Snow fell last night, had it changed to rain by this morning. Swan Lake remained mostly frozen for much of the day (I went by mid-afternoon), though temperatures rose into upper 30s. Later in the evening temperatures were in the 40s. It’s due to get pretty cold later in the week. I will try and ... Read more The post November Rain and Radio first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Clear and frosty this morning, with temperatures in the upper 30s later in the day. Winds were calm. I saw snow falling last night as I got ready for bed, but blue skies prevailed this morning. Heading out for a walk around mid-morning, I was still early enough to get a peak into the world ... Read more The post Frost Fairies first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Parly or mostly cloudy when I first looked out, but soon becoming overcast. No rain in town until this evening. Late this evening there was some snow mixed in. I was surprised to see Swan Lake over half covered in a thin layer of ice when I first went by this morning. Yesterday I could ... Read more The post Whimsical Faces first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Overcast and much mellower weather than yesterday. On one of the weather pages I check each day (https://www.weather.gov/ajk/localClimate ) the weather conditions stated: “The following weather was recorded yesterday, Rain, Light Rian, Hail, Sleet, Fog, Haze”. I did see hail (or maybe graupel) not yet melted when I looked on my roof this morning. Snow ... Read more The post Bullied Birds first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Windy and wet. Rain fell for much of the day, with heavier showers at times. Winds were strong and gusty out of the west when I was out. I was not able to get out until the afternoon, by which time the light already seemed to be fading due to the heavy clouds combined with ... Read more The post Windy and Wet first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Overcast and breezy with temperatures in the 40s. It was forecast to be wet today, but the rain never really came over town. Radar imagery suggested there was plenty of it elsewhere in the area, however. Overall it was a dim day. The cloud levels were high enough that I could see most of the ... Read more The post Northern Harrier and More first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Variable cloudiness throughout the day, starting mostly clear, but becoming more cloudy through the morning, and clearing a bit later in the afternoon. Frost covered the surface of the car when I headed out. I did not see any ice on the water in buckets around my yard. I did notice some ice on puddles ... Read more The post Late Fall Birds first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Overcast with some rain later in the day. After report of a possible eider seen near Vitskari a couple of times over the past few days, I was able to get out with Paul and Brooke for a look around on the sound. Although it was calm at the house, as I walked down towards ... Read more The post Searching Sitka Sound first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Partly cloudy with wind coming out of the east. Rain clouds off to the south (radar) getting to mountains, but not really to town (at least where I was). I walked to Swan Lake this morning while listening to a call. Along Degroff Street I heard the calls of a warbler, and was able to ... Read more The post Iconic Sunset first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Sunny and fairly calm around town. Frosty morning (with some ice at the edge of Swan Lake), warming into the 40s during the day. As I was heading out, I received a text from Connor about a Swamp Sparrow at Swan Lake. When I arrived, he was watching from the road side south of the ... Read more The post Second Swamp Sparrow and Early Sunset first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Download Radio Show The November 7th show featured a conversation with Jackie Hildering, also known as the Marine Detective. Originally recorded and aired Fall 2019. If you have questions or observations you want to share, please feel free to leave a comment here or on the page I’ve set up for that purpose. The post Sitka Nature Show #249 – Jackie Hildering (Encore) first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Overcast and rain early with diminishing clouds as the day went on. Partly to mostly sunny skies by late this afternoon. I spent this morning on the WhaleFest cruise. We started by heading to Eastern Channel and spent some time in that area. From there we went to Deep Inlet all the up to the ... Read more The post WhaleFest Cruise and Birds Around Town first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Cloudy with rain early followed by an extended sunny break through the afternoon before clouds returned. Temperatures in the 40s. By the time my calls were done this morning, the sun had broken through. I spent much of the afternoon looking around, enjoying mostly sunny skies while I was out. The channel was fairly quiet, ... Read more The post Starrigavan at a 12.8 ft Tide first appeared on Sitka Nature.

The forecast sunny skies did not happen. Instead high clouds from a low pressure system to the south moved over earlier than expected. Frost was developing last night when I was out, but it had warmed up by the time I got up. Temperatures were in mid-30s. With a relatively dry past week, November is ... Read more The post High Tide at Starrigavan first appeared on Sitka Nature.