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A New Yard Bird

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.

So Many Wildflowers, So Many Colors!

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.

This is a pika haystack!
The pikas were stacking anemone seed heads like this!
Pikas live here.

Not Afraid of the Dark

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.

Sunset at 9:30 pm
I love the blue hour, after dusk and before dawn
This glow is coming from the NE, somewhere in Canada?
This glow is from the NW – Vancouver BC?
And that glow is from the southwest.

Foggy Beach Walk

It’s often foggy at the beach. It is quieter. Fewer people out and about on foot or in cars and the sounds just seem muffled. Except for the surf.

Bald Eagle at Sunset

I think this bird is two or three years old. They are not mature til they are five.