Phenology

I visited Whitemud Ravine with Wayne Oakes and three others for three hours this morning, 9:30-12:30 - the first walk of the season. The creek was incredibly high and clogged with "icebergs." We had an opportunity to watch a bald eagle soaring over the mouth of the ravine, and the great horned owl mama in her nesting cavity high up in an old poplar. I always learn something new from Wayne - today I learned that coyotes often leave a toe drag line in the snow, which is another

I visited my phenology site for about an hour this evening. Made a false start as I decided upon encountering icy conditions to go back for my cleats. The first thing that struck me was how different the evening light is from the morning light. I almost never visit in the evening, though I recall often going for walks in the evening when I was in my late teens and early twenties, and the evening light reminded my of that. The next things that struck me was the density of plan

I paid a visit to my phenology site this morning. The snow pack hasn't melted, but it has aged, which is, I suppose, a way of saying that impacts and disturbances have accumulated across its surface. Snowshow hare tracks, as well as "sit-prints" and droppings have joined the vole tracks. The first berry skins to have accumulated on the snow's surface again are those of the mountain ash, which makes me wonder whether wax wings have been through. I have seen a few small flocks

I paid a brief visit to my phenology site again this morning. The temperatures have dropped after a few days warm enough to melt the snow. Sparse flakes of snow were drifting unhurriedly from distance clouds. Trails were covered with ice, of course, as are the sidewalks; I was glad to be wearing my cleats. A new fragile looking layer of ice has formed over the creek, everywhere splintering. Everyone seems to be about in the same space they were last time I visited, not too mu

I paid a visit to my phenology site this morning. Snow is falling thickly, generating a mood that is conducive to certain kinds of meditation. I find myself curious about the sky again - this sky, like the blue sky, feels "distance-less" somehow, (not like a partly cloudy sky, where the clouds appear to have clearly defined boundaries, distances, shapes, and heights), and I think that gazing into a distance-less colour must be one of the factors that stimulates meditative s

I paid a brief visit to my phenology site this morning. Temperatures are low again this morning, and the snow pack has aged, it doesn't have the freshly fallen radiance anymore. I saw boot prints along with snowshare hare prints on the snow covering the ice of the creek, so some human has done the creek walk. I could still faintly hear the voice of the creek, the trickles of the small volumes that remain flowing emanating from cracks in the ice layers. The voices of ravens ca

I visited my phenology site this morning. Today was the first day I wore my heavy winter coat. There was frost cover and a very light dusting of snow in scattered places, though fortunately very little glare ice, so I didn't need my cleats. This time of year always feels more off to me than others due to climate change ... whether conditions are too warm, or cold without the snow. The creek now has a cover of ice as well. There's transparent black patches, with the occasional