We’ve had a series of storm fronts barreling through the Pacific Northwest for the last few weeks. Typical winter weather. The days are short and with the thick cloud cover it is pretty dark even during daylight hours.
Any color pops out on these grey days.
The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Rain, sun, wind...insects, birds, flowers...meteorites, rocks...seasonal changes...all are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
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Birds are busy on land and in the water. The pair of Hooded mergansers above show off their colors: his bright yellow eye and white hood, her rusty buff shades and yellow bill. It was raining on them — no big deal. A much bigger deal is another male moving in on the pair, posturing. Never too early to establish a pair bond.
The gale winds have been knocking trees down. This Red Alder fell over a nearby road and someone has chainsawed it free. You can see why it’s called “Red”!
Rusty orange seems to be a common winter color. This Varied Thrush has been munching through viburnum berries in my backyard.
The wind has been knocking all kinds of debris out of the trees. Along a dark shady road I saw what looked like a leaf blowing in the gale, and then a flash of yellow. Barely visible in the gray darkness, we can see it’s a female Golden-crowned Kinglet foraging busily.
Sometimes there’s a layer of sun that peeks between the clouds at sunset. Subtle but welcome color!
What’s happening in your natural world? All nature observations welcome in the comments.
"SPOTLIGHT ON GREEN NEWS & VIEWS" IS POSTED EVERY SATURDAY AT 5:00 PM PACIFIC TIME AND WEDNESDAY AT 3:30 ON THE DAILY KOS FRONT PAGE. IT'S A GREAT WAY TO CATCH UP ON DIARIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED. BE SURE TO RECOMMEND AND COMMENT IN THE DIARY. |