This is a weblog (or blog, if you prefer) of wildlife I have seen!
This log is in reverse chronological order, meaning the newest stuff is at the top and the oldest stuff is at the bottom.
I saw three black Squirrels close to each other, rummaging in the ground. I then saw a gray Squirrel with a white belly staring right at me. Its expression could have been in a horror movie (for Squirrels, of course).
In class I saw a Spider on the outside of the window. Very fat and round abdomen. It was spinning a web.
I saw 3 Bald Eagles flying. 2 of them grabbed each other's beaks, and maybe even talons, and spiralled towards the ground, before letting go and flying apart. It was so beautiful.
Crows were pecking at a lawn, as well as a Northern Flicker. I then saw many Northern Flickers and many small birds flying away from the car driving by.
I immediately saw a Steller's Jay in a tree outside my house. I haven't seen one in a good while, so I was very happy. Very beautiful blue.
During break, I went on a walk. A Squirrel ran onto the path, so I stopped. It was black, but it looked to almost have a brindle pattern. I'm not sure if it actually had some tiny specks of red or brown fur, or if it was some sort of illusion. Either way, it froze. It very, very slowly lifted itself. It looked at me, and we stared at each other for a while. Then it hopped under some cars in the parking lot. I thought it was gone, but as I walked a bit further, it walked back over to me.
I saw some Dark-Eyed Juncos pecking at the grass in the field. Though schools insist on calling it a field, it really is just turf. I walked very, very slowly, and managed to get quite close to the Juncos. I watched them until the bell rang.
I also saw many Sparrows and a Bald Eagle.
A small Song Sparrow jumped very far upwards from the ground as I walked by, somewhat jumpscaring me, and then swooped back down to the ground elsewhere.
I saw what I believe was a Cooper's Hawk in a tree (no binoculars, unfortuantely), and later saw a Bald Eagle in a different tree that has been cracked open by lightning. I have seen Bald Eagles on that lightning tree several times. They appear fond of it.
A flock of Starlings was feeding on the ground, perhaps 20-30 of them. Some individuals hopped up and briefly fought, scrabbling at each other with their talons for a few seconds in the air, and returning to feeding as soon as they hit the ground again. It was very cute.
There were also many Black-Capped Chickadees in the trees, and I believe some Dark-Eyed Juncos and Song Sparrows as well. There was a Northern Flicker on the ground.
A small artifical pond was present at a garden. Within it, some Mallards swam. They dipped their heads in the water a few times, sticking their butts straight out. It was hard to focus on anything being said because of them. Later there was a Crow ripping moss off a tree and dropping it in that same pond.
It finally happened. I saw a Raven. Undeniably, I saw a Raven. Not "that might be a Raven but I'm not sure", not "is that just a large Crow?". I saw a Raven. It was next to a Seagull that I know to be the same size of Crows, and it was so much bigger than it. A minute after, a Crow flew by, confirming it. I saw a Raven. I was in awe. Its wings were so beautiful. So large, so large. I'm in awe even now. I saw a Raven. I will never get over this.
At break, I went outside to some trees. I saw a bird climbing on a tree. It looked very funny, with its legs splayed to the side.
There was a lot of birdsong, most being unfamiliar to me. I recorded it with Merlin.
The tree-climber bird was singing before my eyes, and it was a Brown Creeper. There was also apparently the song of Starlings, Golden-Crowned Kinglets, Song Sparrows, and Chestnut-Backed Chickadees.
I looked around for these birds, but the only I could see was the Chestnut-Backed Chickadee. This greatly excited me. I had never seen a Chickadee other than the Black-Capped before. They were so beautiful. I could see their brown backs flitting between the branches above me.
I saw a Northern Flicker fly from the ground up to a tree. While not wild, I did see a black cat (stray? outdoor cat? lost? who knows) walking through the rain. It stopped under a concrete structure and licked itself clean, then darted back through the rain.
I went outside almost as soon as I woke up this morning. I saw a great many Crows flying across the dawn-blue sky, in the exact opposite direction they fly in the evenings. I wonder where they were going.
Later in the morning, I saw Song Sparrows and heard them and Chickadees, as well as many more Crows. I was surrounded by birdsong as I walked up to my school.
During class, I saw a small flock of what must have been some sort of Swallow or Swift. Later on, I saw what must have been a Pileated Woodpecker in a tree. It was silhouetted against the sky, so even with my binoculars, I had no colour clues to work with. Based off its body shape, beak shape, and wing shape when it flew, it must have been a Pileated Woodpecker.
In the greenhouse, I saw a Spider on the floor. Not wanting my classmates to freak out, nor for them to accidentally step on the poor thing, I managed to wrangle iit onto a petri dish, and subsequently onto my garden bed. It looked a bit like a Jumping Spider, but I do not think that was what it was. It was a beautiful tan colour, with beautiful eyes and pedipalps. It held up its two front legs, perhaps afraid of the large mammal staring at it.
Also within the greenhouse beds are the Centipedes and Millipedes. There were a lot of Centipedes on the surface today; they normally stay within the soil. I tried to get a Millipede to crawl onto my finger, to no avail. When I went back to my bed, I could not find the Spider. I suppose it doesn't like dirt.
I checked on our compost bins for the first time in a good while. I opened one up - comprising of a bottom bucket for drainage, a middle bucket for worms, and a top bucket for a lid (all our compost is haphazard) - and was shocked when I saw the mass of wriggling something. It took me a moment to register that they were Worms; they normally stay hidden in the dirt, and the dirt is not usually so wet. In the next moment, I slammed the lid-bucket back on, because it smelled like actual, literal shit. It smelled like fecal matter. II can handle most foul smells, but not that one.
On my way home, I saw what must have been a Hawk of some sort in a tree. There were a surpriising amount of Crows about - perhaps the warmer weather? I derive great joy seeiing Crows pecking at the dirt for bugs, and even greater joy at seeing the ugly too-short too-green monoculture grass lawns strewn about with bits of dirt. I like to think that the Crows find them ugly too; why else would they target those lawns so much more than other patches of grass?
In the distance, I saw a black Squirrel eating - perhaps the same one I saw yesterday? I almost walked into a patch of No-See-Ums - also odd for this time of year. It seems there are a lot of critters currently about that should not be at this time of year. While the possible reason behind this worries me, I do enjoy seeing more wildlife.
I heard the calls of Sparrows and Wrens when I left the house. Just in the front yard, a Squirrel black as midnight was eating something. Perhaps an acorn it had dug up from its stash?
I heard the beautiful song of the Song Sparrow very closeby - most times I only get to hear their calls - and looked up to see it right in front of me in the low branches of a tree!
After school, I saw what may have been a female Red-Winged Blackbird perched on a bush. It seems the right shape and size and colour, although the area seemed strange, but I was whizzing by in a car, so who knows.
I saw what may have been a Raven in the morning. We were standing right next to each other, perhaps a foot or two apart. I stared at it, trying to figure out if it was a Raven or a Crow, but just couldn't figure it out. My memory had faded enough by the time I started comparing images of the two that I'm still unsure of which one I saw. Either way, being so close to one of those intelligent beauties as it pecked the ground for food was delightful.
The Mold on the greenhouse Snow Peas had miraculously disappeared in the two days since I last was there. The Peas were still dead, though, so I threw them in the compost. I regret not harvesting the pea pods they had grown before doing so, but at the same time, they looked rather strange, so who knows if they were even edible.
Today I went to a trail along a creek that I haven't been to since last year. As soon as I entered, I saw an American Dipper, doing its charming bobbing dance. I watched it for a good long while, maybe a half hour. At one point, it flew onto a rock that also housed a Fish carcass. This was very interesting - there had been a small salmon run in this creek, but that was in November, and all that was left of those fish were bones. Several people who have lived here longer than I have told me that there should be another salmon run in December, but I never saw it. Perhaps there was a small run in the two weeks I wasn't visiting this trail? Who's to say.
A Song Sparrow crossed paths with the American Dipper. I watched them both for a while, until the Song Sparrow split off. I tried to go back and forth between watching the two of them, but I lost sight of the American Dipper, so I focused on the Song Sparrow. I watched her struggle to eat a tiny orange berry before hopping under a suspended log where I couldn't see.
Further on the trail, I saw another American Dipper. It could have been the same one from earlier, but I believe it was a different individual, since the leg colour seemed ever-so-slightly different. It could just be the lighting, though. I was only able to watch this one for a few minutes before losing sight of it.
Once out of the trail and back on the street, I managed to see yet more birds! There was a flurry of small ones in a tall tree - some sort of songbirds, but even my bnoculars couldn't make them anything more than silhouettes against the sky. When I got closer, I saw a rather larger bird in a lower branch of that tree. It was an American Robin, fluffing its feathers - the angle made it look like just a ruddy orb of fluff.
In another tree very close by, I saw very, very many Dark-Eyed Juncos. They were flitting about from branch to branch, with some Song Sparrows joining them. I saw a Sparrow on the ground next to it - possibly a Song Sparrow, but possibly some other type, as it seemed larger than usual.
On the drive home, I saw large flocks of Crows. It was a typical sight - that was the time of day that the Crows start flying back to their homes. But, among the Crows, I also saw a V of Geese. And they were heading northwards. My father thought they may be heading for a lake in that direction, which does make sense. I am surprised to have seen so many Geese at this time of year, but at the same time, it is currently a warm spell, and climate change is an unfortunate reality.
Right outside my house, I saw a Robin pecking at the ground, and a Song Sparrow flying right past my face and over the fence.
I was greeted by a Song Sparrow hopping on the ground as soon as I left the house. I later saw what must have been other Sparrows, or perhaps Wrens, in the trees.
While not fully wild, I did see Bugs in the greenhouse soil. Beautiful tiny Centipedes scurried about as soon as the plastic that had been placed upon the soil to keep moisture n over the break was removed. I saw a Millipede walking, and it curled into a ball the moment water from the watering can hit it.
Somewhat less exciting was the Mold. At first, I was very excited to see it - I've never seen this sort of Mold before, with a tiny stalk ending in a small bulb. It looked like a Club Lichen, though it was so wispy I have to believe it was, indeed, Mold. I'm unsure how a Lichen could have gotten into the greenhouse, but Mold lives everywhere.
My excitement faded once I realized that the Mold was not just on a half-dead plant I didn't care about, but also at the base of my Snow Peas. Two of the three Snow Peas had Mold at the base, and both of them appear to be fully dead - I couldn't see a single non-dried leaf on them. The one Snow Pea with no Mold on it iis still holding on - most of its leaves are dried out, but the newest growths are still alive and wet, and it even has a small pea-pod. I hope I can bring it back to life in the week I have there, and I hope my classmates will be able to keep it alive while I am gone.
In the classroom, I saw a small flock of small birds whizz by the window. On my way home, I saw many Crows and Seagulls playing in the air. I also saw a flock of Robins - the second time in two days I have seen seemingly unseasonal birds.
There was a dead Squirrel right outside my house. I thought it must be run over by a car, likely the car that had been in the parking space it was in, but it wasn't very flat. Maybe it choked on exhaust fumes? Either way, it was very newly dead. No Bugs around it, no rotting, the only thing gone were its eyes (likely plucked out by a Crow).
I saw a small flock of small birds, and several large birds in distant trees that I couldn't make out. One must have been a Hawk, given its shape.
I saw quite a large flock of Geese feeding on the ground, perhaps 20 of them. I was surprised to see Geese at this time of year. It's possible they're from further north, taking a break while they fly southward.
I later saw a very large flock of Crows in the sky. There must have been 50 of them, maybe even more.
The moment I left the house, I was besieged by life!
A Northern Flicker calling, Wren and Sparrow calls, a Squirrel running from the ground onto a tree, a Bewick's Wren on the tree right next to it. As I walked to the car, I saw what I believe was a Northern Flicker in a tree. I went to grab my binoculars, but it had already flown away...
On the drive, I saw what was likely a Bald Eagle resting in a tree, more Northern Flickers, more Wrens, and many Crows and Seagulls.
I saw a strange phenomenon: several small Spider webs on the branch-tips of a tree, filled with dead leaves and other debris. Perhaps they're simply old webs, perhaps they're some sort of nest?
On the drive back, I saw a black bird with red legs in a tree. I had no idea what it may be, and Merlin's ID checklist wasn't helping. So, I scrolled through the entirety of the database of my pack (even finding some misplaced birds! not just on the wrong side of the continent, but in different continents altogether!), and I found that the very last bird on the list, the European Starling, was what I saw.
Right after this revelation, we drove past a very large flock of Starlings! There were so many I didn't even understand what I was seeing for a moment!
I saw a flock of Pigeons, and among this flock was a singular Pigeon with an entirely white wing-tip. I believe all of its primary wing feathers were white. It also had a white stripe on its body. It was very beautiful.
Many Crows, Pigeons, and Seagulls. A Squirrel and a tiny Bug. A Sparrow of some sort flew past right in front of my face. I saw what seemed to be a Bald Eagle circlng, then another one. I rushed to get my binoculars.
I thought that I'd lost them, but they had simply moved. Some Seagulls joined in on the circling fun. One flew away, which did indeed seem to be a Bald Eagle. The other, who stayed circling, was harder to identify.
I went back and forth between thinking it was a juvenile Bald Eagle and thinking it was a light-morph Red-Tailed Hawk. Unfortunately, that type of Red-Tailed Hawk does not have a very red tail, making this harder.
In the end, the wing ratio was too small to be a Bald Eagle, and the beak looked off, so I determined it was, indeed, a light-morph Red-Tailed Hawk.
While this was happening, I saw a flock of small birds in the distance, likely Starlings. Two Crows were in a nearby tree, ripping Moss off its branches and dropping it to the ground.