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Nothing But Time

We had some nice days last week and it’s hard to just stay home and try to get the exercise we all need. The girls and I took a short drive and followed a dirt road to a small, mostly frozen lake. The temperature may have gone all the way to 70! Luna has increasing trouble with sunny warm days. At 13, it takes a toll. I was counting on a little creek for water for the dogs but Bowen Creek is already dry. Fortunately I brought water for them, just in case. The road was dusty with car and truck and mountain bike tracks. We saw and heard lots of birds and saw a small herd of deer climbing up the nearby mountainside. Almost back to the car, Sky took herself for a swim in a vernal pond while Luna lounged in a diminishing snowbank. Sky has been nursing a shoulder injury for weeks and is not allowed to jump or do any retrieving. It’s finally on the mend, we hope.

Snow-capped Mt Gardner above the Methow Valley
Aspens ready to burst into green
Dusty road
Lots of Mountain Bluebirds
Singing Western Meadowlark
Tiny wildflowers
That’s where the paragliders launch in healthier times
Mule deer
The dogs never saw the deer. I wonder why?
Ice-covered lake
Bubbles under the thin ice near the edge
The lake is lower than usual and the muck was quite stinky and full of snail shells
I had to search for this singing Yellow-rumped Warbler high in the cottonwood trees
Beautiful ponderosa pines
A pair of Mallards flew into the open water in front of us
Sky watched the Mallards
But then she returned to trying to talk me into throwing a stick for her
The hen Mallard said, ‘it’s time to go now’
And she went
He did too.
What do you call these little water skimming bugs?
Last year’s fireweed
Sky took herself swimming
Luna cooled herself in her own way
The first ballhead waterleaf I’ve seen blooming. Can you see all the pollinators on it? I counted at least five.
My first fully opened arrowleaf balsamroot

Here is the list of birds we saw and heard:

Mallard  6

California Quail  2

Dusky Grouse  1

Sora  1

Turkey Vulture  1

Northern Harrier  1

Bald Eagle  1

Red-tailed Hawk  1

Red-naped Sapsucker  1

Northern Flicker  3

American Kestrel  1

Say’s Phoebe  2

Black-billed Magpie  2

Common Raven  3

Black-capped Chickadee  5

Mountain Chickadee  2

Red-breasted Nuthatch  1

White-breasted Nuthatch  1

Mountain Bluebird  20

American Robin  15

Chipping Sparrow  1

Dark-eyed Junco  25

Vesper Sparrow  2

Spotted Towhee  3

Red-winged Blackbird  15

Yellow-rumped Warbler  1

Wild Turkeys and Turkey Vultures

All this time at home gives us a chance to see more of the backyard wildlife. This past week, we’ve had visits from Wild Turkeys and Turkey Vultures. Clearly Spring is in the air. I think the Wild Turkeys found out that hunting season is cancelled and they are especially boastful about their presence.

Both of these species have odd characteristics starting with their heads. The turkey’s is bright blue and the vulture’s head is red. Neither species has feathers on its head. Turkeys were introduced to Washington as a game bird. They can be a pest especially if large flocks of them move into your neighborhood. Vultures are native birds. They have a very keen sense of smell and eat carrion where they find it.

Pollinators at Work

Yesterday I noticed a big bumblebee inside a daffodil. I think she had spent the night in there and gradually she climbed out and on top of the flower. The daffodil was quickly visited by honeybees and mason bees and other insects. There was an awful lot of activity in a small world. The daffodils are one of the few flowers around so they have to be shared.

 

Social Distancing After Dark

In the wee morning hours, I went outside and tried to learn some new techniques. Let’s just say, I have a long ways to go. Still, I came back with some pretty pictures. I also need a new place to practice my night photography. I was looking forward to spring travels but now, all that is cancelled. We were supposed to go to Florida this Saturday and to Utah in May. I wonder when we will get a chance to see new, or old favorite, places again. Yes, I am feeling very sad but grateful for my health and grateful that I have my husband and two dogs to share my life. I hope all of you are well and taken care of.

I started and finished here
Neighbor’s house
Blue hour sneaks up on me.
A small plane took off from the airport during the blue hour before dawn.
I started and finished here

Breakfast Guest

Yesterday, while eating breakfast, a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers landed on the snag in front of the house! What a delight to see these beautiful birds reasonably close. The female didn’t stick around for photos.

Can he hear bugs in the wood?