Blog of the Plague Year(s)

eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S90977720 Weather:  6 am 21C wind calm, 9 am  29 C wind  N5, hazy Tide:  7:30 am 3m Another glorious morning to be followed by a stinkin' hot day. The woods were livelier for some reason this morning, and the light was once again magical. The Beaver plot thickens:  a second beaver appeared this morning, much bigger than the one I've seen the previous days, in fact a honkin' Big Beaver. From what I read today, beavers who live near rivers often burrow instead of building lodges, although the authors state that the living arrangements within burrows and lodges are pretty much the same.  I had wondered whether the two that I saw were an item, with the smaller one being the female.   Although that's possible, most accounts say there is little visible difference between sexes.  I also note that young beavers stay with their parents for at least two years, and learn the building trade from their family ...

 eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S90928529 weather:  6 am:  21 C wind WSW2, 9 am 29 C wind N 6 Tide:  8 am:  4m, peak tide, falling Another magical early morning after a stinkin' hot night.   The woods seem hushed these mornings, occasional chirps and twitters, but very peaceful.  The river is  full, and flowing gently.   I found the beaver again!  Or maybe his kid brother--looked even smaller than day before yesterday. I'm wondering whether he's taken up residence in this mass of roots and branches.  I know that beavers sometimes hang out in spots like this rather than their splendid lodges, and it did look as though he was nipping off bits of branches and arranging things.  I'll continue to monitor the spot, now that I've found it.   Further downstream there's a beach where mergansers often rest, sometimes snoozing.  This morning there was a Momma merganser apparently keeping watch  ...

  eBird data:  26 June:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S90812076  27 June:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S90872768  weather:  unavailable 26 June 27 June 6 am 20C wind WSW 2, 9 am 28 C wind NNW 11 tide:  26 June:   7:30 am 4.2m 27 June:  7:30 am 4.3m We're in the midst of a major heatwave, which has clobbered the Pacific Northwest.  It hasn't quite managed the century here, but upper 90s in a humid climate is kinda punishing and it hasn't cooled down at night and it gets hot very quickly in the morning.  So my walks have been shorter and my mornings earlier, and I've foregone the overgrown path to avoid the brambles.  I just can't handle the idea of jeans and a long-sleeved workshirt just now.  The paths I've followed that past 2 days are more open, and given enough mosquito spray,  quite manageable in shorts and a t-shirt. In fact, at early hours, they're gloriously lovely, if somehow more quiet bi...

  19 June eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S90438356 weather:  7 am 15C wind WNW 5, 11 am 19C wind N10,  clearing gradually tide:  9 am 2.2m rising 21 June eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S90555424 Weather:   7 am 17C wind W 4,  11am 21 C wind NW 16, clear Tide:  9 am 1.2m, low tide, turning Two summer mornings, definitely warming up. There are always deer in the fields when I set out.  I assume they're the same deer who graze on our flowers and vegetables.  They look lovely in the fields, although they do leave me with fond thoughts of venison. The overgrown path into the Estuary remains overgrown, but at least the foliage isn't as wet as it's been.  I've now acquired a heavy long-sleeved work shirt that protects me from the brambles and rose thorns and isn't as hot as the rain jacket I was wearing.  It's not a fashion statement, but it seems a good idea. The meadows are beautifully green and glow in ...

14 June  eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S90187178d weather:  7 am 12C wind S8, scattered cloud, 12 m 18C E 11, clearing tide:  9:30 am 3.4m, falling 16 June eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S90283974 weather:  7 am 12C wind SE 5, 12m 17C wind ENE 11, clearing tide:  9:30 am 3.6m, falling 17 June eBird data:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S90331962 weather:  7 am  12 C wind calm, 11 am 18 C wind E 10 tide:  9:30 am 3.3m, rising Memo to self:  keep lens cloths in plastic baggie when you go out.  They're no durned use at all when they're soaked.   Three days of improving weather.   The 15th was wet, and although I did get out for a walk, it was not a day for photos.  I spent most of it crouched under a cedar tree near the Merganser Pond.  Not really unpleasant, nice fragrances of forest, but neither birdy nor photogenic. That said, the 14th produced some wonderful cloud formations....

  11 June eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S90003647 weather:  7 am 12 C wind ESE 9,  11am 16C wind ESE 23 gust 33, cloudy tide:  10 am 2m, falling 12 June eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S90060478 weather:  7 am 12 C wind ESE 3, 11 am 15C wind E 18 patchy cloud tide:  9:30 am 2.7m, falling I'm gradually getting the knack of bushwhacking my way into the Estuary through the increasingly overgrown first kilometre of my walk.   Part of it is being certain that my camera and binoculars are protected, not just against moisture but against grass seeds and pollen.  Part of it is carrying a pair of clippers and cutting back the berry vines as they encroach on the path.   I'm not sure how this will continue through the summer.  I don't recall things this overgrown last September.  The path is in fact part of maintenance of the hydro services to the city, so I'd think it should be kept clear.  I would e...

7 June   eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S89796618 weather:  7 am 9C wind WNW 2, 10:30 am 12C wind E 9, gradual clearing tide:  9:30 1.6m, turning 8 June   eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S89852693 weather:  7 am 9C wind WNW 3, 11am 14 C wind N7, scattered clouds, then clearing Tide:  9:30 1.8m, falling Two relatively quiet days birdwise, but each had one sighting of interest. Monday was distinguished by being the first day that I can say I really didn't enjoy much of the walk.  The first kilometre and a bit are very overgrown.  There are grasses that are over my head--not tall for a woman, but definitely high growth for grass--on both sides for the path, as well as blackberry vines and wild roses.  All this  makes birding difficult, but manageable.  It's just that Sunday was a very wet day, and the grasses and brambles were still sopping wet Monday morning.  I had a jacket, waterproofed boots, and a rainco...