2007 December Observations · 2 December 2007, 18:18 by Julie Loyd
07.dec.01 – 02 Julie L: Mild Northeast outflow, snow. Winter wrens on the roads.
07.dec.03 Julie L: 14:00 It’s 20 degrees F warmer than yesterday. Kayaked from Babs’ to Pt. Hammond in a brisk rainfall, Southwest wind. Saw 1 otter, 3 seals, 3 pairs Bufflehead ducks, a small grebe with a red head, a Bald Eagle. The tomolo had wrack almost to the crest. Logs up to a foot in diameter floated hither and yon, and the sand cliffs avalanched in small, less than one ton amounts at least three times in my three hour sojourn there. In the evening at our place, you can hear chorus frogs.
07.dec.06 Julie L: 8:00 Cowlitz. A crisp, sunny day, temp about 35F, wind about 10 knots. The water was too rumpled to look for fish. A few gulls, a few widely scattered swimming birds on the water, no flocks or even pairs of birds. On the boat ride to Friday Harbor, saw very few birds on the water but lots of driftwood, mostly under 5 feet long. At 14:00 going back, same. Walking home through Lovering’s shortcut, thousands of tiny birds went “pheep” or “twit,” rummaging around in the red madrone berries or the forest litter. A new crop of mushrooms, including one with a white cap with a yellow center and one of a deep orange. Counted plankton with Fred, Donna, Stan, Bill. The Dec 2 North Bay sample had almost nothing but copepods in it, as compared to more variety of species in samples from warmer months.
07.dec.06 Glen R: 12 – 14:30 roundtrip walk from Farm Bay landing (Mittelstadt’s) to Pt. Hammond. Partly cloudy. Wind out of NE<14 mph. Temps low 40’s. High tide 7.9 at 1 p.m. In front of landing to Otter Point (Little Hammond): 14 Buffleheads, 9 Red-breasted Mergansers, 5 Surf Scoters, 1 Red-tail Hawk, 1 Harbor Seal, 1 River Otter. No birds in Otter Cove (Little Hammond Cove). At Point Hammond 2 Northern Flickers, one hunting in south facing sand bluffs on point-rise. At Point Hammond Annex rock in group 10 feet square: 11 Double-breasted Cormorants, 10 unidentified gulls, 3 Black Turnstones. Lots of driftwood in coves. Most common seaweed washing up is Bull Kelp. Sea Rocket still in bloom. Three eagles in group came hunting by Huntley bluffs towards Severson Bay.
07.dec.07 Julie L: Cold, clear.
07.dec.09 Stan W: Saw a juvenile Bald Eagle in a tree (distinguishable from a Golden Eagle by its yellow beak). At the bird feeder, mostly juncos and Rufous-sided Towhees.
Julie L: Snow in morning, thaw in lowlands but not uplands in afternoon. I walked from Mail Bay to College Camp and noted that there are still kelp bulbs floating in the pocket coves. Their beaches are completely covered with driftwood, with a few scattered pieces of litter such as plastic jugs. The female juniper trees are covered with pungent berries, mostly green but a few deep violet. A small woodpecker flitted in Bill’s trees.
07.dec.15 Julie L: COASST walk to Hammond. Wet, dark day. Winter Wrens on driftwood. Kelp wrack. Mushrooms.
07.dec.20 Glen R: Lonnie’s cabin at 9pm, moonlight coming in, temps low 40’s. Saw a bat fly by overhead a few times. Even on mid-30’s nights lately I’ve been seeing little moths in road headlights.
07.dec.30 Glen R: Pair of Great Horned Owls hanging out in circle in woods lately. Sometimes one of them goes into a ‘laugh’ that goes on for about 10+ seconds, a repeated note over and over. Haven’t heard that one before.
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