A Wild Life

Over this last week there have been many birds in our yard. There have been tree White-crowned, one Golden-crowned and 3-5 Song sparrows in our yard. There has also been a Steller’s jay and Northern flicker, along with the normal Dark-eyed junco (Oregon), Chestnut-back chickadee and the slightly less normal Dark-eyed junco (Slate-colored) and then there has also been an apparent Oregon/Slate-colored junco intergrade.

The Northern flicker has been coming and eating out of a peanut butter feeder that I have set up.Chestnut-backed chickadee Dark-eyed junco (Oregon) White-crowned sparrow Dark-eyed junco (Slate-colored) Dark-eyed junco intergrade     Dark-eyed junco

The Saturday before this most recent Saturday (So two weeks ago now), when I went out onto the breakwater, I noticed a crow trying to get something from between one of the railing poles and a lower railing near the end of the boardwalk. I didn’t pay much attention to it then and just walked past onto the end of the breakwater.
But when I walked back, it was still there. After I passed it, I turned to see what it was doing. It was trying to roll what looked like a quarter out of where it was stuck in sideways with it’s beak. If I’d thought about it, I would’ve gotten a picture first, but I guess I was a bit more worried about it actually getting the coin and flying away with it, so I walked closer and it flew up onto the top railing.
I leaned down and pulled the coin out from where it was, (it was pretty easy for me since I have fingers) and looked at it.
It wasn’t a quarter like I thought it had been, it was actually one of those gold colored (Not certain if they’re real gold. Probably not) coins that are worth one dollar.
When I looked up at the crow, it flew off and the coin is mine now. It’s in my room. It looks a little worn though.

Earlier this week while I was doing my paper route I saw a couple of Mountain goats up and the North sister.

Later we went up Harbor mountain. While we were up there I saw a few Lapland longspurs and a Red-tailed hawk along with a few Bald eagles. Later that day I saw a Golden eagle soaring above Verstovia.

A couple days ago I went fish (only caught Chums) I saw a Caspian tern fly by.

Today  when I went fishing I saw a dove, that might have been a Mourning dove, being chased by a Hummingbird, A few seconds later I saw a Snipe land in someones yard so I got my camera out and took some photos of it before it flew away.

Yesterday afternoon, I went down to the park for my second outside time.
Nearing the battle site bench (which they removed the old one and put in a new lower one with a back, along with all the other benches), there is an opening. When I was walking by that opening, I saw two deer walking along the beach!
I got out my camera and took a picture before heading over to the battle site bench, hoping they wouldn’t get scared off when I got there.
They didn’t, but they walked out to the edge of the beach. I got a few photos of them from where I was sitting on the bench, they were a little blurry because of the heat shimmer.
Not long before I left, someone else came by, stopped before they got to the bench, stayed there for a bit, then turned around and went back the way he came. I’m uncertain if he saw the deer, or did that for some other reason. I left soon after, and saw the deer a few more times through other openings as they made their way towards the river.

Last week on Monday, when uncle was here, we went up harbor mountain to pick blueberries. There weren’t a whole lot of them, but we still got a decent amount, enough to make a blueberry cheesecake. Though that isn’t what this blog is about.
While we were stopped to eat lunch on the rocks around the area where we’d picked berries a year or two ago, dad saw a weasel. Apparently it was pretty close and looking right at him, so that’s why he made a loud ‘oh’ of surprise, which is probably part of the reason it disappeared under the rocks before uncle could see it.
I was slowly getting out my camera when I saw it. It was just under a rock, looking at me or Connor, I could see all of it, and it was cute. (I said that later, and dad said they were until I tried to take their food. I found that amusing)
It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be, I was thinking more of a mink size, and it was mostly brown with a white belly. Unfortunately, it fled before I was able to turn on my camera and get a photo. As it was fleeing, Connor saw it’s foot, so uncle was the only one who didn’t see some of it.
After that, I finished lunch and went looking for it on the rocks below and around us, and, as I expected, never found it.

This week my Uncle was in town and one of the things we did with him was a hike up Harbor mountain.

We went up the mountain to pick berries. As we walked down the trail I looked up and saw a Northern harrier circling up and out of a valley. We stopped and took some photos of it, then we continued on.

We got to where we were going to pick berries and there weren’t very many berries there. We sat don and ate our lunch and while we were there Dad saw a Weasel in the rocks then it disappeared.  Short time later it popped up by Rowan and I; Rowan saw the whole Weasel and I just saw one white foot. After we sat there for a bit longer we got up and moved further up the trail to see if there were any berries there. There were more there so we stopped and picked them while Dad went up to the shelter to take a few photos. When he got back to where we were we had picked a fair number of berries and since it was getting late the headed back.

Earlier yesterday, I saw an odd bird when I was on my way to dads in the morning (Later, Connor saw them by the gas station on his way back from our paper rout and they were Brown headed cowbirds) and I decided that I would bring my camera to the park just in case I saw it again. The first time all I saw that was interesting was a Spotted sandpiper and a pintail, but the second time, I saw a hawk.
As I was nearing the battle site bench, I heard an agitated chirping noise and not long afterwards a hawk came flying through the trees in a way that made it seem as though it was chasing after a bird (that coupled with the chirping noise that got louder when it approached). It was a small hawk, and it’s lighter colored tail made me think of a Kestrel, but I knew that that was unlikely. I also remembered that Connor had seen (and I had briefly seen) a Merlin around, so I wondered if that’s what it was. Either way, I went back down the trail a bit and into a path that some people had worn onto the ground in the forest to see if I could find it and get some photos of it.
The area I went into was pretty open (as in, not much brush along with well spaced trees. There was also moss) and it was just before the last open area with a bench that was before the battle site bench (if one was headed the way I normally walk). I didn’t have much luck finding the hawk at first. A Pacific wren alarmed once, but I didn’t know if that was for me or the hawk and it stopped after a minute. I then made my way into an area with more leaves on the ground.
Before I got to that area, I saw the hawk once, but before I was able to get a picture of it, it flew off.
Once I was in the area, I could see and hear some people walking along the path, I wondered if any of them would see me. (or hear me and mistake me for a bear or something…)
As I was looking up at the trees and slowly wandering around, I noticed that one guy had stopped and I think was a bit off the trail. He seemed to be facing my way, and I wondered if he had noticed me. Anyway, I looked back a bit later and realized he had started going pee. I made certain to keep looking up at the trees for a bit. (I still wonder if he noticed me afterwards…)
Not long after the guy left, I saw what I thought was the hawk fly into a tree. I needed to move to see it though. It turns out that it was the hawk, and I got a two photos of it before it flew off again.
It landed nearby, but I wasn’t able to get any photos of it before it flew off and I wasn’t able to find it again.
I believe it scared some squirrels when it was flying though, a few were alarming. Also, the crows were making noise as I left, but I didn’t want to hurt my neck by looking upwards any longer, so I didn’t stick around to see if the hawk would come back.
(Later I showed Connor the pictures and he told me it was a Sharpshinned Hawk, which was something that had come to mind after I took the photos)

On Monday Dad, Rowan and I went up the back side of Verstovia on the Don’t Panic trail.

It was a sunny day, we were at the trail head by about 10am. We went up the trail, it took us about two hours to get to tree line. We took a short rest at tree line then continued up to the ridge line. It to me about 15 minutes or so to get to the ridge line from  tree line but dad and Rowan took a bit longer while stopped and picked blueberries.

When I got to the ridge line I looked around a little bit while I waited for the others to get up there, while I was up there I saw a couple Sharp-shinned hawk and a couple Golden eagles both the eagles appeared to the immatures. When the others got to the ridge line we walked down the ridge line a bit and came upon a big trench.

We hung out along the trench for a bit. While we were there I saw Mountain goats on a couple different mountains. We also saw three different deer one of them being a buck.

After we were done at the trench we headed back and side hilled in front of Arrowhead peak and then went down one of the ridge lines that went into Indian river valley. When we were on one of the ridge lines we saw two Willow ptarmigan. After we took some photos we headed down into Indian river valley.

It was a fun hike!                                                         The Trench                                                            Golden eagles                                             Sitka blacktailed deer buck                                                      Willow ptarmigan

Well, like any normal day, I go to bed around ten thirty which is pretty close to the time I’m starting this. I was actually supposed to get a blog done a couple days ago, but that didn’t happen… So I’m doing one right now.
I woke up at eight o two, I didn’t want to but my brain apparently didn’t care, it’s been doing this for the past few Sundays as well. Since I didn’t want to get up yet, I just kept my eyes closed and was probably close to sleep for a while, during that time I heard the TV briefly, which I found annoying for the short amount of time I heard it. Then around nine thirty, I got my MP3 and listened to it until almost eleven, when I got the WiiU remote and started playing Breath of the Wild in master mode until around noon when I beat the divine beast in the Zora’s domain.
I then got out of bed and went to the bathroom, then the kitchen and got some food, then came back and got mom’s computer and watched Youtube and looked at dragons for a while.
Mom got up around four and we went for a walk around five, Connor went birding after we were done and mom and I did a bit of running and then went to Cascade and got some food.
When we got back I let mom listen to the songs I downloaded last night and after that went back into my room. (Connor had just gotten back)
Eventually I moved into mom’s room because Connor came into my room, and I had dinner a bit later. Then close to ten I took my shower… And now I’m here in bed typing this.
So, normal day. Besides the blog. And the fact that dad wants me to be at his place right at nine tomorrow for a hike. Yay…

Last Saturday I went down to the park.

While I was down at the park a Bald eagle flew pretty much the whole length of the beach a spooked every gull on the beach. Most of the gulls flew over to the far side of the river. I walked to the beach then looked at the gulls on the other side. When I looked over there I saw a Gull with a darker mantle (back) than the other gulls around it. I got up crossed the river and went to look at the gull. When I got over there the gull was still on the beach. I sat down on the beach and took photos of it I figured it was a Slaty-backed gull. When I got home I confirmed that it was a Slaty-backed gull.

While I was down at the park I also saw a lot of Glaucous-winged, Thayer’s, Herring, and Mew gulls I also saw a couple California gulls.                                                            Slaty-backed gull

On Sunday I went down to the park in the afternoon and while I was looking through all the gulls on the beach I saw what looked to be a Immature Ring-billed gull. I took some photos of it then I talked to some people from down south for a bit then headed home.

Ring-billed gull