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Week Fifty, February 25-March 3, 2002

Sunday, March 3, 2002

This was a stay-at-home day for Natalie and I, and other than my taking a bike ride this afternoon to go and retrieve the pickup from our friend's place, it was truly an all-at-home day. I had a work project to do this afternoon that kept us from being able to get out and do any additional book research. But that was fine. We realize that we will burn out quickly if we spend each day of every weekend doing research, so a break is nice.

I took a couple of photos along the bike route I took this afternoon, each trying to get a good view of Mt. Rainier from the Hilltop area here in Tacoma. The shot above shows the spire from St. Peter's church alongside the mountain as it rises from the Cascade Mountains to the east.

Saturday, March 2, 2002

Natalie and I spent our day doing research for our birding book, and this time we ventured back to the Olympic Peninsula to hike and take photos of the birding sites around Sequim. Along the way we found things like the pair of bald eagles in their nest near the Dungeness River, an immature bald eagle feeding on a fish in Dungeness Bay and shorebirds and waterfowl all over the place in Sequim Bay.

As readers of the Tweeters mailing list, we knew that today many bird watchers would be converging on the Sammish Flats area to catch a glimpse of the rare falcated duck that has been seen in the area, but we chose to head in another direction in order to avoid the crowds. Ironically, with the sun shining so brightly, when we walked the path down to Dungeness Spit we were far from alone. It was fine seeing so many people out enjoying the outdoors, but unfortunately I saw too many people letting their kids run loose on the spit, where they roamed over into the restricted habitat to pluck driftwood and explore during the low tide. I could feel myself biting my tongue.

We didn't see many shorebirds while on the spit, but a bit later when we ventured to the other shore of Dungeness Bay, we saw waterfowl - Northern Pintail, scoter, widgeon - and we even saw a few shorebirds. I took the photo of the dunlin below as the first successful digital shot taken through our spotting scope! This dunlin was feeding alone where a creek runs into the bay near the Three Crabs restaurant.

We wrapped up our research with a visit to the Railroad Bridge Park and the new Audubon center recently opened in the park, and we took the time to tour the center before walking over the former railroad bridge and watching a kingfisher as it chattered and flew up the river's path, over the debris left from record flooding on the relatively small Dungeness River in January. Our last stop, as the sun faded to the west, was at the John Wayne Marina, where we watched and listened to common goldeneyes displaying their courtship displays while a pair of oystercatchers with their bright orange beaks sat on the shore awaiting darkness.

What a great way to spend a Saturday!

Friday, March 1, 2002

Unbelievable! I am so surprised that I found a pair of butterflies working the blooms in Puget Gardens this afternoon. I was enjoying my first walk along Puget Creek since Natalie and I resigned from the board and thinking to myself that it was the type of day when I would be looking for butterflies in the sunshine. And to my surprise I saw an orange-and-black butterfly feeding at the blooms of a heather plant a few yards uphill from the creek. I tracked the butterfly for a couple of minutes and then it landed on the ground and held still for a series of photos! I rushed home and IDed the butterfly as a California Tortoiseshell, the same kind of butterfly that I took a photo of last August when I did a bike ride along the flanks of Mt. Rainier.

I am not sure how well this butterfly and the other just like it that I saw later will fair in the cold temperatures down at the park, but it was amazing to see a butterfly at all this early in the year!

Thursday, February 28, 2002

I didn't have to go far to find my photo for today. This morning we woke to another cold and icy day, but this time there were threatening clouds overhead. I noticed the almost thundercloud formation just southeast of our place this morning while I sat on the front porch and worked.

Later today, Natalie and I helped out at the Tahoma Audubon Society with the kids club. We helped the kids build a half-dozen bird houses, two of which were hung on trees along the trails at the Audubon office. It is good to be doing some volunteer activity in the wake of our resignations from the Puget Creek Restoration Society last week.

Wednesday, February 27, 2002

Chalk up another day where I kept myself too busy to take the time and find a decent photo for my weblog. After a brisk morning, this turned out to be a pleasantly warm day, and I spent some time outside this afternoon weeding in the garden-to-be. If not for the cold overnight temperatures, it would be tempting to get some peas in the ground and maybe even to indulge in some store-bought cold crop plants - lettuce and such. But it is still getting into the mid-20s for temperatures overnight, which is much too cold to plant much outdoors. The soil is ready to be worked, the compost is sifted and ready to be carefully placed on the freshly weeded garden beds, but it is too early to jump the gun with planting.

On the bird front, today we had a male Anna's hummingbird visiting the feeder off and on throughout the afternoon. Maya took an interest in watching the bright red-headed bird as it buzzed up to the feeder and sipped the sugar nectar from inside. I think this is the first time she has noticed the hummingbirds.

Tuesday, February 26, 2002

I spent more than 15 minutes standing still next to the kitchen window, with my arms extended to hold the digital camera against the window to get a series of photos of the female Anna's hummingbird feeding at one of our hummingbird feeders. Thankfully my presence in the window wasn't enough to keep the busy little bird from visiting the feeder, as it seems to do every day now around dusk. It seems to be taking a few final sips of the sugar water before flying off to the nest for the night.

Those nights have been cold for hummingbirds over the last week or so. Each night the temperatures dip below freezing, and this morning while walking the dog there were large bits of hail still sitting on the blades of grass anywhere where the sun had yet to shine.

Despite the cold overnight temperatures, I exercised some optimism today. Inside the house I planted tomato and pepper seeds, and outside I started doing more weeding in the garden beds near our front porch.

Monday, February 25, 2002

After driving all around Southwest Washington over the last couple of days, I was back home and back to my regularly paying work today. But I still find myself watching birds more than I ever have before. Immersed in bird watching, reading, and research.

Today's photo is taken in our hallway, where a well-organized spider web hangs in one corner as it has for a few weeks. It has gathered a little dust to make it stand out even more against the background light, and while I am not sure that this is such a good photo to show to the world since it shows off the housekeeping standards we manage when working on one book after another, it is an interesting thing to see. Spider webs are just so cool.

Copyright © 2002 White Rabbit Publishing.

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