Working with the team members of the Alaska Volcano Observatory team as they studied Mt. Iliamna was not only a learning experience but we walked away with new friends.
Where does a dead whale go? After death, if the carcass ends up on a beach, it plays an important role in its surrounding terrestrial ecosystem.
Despite the foulness riding the breeze from the south, curiosity kept us moving forward. We knew we had to be close to our target.
Once again we were blessed with some outstanding weather and we had the bonus of watching the opening of Pacific Halibut and all the serious anglers heading out beyond James Island.
What’s the saying about Murphy’s Law? Weather, tide….all was in our favor I was thinking what a great day, that’s when Murphy’s Law kicked in.
Tides and weather are the keys to whether we have can conduct a successful bird survey. Tides are predictable; the weather has been anything but this year.
We haven’t had quite the cold weather we usually get but the wind has been remorselessly beating up Washington and playing havoc with our attempts to get to our beach for a COASST survey
I really don’t want to think about the number of miles or the total elevation lost and gained that were traveled to find our first bird but it finally paid off with the discovery of our first bird (and second) to document for the volunteer COASST program.
This was only our second year for this site, and actually our first full year. Last year we had a late start as we waited for the permits to make their way through the system. I mention this because it makes is somewhat difficult to come up with any hard conclusions regarding the data.
Bending down for a better look I saw yet another bit of cougar scat. It wasn’t fresh but that didn’t keep my head from constantly swiveling as I started up the trail to Scott’s Bluff.
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