forgot what there names were. When we got to the down hill part dad and Connor went ahead of me. When we got to the view point, dad made me go ahead. After a bit, I decided that I did not like dad being right behind me and nagging me, and I ran ahead. After running down most of the rest of the way, we got to the new part of the trail, which was longer than the old part, and we walked the rest of the way home.

Today when I went down to the park, it was sunny and there was a little bit of a breeze. When I was out on the breakwater, I saw some seagulls and fish. When I was in the park I saw some juncos and I heard some kinglets. When I was near the battle site bench, I saw some feathers scattered about on the ground, and I heard some kinglets. When I was at the battle site bench, it was high tide and I saw some seagulls. When I was on the trail by the river, I saw a merganser, some seagulls and some ducks. When I was on my way back home, I saw three squirrels, and I saw some harlequins and some seagulls on sage rock.

Today when I when to the park it was sunny. When I was out on the breakwater, I saw somethings on a rock in the water so I went down to get a closer look. The things that I saw on the rock were crabs. After I looked at the crabs, I saw a mink in the rocks close to me. I stood still not wanting to scare it, and I watched it come closer. It came over to sniff my foot twice. The second time it sniffed my foot I felt it’s nose bump my shoo. After it sniffed my foot it went onto the rocks behind me and I watched it walk farther away, then I went back up to the top of the breakwater. I watched it go under some ferns and back under the rocks before I continued going to the park.

Today when I went to the park, it was sunny and warm with only a few clouds in the sky. When I was at the battle site bench, it was high tide but there was some beach left and I saw some seagulls on the beach. I sat on the battle site bench for a bit, and when I was sitting I saw a whale out in front of the islands. When I was on the trail by the river, I saw some seagulls, ducks and salmon. When I was on my way back home by sage beach, I saw some seagulls and shorebirds on sage rock.

Today when I went down to the park, it was raining. When I was near the end of the breakwater, I saw a mink running on the rocks. When I was at the end of the breakwater, I saw some seagulls. When I was by sage beach, I saw one live salmon. When I was at the beginning of the park, I saw some juncos. When I was at the battle site bench, it was low tide and I saw some seagulls and crows out by the water. When I was on the trail by the river, I saw some more seagulls and some ducks. When I was nearing the end of the park, I heard a squirrel but I did not see it.

Today when I went birding I stopped by the lake. While I was looking at the birds there I saw a pied billed grebe down the lake a ways so I biked down there and got some photos of it. I let dad know that it was down there and he said that he would be down there soon to look at it. By the time dad got down there the pied billed grebe had gone where I could not see it. I did see dad looking at something down the lake though so I went down there and it was a horned grebe it was the first horned grebe that I had seen on swan lake. It was exciting to see those grebes on the lake.                                                        pied billed grebe                                                                horned grebe

Warning there may be lame, bad, or failed attempts at humor in this blog, this counts as one.

Today when I went down to the park this morning, lucky for me, it was not raining. When I was on the breakwater I saw some seagulls. When I was at the battle site bench, I saw some more seagulls and it was low tide. When I was on the trail by the river, I saw even more seagulls, some ducks and a male wood duck. I stood and watched the male wood duck for a few minutes, I don’t really know why, it was not doing much, maybe I was waiting for my camera to appear so I could take some photos of it. Sadly that did not happen. When I was on my was back home, I heard a raven fly over head.