What looked a month ago to be a drier than normal rainy season is not the case anymore. Since January 1, it has rained 22.6 inches according to our rain gauge. There are still 5 days left in the month with rain predicted for the next 7 days. Our total rainfall since July 1 has been 50.3 inches. The rainfall total from January 1, 2019 to January 1, 2020 was 79.2 inches, and was the second driest year in the past 10 years.
The past 2 weeks have been rainy, but mild, with temps ranging in the 40's and low 50's. We have taken advantage of breaks in the weather to take Daisy to the beach and a few long hikes, and do some clearing of fallen trees and branches.
The following snapshots are of little "special" moments.
Sea lions hauled out on the docks below the Clearwater Restaurant in Newport where we had lunch.
A couple Northern Red-legged Frogs enjoying themselves in our fishpond. There is not one fish left. The Great Blue Heron ate them all.
The town of Yachats on a rainless morning last Monday.
We took full advantage and hiked the 7 mile roundtrip up to the lookout shelter on cape Perpetua. That fishing boat in the middle of the picture was checking its crab pots despite the large swells on this day. Where we're standing is over 800 feet above sea level.
Looking a little further towards the north.
On our property next to the river, Gail discovered this large fish head while taking Daisy for a stretch. It appears to be a Coho Salmon. A couple days before, we had seen a Bald Eagle eating something on the other side of the river. We have heard and read about salmon and steelhead spawning on the river, but this is the first sign of one that we've seen.
Big Dog News!!!
I sent in a DNA sample from Daisy to see if we could determine what breeds she is. The results came in, and to our surprise, she has no hound in her. She is 50% Doberman Pinscher, 12.5% American Bulldog, 12.5% Standard Bulldog, 12.5% Boxer, and 12.5% German Shepherd. Her brindle color with a black saddle turns out to be very rare. The animal shelter we got her from had listed her has a Doberman mix, but we didn't believe it. Turns out she is! She is such a gentle dog for having rambunctious guard dog blood in her.
This is the month that Yummy decided she doesn't have to hide from Daisy upstairs. We weren't sure they would ever coexist in the same room. Yummy has made it clear that if Daisy comes too close, she will tear Daisy's face off. Daisy respects that.
Daisy tearing the stuffing out of her llama, which we call a squirrel out of respect for our neighbor's llamas.
We're developing a little log jam at First Beach which will be good fish habitat. Even though we've had a lot of rain this month, the river hasn't risen too high and is running clear. This is due to the rains being spread evenly, raining around an inch a day. The log that crosses the river and has water flowing over it is the "bridge" that bobcats, raccoons, and even a bear use when the water level is a little lower.
There are a lot of these birdnests in the salmon berries that can be seen in winter when the stems are bare. This one is unique, though, with mushrooms growing out of it.
My StealthCam caught this bobcat at First Beach, close to the cabana.
Coming back a couple hours later.
2 comments:
That is exciting news about Daisy!
I enjoyed your various snapshots. Quite a find with that fish head, Gail!
And I was wondering... in the video of the bobcat at night, it looks right at the camera right when it starts filming; was it able to hear or otherwise sense the activation of the digital camera? If so, that would be an impressive testament to the acuteness of the bobcat's senses! Is that something you think could be possible or have already noticed?
Glad you're getting your rain quota. Ours stopped abruptly about 10 days ago with nothing forecasted.
The camera uses infrared light that is supposed to be invisible, but I have noticed that deer seem to sense when the camera activates. I'm not sure about this, though.
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