May 28, 2012

Lake Wicwas enjoyed a fabulous Memorial Day weekend - it's so hard to believe it's only May with the kind of weather we've had these past two weeks.  There was a bit of wind, but in the calm moments the pollen is collecting and starting to clump up.  I think we still have several weeks of tree pollen to go.

One never knows when an interesting bit of nature will just walk by.  I was out working in the yard on Saturday when this Yellow Spotted Salamander crawled right by me on the walk way.  These amphibians are usually pretty secretive, and this was in the middle of the afternoon, so I don't know what he was up to.  The Yellow Spotted  is one of the largest salamanders; this one was about six inches long.

Yellow Spotted Salamander

At the other end of the spectrum of visibility is the Red Squirrel.  They are acting especially territorial right now, chasing each other all around in the dry leaves and up and down the trees.  They don't seem to have any fear and will stare you down if you're near "their" tree.

The Lady Slippers are now joining the wildflower collection, though this pair seems a  little pale.

Lady Slipper

Linda's mother's day flowers were attracting the Tiger Swallow Tails which have been quite abundant this week.

The black stripes and blue dots show this is a male of the species.

Tiger Swallow Tail

Dragon flies have been out for quite a while, but are now getting very numerous.  There are a few damsel flies emerging as well.  This one must have just come out of its larval stage, as it has almost no color yet.

Humming birds are also numerous at this point.  Even though there are lots of fresh flowers around, they still seem to favor the easy meal from the bird feeder!

July 31, 2011

There has been a little more activity around Lake Wicwas in the past week, including with the weather.  There were very strong thunderstorms earlier in the week, with large hail and high winds.  I discovered three trees blown down across the trail in just one half-mile section of trail.  Several inches of rain fell over the week, and the lake level is now back up to spring-like levels.

I encountered a lot of birds this week.  One morning, picking blueberries, I was annoying several birds, as well as a beaver who was slapping its tail at me.  Even when you know what that sound is, it is still startling when you hear that sudden ker-splash in a quiet morning.  Then the chick-a-dees were scolding me loudly from the tops of the bushes, as I was keeping them from their normal rounds of breakfast fruit.  And a few minutes later, I heard an unusual clicking sound I didn't recognize.  Looking for the source, I found it to be a blue jay that was also angry with me.  It was making a fast clicking sound, like baseball cards in bicycle spokes - a new one for me.  Finally it flew off , sounding its usual call.

We've had lots of humming birds this year frequenting the flowers on the deck, as well as the humming bird feeder. 

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

I also got a good look at a heron from the kayak before he took flight.

Great Blue Heron

The baby loon continues to grow rapidly; now it's about half the size of the parents.  I didn't get any good pictures this week though. 

Something I haven't heard all summer is an owl.  It's interesting to me how much one year is different from another.  Last year we heard owls almost every day, and this year, not a one. 

Finally, I caught this raccoon walking down the road late at night.  It's clear he had just come from the lake, as his legs and belly are still wet.

Raccoon

Plus, another beautiful summer sunset.