Knockin' Around With Gail and Bob

We took out our canoe last week at Beaver Creek.  Near the launch site was this tree growing out of a post!

 Putting in our canoe at this nifty little entry spot, a tributary of the main creek.

 It was gorgeous, and we never saw another person on the water.

 There is one spot that I call limbo bridge.  You have to lie down in the hull to slip under this two log bridge.

My view from the bottom of the canoe.  Am I missing a leg?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, this Douglas Squirrel is getting a calcium boost, or is it grinding down its rodent teeth?

 We have had a flock of Pine Siskins at the feeder.  Some of them are so tame that they keep eating while I'm holding the feeder and filling it.  They might be fledglings that don't know any better.

 Grrrrr...   this is the Great Blue Heron that cleaned out our fish last summer, except for three little babies.  Now he is determined to get them, as well as our frogs.  I think there is only one fish left, if any.

 To add insult to injury, I just washed my car yesterday evening, and this morning when I came out, he had sprayed poop all over it.  I want to like the heron, but he's making it difficult.

This has been a berry good year for berries.  Our blackberry patch down the road seems to be giving us endless berries.  After a pick, its hard to tell the berry juice from the blood on our hands and arms! We have loaded up the freezer with quart bags.

Those Crazy Arthropods With Funny Bods

 The tall weed next to Gail with the yellow flowers is Tansy Ragwort. It is an invasive plant unintentionally introduced in Oregon in the 1920's.  It is native to Eurasia, and prefers pastures, logged areas, and disturbed ground.  It was responsible for killing thousands of cattle and horses until bio controls were implemented in the 60's and 70's. 

Cinnabar Moth larvae were brought in from Eurasia as well as a type of flee beetle, and a seed head fly.  You can see how the larvae have decimated this flower head. When they run out of food, they eat each other.

 Cinnabar Moth larva at work.

Last year, Gail and I pulled up all the flowering Tansy Ragwort along the forest service road we hike on almost daily - about a two mile stretch.  We pulled the plants before the flowers matured and threw them on the road to be run over by vehicles.  We did this over several weeks just for something to do that we thought might make a difference.  This year, the Ragwort is back at least as much as last year.  We're leaving it to the caterpillars this time.  However, we've only seen the larvae in one small area.  The Cinnabar Moth is a pretty red and black.  I hope to get pictures soon.


You might remember the little white spider I recently posted.  Well, this is another one.  They are tiny, about an eighth of an inch long, and hide in flower heads where they ambush pollinators like butterflies and bumblebees.

 It is the Goldenrod Crab Spider.

This tiny arachnid uses its large front legs to grab onto its prey and then immobilize it with its venom. It does not use a web.  They can change color over several days to match the flowers that it is in.  It is very common in the Goldenrod plant, hence its name.

Doin' Our Yachats Thang

Here are a few photos and a video from the past week of observations and shenanigans.

Our guardian of Baboon Beach close up and personal.  Gail gave him a trim this spring as he was hiding behind his bangs.

Gail found this little redwood burl slab down in Reedsport.  I made the legs out of steel rod that I heated and bent, and then welded to brackets I made.  Daisy, here, giving it the lick test.  It will go between two chairs (whenever we find them) facing our river view.

This bobcat is crossing the river where there was a natural log bridge until the river took it out last winter.  It looks to be fairly large to me!

 Trying to photograph water striders from 11 inches away is almost impossible.  They are in perpetual motion!

I learned that they prey on other insects such as mosquito larvae, and have a sting that can leave a red spot and irritation.  Usually they have wings, and can fly to other bodies of water if they have to.  Their legs and bodies are covered in microscopic hairs that repel water that could weigh them down.  Their middle two legs are used for rowing, and the back two for steering.  They communicate by sending out vibrations through the water, which is often done to warn other striders to stay out of their territory.

Daisy and Gail take shelter on the beach near Rock Creek.  How many creeks are named Rock Creek on the West Coast ?  Also, Dry Creek and Big Creek.  Who gets to choose such unoriginal names?

The Fly

Got My Ducks In A Row

We've been watching these Mallard Ducks grow up this year.  They are wild and skittish, so we usually only get a quick peek before they take off.  They are now a family of nine - no Dad.  They appear, however, to like posing for the trail cam!