Monthly Archives: May 2021

Crowded but Cozy

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Aki and had this dike trail to ourselves the last time we used it. Rain must have discouraged other folks from getting in an early morning trail hike. I felt rewarded with a close and prolonged view of Greater White Fronted Geese. They must already be at the northern summer range. I know we will not see any geese, exotic like the white fronts or as common as the local Canada geese. There are two many people and dogs walking the trail. But we can still see the exposed front of the local glacier, and a very blue sky. 

Finally, Some Sun

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The sun has shone on Juneau since we woke up this morning. Knowing the temperature would climb into the high 40’s later in the morning. I delayed leaving with Aki for a morning walk. At 11 am I attached a collar around the little poodle-mix’s neck and sat on the steps to pull on my mountain boots. The sun warmed my face and baseball cap. Then, it disappeared behind a wall of clouds. 

            Hoping for the sun’s return we drove over to the Gastineau Meadow trailhead and parked. The sun had relit Mt. Juneau and the other peaks on the mainland side of Gastineau Channel. But all of Douglas Island was clouded over. Aki didn’t care. She liked to scout for scent in sun or shade. I plowed up the hill to the meadow, hoping for the clouds to part. When that didn’t happen, I tried to enjoy the soften beauty of the meadow trees. I was  almost convinced when the clouds drifted off, allowing the dog and I to be warmed by the sun. 

Weighed Down With Rain

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Sometimes rain forest rain keeps you trapped in your house. That’s when Aki refuses to leave our yard. This morning, I wondered how she would react to walking out of the house. Would she whine or happily walk over to the lawn to pee? This morning she peed. 

            After she relieved herself, we drove over to the Treadwell Woods, hoping that the forest trees would provide some protection from the soaking rain. This morning, it didn’t. But Aki took the increased hammering with patience. I tried to let emerging pink salmonberry flowers distract me. Rain gathering on their petals pulled down the flowers and made them sparkle. I quickly snapped a few pictures in case the raising wind would soon shake away the water drops weighing down the flowers.

Returned Terns

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I hadn’t expected arctic terns this summer. Then Aki and I drove out to Mendenhall Lake. Until the Alaska weather rose to speed up the Mendenhall Glacier’s melt rate, the terns had little trouble feeding and raising their families. But now they get flooded out.

They are tough dudes too. I once watch a tern chase an adult bald eagle across the face of the glacier while pulling at the eagle’s tail feathers. Terns are also beautiful, with crisp lines and bright orange and black trim. You have to keep your distance from them when canoeing on any water. They dive toward the heads of humans who paddle too close. 

For the past several summers, glacier melt has roared into the lake and raised the height of the lake water, flooding parts of the human trail and completely covering over the tern nests. It seems to get worse every year. Last summer I just assumed that the terns would never return. But on this damp May day, I am pleasantly surprised by the number of terns that that have once again flown 9000 miles from South America to hatch their eggs on the edge of Mendenhall Lake.  

Eagles

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Two bald eagles were occupying a cottonwood tree when Aki and I reached the end of Sheep Creek Beach. I was surprised to see the pair. Breeding pairs are now taking turns protecting their nest. A week or two ago, I watched an eagle dive bomb a raven trying to snatch an egg from the eagle’s nest. Raven must have left at least one egg there when it flew off. One of the eagle parents was tucked in the nest, over its eggs a week later when I passed by again.

            The nesting eagle flashed me a fierce sign. Was it warning that she would rip out my eyes if I tried to climb up her nest tree? The pair of eagles that Aki and I watched this morning were sending out their bored “you don’t deserve our attention” look. Maybe that’s why they let me walk within a few hundred feet before returning their attention to a nearby pen of young salmon that will soon be released into the sea.  

One Swan Swimming

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I had little reason to walk the beach at Mendenhall Lake. The lake ice has melted as did the shoreline snow. Already shorebirds are preparing nests near the glacier’s edge. But there was still a chance to spot the swans. I had already photographed a trumpeter swan feeding on Auk Lake. May there would be more on the Mendenhall Lake.

            It seemed odd that the Auk Lake swan was alone. When not feeding or grooming, it would let out a sad sounding “ko hoh.” I never heard a response. There were four swans when I passed by the lake last week. Today there is only one. 

            The other three swans were not at Mendenhall Lake when I looked for them later in the morning. But it was flat-ass calm. The lake perfectly reflected the surrounding mountains but not the glacier ice. Another puzzle to go with the presence on Auk Lake of the sole swimming swan. 

Transit Birds

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Aki seems content to stay home this morning. She must know that it is raining. Unless we have a little luck, we are both going to get soaked on any walk. Normally, I’d drive us over to a heavy forest where the trees would give us a little protection from the storm. But I have a feeling that migrating birds might be taking a feeding stop at Fish Creek. We have a chance to see birds that will spend the summer up north.

            If Aki could speak English, I’d try to convince her that we need to visit Fish Creek. That won’t be necessary. The little poodle could throw on the brakes when we reached the trail. But she won’t. Even at 14 years of age, she still feels responsible for keeping me safe in the rain.

             We didn’t see any people on the trail but there were plenty of traveling birds. A handful of green wing teal ducks ignored us as we neared them. They were too busy hammering food from a shallow pond. Soon, they will move further north. A gang of five lesser yellow legs hunk and peck food nearby. They chose to ignore us as well.  

Just Concentrating on The Trees

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I’ve gotten spoiled by the forest’s rich beauty. If visiting from the Lower 48, I would be overwhelmed by the colors, textures and shapes of the trees we pass between to reach a North Douglas Island beach. 

            This morning, I become a tourist and gave the old growth trees a stronger view. Each trunk grew out of a stump or downed tree. Some had to bend their large bodies around boulders or another tree. They hold on to these bends for years or maybe centuries after the pushy tree lived, died, and rotted away.

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No cars were in the Treadwell Forest parking lot. That seemed strange, given the weather. It wasn’t raining. A very round, fuzzy ball hung in the sky. With an expectant rise in the day’s temperature the ball might turn into the sun and glare down on Juneau is an hour or so. 

            We didn’t see many birds in the forest or Sandy Beach. A robin made a show to distract us from its new nest. Junkos flicked around the top edges of cottonwood trees. Down the beach, a small group of golden eye ducks splashed like grade school kids on the very deep bay. In the woods, I could spot the head of a bald eagle nestled on top of it eggs.

Rare Geese

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It was O Dark 30, on a grey, dry morning. Aki and I had just dropped off her other human at the airport. Then we drove over to the parking lot for a trail that skirts the north end of the runway. I didn’t bother to bring my camera. Sunrise was still minutes away. It will take much longer for the sun to brighten the sky. For at least another hour, a heavy layer of clouds will hide it.

            The parking lot was completely empty when we started down the trail. It also appeared empty except for a small gang of scavenging crows. Then, thirty feet away, some migratory birds stirred and started slowly moving away from the trail. At first, I couldn’t identify the birds. Then they reached a spot nearer the river that seemed to catching more morning light. I realized that they were Greater White-fronted Geese. They were the only birds Aki or I would see on the trail. The flock was gone before we returned to the car. I wished them well. They still had to complete a long flight to Southwest Alaska before they can feed and breed.