These images are from an August camping trip to the Okanogan Highlands.
August has been warm and sunny and we have been out on some terrific hikes. Sometimes the girls do not get to go. Too much sun and dry conditions are hard on Luna. I don’t know how to tell her that one day, I will be taking Sky and not her. How do you handle leaving the older dog behind? It’s kind of heartbreaking. Some days and trails are ok for her and I do carry water for her to drink but she seldom drinks much of it. She’d rather have a cool mountain stream or a muddy puddle! She really likes to cool her belly in a creek or even better, on a patch of snow. Snow patches are getting few and far between this late in the summer.
The wildflowers have been glorious this year. We have seen lots of pikas, marmots and ground squirrels too. We have enjoyed blue skies and sunshine and endless mountain views. I have had no work this summer so I am very happy to spend my time in the mountains. If we have to be socially distanced, this is a pretty good place to do it.
A quick google search shows lots of meanings for Yard Bird so I probably ought to clarify. A yard bird in this context is new bird species to add to the growing list of birds we have observed in or from our yard. Our list is pretty diverse.
Now that nesting season is over, I decided to put out a sunflower feeder so I could see what birds are out and about. What a surprise when, the very next day, a White-headed Woodpecker showed up. These birds do live around the Methow Valley but mostly in mature pine forests so he was a bit out of his normal habitat. We enjoyed watching him for a few minutes. He gathered the sunflower seeds and stashed them in the snag and before leaving, he checked out the finch feeder too. Judging by the shape of the red patch on his head, I think the bird is a juvenile male. A female would have no white and an adult male would have a more complete red patch. Learn more about White-headed Woodpeckers here.
The next day, a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds cleaned out the feeder and later, came back and seemed upset that I did not refill it for them.
The girls and I had a floriferous hike last week. The wildflowers were magnificent and the sky was the bluest blue. We saw and heard pikas, hoary marmots and ground squirrels. Did you know that pikas make hay piles in the summer? They let the ‘hay’ dry out and then haul it under the rocks so they can eat it all winter. Pikas are the smallest rabbit species and they do not hibernate.
I know, this is a lot of images for one post but really, you need to see the beauty of the mountains right now.
Have you been out after dark recently? You might like it. Clear summer nights make for excellent star gazing and Comet Neowise is bonus! They (who are they anyway) say that it won’t be around much longer so you’d best get out and see it soon. Look to the NW after dark.
And the Milky Way is at its best. Warm summer nights are perfect for seeing it. Since it is too hot to be out during the day, go out at night. Although, I have to say, at 7000′ and I got darned cold. It was worth it.
My Everyday Photos 