Outdoors and Recreation

A Pelagic cormorant in flight. (Michael L. Baird / CC BY 2.0 photo)

On The Trails: A change of scene

By Mary F. Willson

 

Male wood ducks have colorful plumage and do not share parental duties. (Photo courtesy of Kerry Howard)

On the Trails: Wood ducks

Wood ducks nest seasonally in forested areas across North America from coast to coast in southern Canada and the northern tier of states. From southern… Continue reading

 

The author encounters a ptarmigan on a hike to retrieve a game camera in the subalpine. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went To The Woods: My buddy the bird

I was limited on time so I pushed up the improved game trail toward a game camera I strapped to a tree sometime last year.… Continue reading

 

A yellow-rumped warbler. (Photo by Helen Unruh)

On the Trails: Yellow-rumped warblers and other observations

My peanut butter feeder draws a nice assortment of visitors, including chickadees, nuthatches, siskins, juncos, a hairy woodpecker, and a squirrel. Most of these also… Continue reading

A yellow-rumped warbler. (Photo by Helen Unruh)
With graduation looming, life as a trail is a popular analogy, though the author prefers a menu metaphor. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: Ordering off life’s menu

My favorite restaurant in Tucson served the best chips and salsa I have ever had. Granted, I was in college when I first had them,… Continue reading

With graduation looming, life as a trail is a popular analogy, though the author prefers a menu metaphor. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
A violet-green swallow in flight. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Violet-green swallows; shoveler ducks

In early May, one of my great pleasures was watching violet-green swallows in their fast, circular flights over water (e.g., the river, Kingfisher Pond). They’d… Continue reading

A violet-green swallow in flight. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
A beach marmot alongside the trail seems to pose for its photograph. (Photo by Helen Unruh)

On the Trails: Spring??

The calendar says it is spring and maybe it is here. But several Juneau folks have mentioned that this is the worst spring in their… Continue reading

A beach marmot alongside the trail seems to pose for its photograph. (Photo by Helen Unruh)
Western toads are terrestrial except during the spring mating season. (Photo by Deana Barajas)

On The Trails: Spring birds and toads

In late April, a male yellow-rumped warbler began coming regularly to my deck, visiting the feeders. He picks off mouthfuls of peanut butter, one after… Continue reading

Western toads are terrestrial except during the spring mating season. (Photo by Deana Barajas)
Steelheading with a baby is no excuse for getting shut out. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: It’s not fishing, its neuroscience

The payoff was coming. There was no doubt that with the high water and time of year it would be an absolute sure thing. If… Continue reading

Steelheading with a baby is no excuse for getting shut out. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
Freshwater bryozoans in Auke Lake make gelatinous round colonies. (Photo by KM Hocker)

On The Trails: Bryozoa

Sometime in April, a friend alerted me to some odd ball-shaped structures attached to a spruce log in Auke Lake. These are bryozoans, a type… Continue reading

Freshwater bryozoans in Auke Lake make gelatinous round colonies. (Photo by KM Hocker)
Golden-crowned sparrows come through town on their way to alpine nesting areas. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On The Trails: Spring arrives

Spring is happening, very slowly but surely. Purple mountain saxifrage has been blooming, salmonberry flowers appear, yellow violets are starting to flower. However, I have… Continue reading

Golden-crowned sparrows come through town on their way to alpine nesting areas. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
It’s tough to beat a campfire after a day of steelhead fishing. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: No need to go pro

The coolness with which I lunged for the fish, missed, gathered myself, swept the rod back, lunged again and netted the steelhead was inspiring. I… Continue reading

It’s tough to beat a campfire after a day of steelhead fishing. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
A male belted kingfisher perches to inspect the water below. (Photo by Jos Bakker)

On The Trails: Kingfishers

Kingfishers have captured the fancy of people for centuries. In Greek mythology, the gods caused a man to drown, leaving his lover, a woman named… Continue reading

A male belted kingfisher perches to inspect the water below. (Photo by Jos Bakker)
A queen bumblebee visits a blueberry flower. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On The Trails: Spring flowers and their pollinators

Spring flowers have co-evolved with insect pollinators for a long time. The flowers require pollen delivery to set seed. To entice insects to visit and… Continue reading

A queen bumblebee visits a blueberry flower. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
A male red-winged blackbird shows off his colors in a good display. (Photo by Gina Vose)

On the Trails: Springtime

The last part of March seemed to pass slowly, at least for those of use impatient for spring. Each of us has their own sequence… Continue reading

A male red-winged blackbird shows off his colors in a good display. (Photo by Gina Vose)
A pseudoscorpion contemplates a red mite for lunch. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On The Trails: Pseudoscorpions

Just before the spring equinox, a friend and I went out on the Fish Creek Trail one morning on a low tide. We saw five… Continue reading

A pseudoscorpion contemplates a red mite for lunch. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
The author prefers gambling on new shrimp sports more than putting money into a casino or betting on sports. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: Money Madness

I doubled our money. Then lost the winnings. Then lost the initial bet. Just like that I turned our $100 into $200 then $0 in… Continue reading

The author prefers gambling on new shrimp sports more than putting money into a casino or betting on sports. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
A red-winged blackbird male shows off his colorful “epaulets.” (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Spring comes slowly

February ground to a halt and March slowly geared up. Days were getting longer, but the tedious pseudo-spring weather prevailed — no longer really winter… Continue reading

A red-winged blackbird male shows off his colorful “epaulets.” (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
A male peacock showing off its colors. (Jatin Sindhu / CC BY-SA 4.0)

On the Trails: Three observations to ponder

While we are waiting (?patiently?) for spring to really get rolling, here are a few things to think about. • Sexual dimorphism in bird plumage:… Continue reading

A male peacock showing off its colors. (Jatin Sindhu / CC BY-SA 4.0)
A troller fishes near Ketchikan last summer. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: Fish farm fiasco

I’ve spent almost all of my life searching for and evaluating fish. As a boy, I rode home from the river with wild silver salmon… Continue reading

A troller fishes near Ketchikan last summer. (Photo by Jeff Lund)