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Out in the Dark

This week the Lyrid meteors are passing by us and I had hoped to make some photos of them. The weather, of course, made a turn for the worse with lots of wind and clouds before I went to bed so I wasn’t optimistic. I did wake up at 3:30 and stepped outside and one big shooting star fell through the atmosphere so I took that as a good sign. The wind was gone and the sky was mostly clear. I stayed out through the blue hour before dawn and enjoyed several meteors but they didn’t cross my camera’s point of view. Still, the stars were beautiful and the colors of the sky were amazing. Light clouds in the east reflected the sunlight even though the sun was far below the horizon.

If I have to be sheltered in place, this isn’t a bad place for it.

New Honeybees

Ken went into winter with four active hives and three survived. That was a very high percentage. Normally it’s less than 50% survival rate around here due to mites and disease and many other factors that are often unidentified. Since he expected to lose more, he put in an order for three new colonies. They have to be ordered before a beekeeper can determine how many survived. The new bees arrived over the weekend and moved into their new homes in the Methow. So now there are six! The old hives were already very active and the bees have been out gathering pollen and maybe even some nectar. I used my longest lens to get these photos but still I was too close and a bee got stuck in my hair and stung me on top of my head.

Bees from last year’s hive returning with pollen
New bees arrive in a cardboard box with five frames

A Walk in the Park

I had an errand that took a while in Twisp the other day so I whiled away my time with a walk in the park. I was socially distanced from people but not with the trees.

The confluence of the rivers is well beyond the flagpole.

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.