Pine Grosbeak

Pinicola enucleator
enucleate - to remove the kernel
pinicolous - living in pinewoods

It's snowing all day.
Yesterday Jane snowshoed part of the beach trail. I will take advantage of that and ski it today.
I talk about trails a lot, but actually making ski trails here is a futile venture. There is a lot of snow this winter and not enough people to keep up the trails. I am not complaining though. At the coast they have much more snow, and i wonder how much effort it takes there to keep any path. About the amount of people, i kind of like it that way. Nevertheless i am very happy Jane used one of 'my' trails.
Off i go, the temperature a wee bit warmer, gliding away.

evening walk

I love being out in the moonlight. I am a morning person and don't have the energy to go out in the evening. Unless someone is taking me!
Thanks Nora and Pelly to have me pull you halfway home.
Jane, Nora and Pelly came out this afternoon. They snowshoed part of the way and walked the rest. And found a new trail, they are going to show me.
At 5pm we left here; the half moon is up and there is still a little bit of daylight left. Pelly is giggling in anticipation for a surprise they have for me.
the surprise is! that i can help mom to pull the sleigh with the two of them on it.
And a pull it is. Luckily they walk a lot too. When it is this cold the snow doesn't slide at all.

We follow the power line. And as we talk, i think i know what trail they are talking about. Years ago the city planned to enlarge this subdivision. They pushed some cat trails in to dig some holes. Actually to see if there was holes one could dig. Nowadays the city wants everybody to have a septic system. So they don't want to plan development right on the bedrock. They're thinking you know!
They never developed there, but i don't know if there is bedrock though. It could be, as it is on one of the shorelines of Ancient Glacial lake Champagne.

What i do know is that the Spruce trees are very tall here. The land has a slight slope, with Northern exposure. Maybe everywhere in the world, but around here it makes a big difference in vegetation if a slope is South facing or North facing.
The trees tall and dark full of white snow, the trail some 10 feet wide.
Once in a while a glimpse of the moon. This afternoon Jane and kids tramped a trail with snowshoes, it is already hard enough for me to walk on.
It goes in quite a ways and call for more investigation. Again not today as it is tonight already.
When i come home the stars are coming out.

Killdeer

July 23 2008, Takhini Saltflats

Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus

Thanks Robert!
I have several blogs. Robert suggested to combine them. I am still thinking about it, and will post this beautiful bird also on my bird blog. Eventually i will figure it all out. (Nobody said that blogging is easy)
But it is fun!
And thank you Sue!
For your comment on the 'pay up' post! I am learning sooo much. Not just about blogs and birds.

branches laden with snow

An old friend from Whitehorse staked some land close to here. It is still possible in the Yukon to stake a piece of land. She staked the land for residential use.

It's been the plan for a while that she would come out and show me. Partly due to weather that day hasn't come yet. Yes it is still cold. Colder actually.

Today i decided to check it out by myself. I put on my new boots and take the epoke skis. Crossing my own land, there is some big animal tracks in the forest, Moose or Elk.
First I am on a well used trail and then i turn into an old bush road that has had a skidoo pass through a while ago. Which to me is perfect; a little fresh snow on a hard base. Trees hanging over the trail, heavy laden with snow. With my ski pole i tap the branches that hang low. The snow falls of and the branch jumps up.

Only close to the end, i have to search, trying to follow my friend's directions; 20 feet from this, 50 from that and then 100 feet in. "you'll see it, it's flagged."

Well yes, it might be flagged. But the flagging only visible after i found the plot of land.
The forest is thick here and with the snow, visibility limited.

Ah, but what a lovely spot! A opening in the forest, bordered with poplars of different shapes and the occasional spruce.

Again today, the sky up high is blue, but the mountains slightly obscured by a haze.
There is animal tracks. I would love to spent some time here, but that will wait till my friend comes out.

Ravens

On a lighter note:
what's up with all these birds on my blog?
I might be learning to fly.

Pay up

On the radio CBC, they had an interesting program this afternoon. As usual i only caught a snippet of it. It talked about; what will be the 'new' word for 2009. Or something like that.
i think it will be 'pay up' As in; pay in full.

To me, we will start realizing what things really cost, and that is not what is on the price tag.
For me to step out of the door and take a picture of the first sunlight of the year shining through the trees. And to post that picture here.
I have no idea to what that really costs.

And here i like to ask Barb again, can you put a realistic price tag on it?

But i know that some where down the line, people worked for me to make this camera, worked far more hours and made far less money then i do. i also do believe that resources are used and pollution is created, way beyond the final product (the camera).

Don't despair.

The upside of all this is, (i learned from Helena Norberg-Hodge), that in everything we do there is a price we unknowingly pay.
Time.
They way our society works is actually very,very time consuming. Much more time is involved in actually designing a camera, making it, selling it, shipping it, etc.
I could have just stepped outside.....
The joke's on me.

Imagine the leisure time i have...
Time to spend in pure joy.

Does it mean i should stop doing what i am doing?
I don't think so.
Hopefully i will choose more wisely;
What do i still want, if i have to pay up?

(Do you see the light through the trees?)

Gray Jays

-a Gray Jay grooming, catching the first rays of sunlight of 2009-