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Moses Coulee and Beyond

I got out of the valley one day last week to do some birding in areas that really are ready for spring. We were hoping for a few winter specialties like Snowy Owls and Snow Buntings. We did see two very distant Snowy Owls in a field of green winter wheat with the last traces of snow still on it. But we dipped on the buntings. Other highlights included singing Sagebrush Sparrows in the coulee, a first of the season Mountain Bluebird, quite a good number of Rough-legged Hawks, three Golden Eagles and one sleepy Northern Saw-whet Owl. We were mostly in northern Douglas County but found the little owl on its regular roost near Bridgeport State Park in Okanogan County.

Moses Coulee, a result of the Ice Age Floods
It’s hard to imagine these columnar basalts were once lava flowing out of the ground.
Dutch Henry Falls
He barely opened one eye to look at us

A Walk in the Woods

On Friday we went up to the Loup and enjoyed a walk on hard-packed snow on a Forest Service road. It was a nice change of scenery with tall healthy ponderosa pines and western larches. The dogs seemed to really enjoy being someplace different. Different smells, sights and sticks too. We saw some moose tracks and heard plenty of Pileated Woodpeckers and Mountain Chickadees. We walked about five miles or so and little Quincy kept up all the way and was not overly tired.

Attempting to get a photo of all four dogs.
Now that’s a stick.
Let me have it!
Mine.
Oh, ok, you can have that end.
This plant must keep its leaves all winter. The snow just melted off of it.
Willow buds.

A New Puppy in the Neighborhood

My friend Mary Ann got a new puppy recently! We traveled down to the Quincy Animal Shelter to find him. He was taken to the shelter as a stray and seems to be in very good health. He looks to be at least half border collie and the other half – well that’s a good guess. Maybe heeler, maybe English setter. Who knows? MA named him Quincy in honor of the place where she got him. He looks to be about four months old and is just as cute as cute can be. Yesterday the girls and I got to puppy sit while MA had other things to do. Frida came along for good measure. Fun was had by all in the soft snow!

Who could resist that face?
Frida keeps an eye on things
He loves the snow
Sky teaches Quincy a thing or two about getting sticks.
He is fearless
They play rough and Quincy goes back for more each time.
Wait up!
I can keep up.
What?
Here I come!
Oops.
Luna, wait for me.
This is a lot of work.
Watching over us.
Challenging Sky
He doesn’t hold still for long
Frida is patient
Finally got all four in one image.

Winter Light

More of my nearly monochrome world. Grays days give definition to shapes on the plain backgrounds of snow and sky. There is still much beauty to absorb.

Black Dogs and Snow

The dogs and I go for a walk every morning, regardless of the weather. Once this winter it was too cold to get very far and another day it was too icy for me to walk safely but those are the exceptions. We walk on the road on our hill and a trail through our property. They are familiar with the scents of others that walk these routes and when they come across a new one much time is spent examining it and I imagine the two of them talk about it too. Sky often looks for new sticks but not as much as she did last year when she was more of a puppy. Luna is often content to walk near me. Most days a bout of dog play erupts and if we have other people or dogs with us, it is even more vigorous. Usually Sky starts it with a ‘puppy sneak’. Luna knows what’s coming.