Category Archives: weather

Tracks in snow

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Alistair

Animals don’t cover their tracks. Now that we have received a light snow, a trip around the yard reveals a remarkable range of activity that normally takes place when you are not looking. Herein is a collection of a few … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, mammals, weather | 3 Comments

Lacunosus and…

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Alistair

Lacunosus means hole or space, specifically one in a wave cloud. The root of the word is the same as that of the word, lake (which is a hole filled with water). It is therefore good etymological fun to show a picture of … Continue reading →

Posted in weather | 2 Comments

Surface hoar

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Alistair

Surface hoar is frost that forms on the surface of snow. Strikingly, this frost is not formed from water vapour deposited from the atmosphere, but from that which came from the snow, itself. Uncharacteristic for this time of year, the … Continue reading →

Posted in weather | 1 Comment

Border ice

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Alistair

This is a good time of the year to admire border ice—the ice that forms along the calmest portions of the lakeshore as the air temperature drops. On a cold, clear night, the top few millimeters of the lake surface … Continue reading →

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Bird counting

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Alistair

I am not a bird counter; but, I like to hang out with those who are. These are the people whose knowledge of birds is so good that they can identify a bird by a whispered sound, a distant silhouette, … Continue reading →

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Beach frost

Posted on November 5, 2011 by Alistair

This is a good time of the year to admire the distribution of frost. When snow covers the ground, any frost on top of it is much more difficult to distinguish. Frost forms when water vapour (in the atmosphere) diffuses … Continue reading →

Posted in weather | 3 Comments

A show and tell

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Alistair

I take pictures to better understand things seen. I post discussions to website and blog as a personal memory aid. That my notes are available publicly is incidental. Yet, the public is not incidental when one gives an illustrated talk; … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs, mammals, weather, wildflowers | 9 Comments

Beach walk

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Alistair

On a beautiful sunny day, a walk along the beach at Kokanee Creek Park revealed old friends and a new delight. Three are illustrated below in the order seen. The view over the waters of Kootenay Lake often shows rather … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs, weather | 1 Comment

Equinoctial sunrise

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Alistair

As if to proclaim the equinox, today’s sunrise was grand.

Posted in scenes, weather | 6 Comments

Wave clouds

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Alistair

The (main) Kootenay Lake website has a page devoted to local wave clouds. In the summertime, cumulus clouds are the norm; in the wintertime, wave clouds (lenticular clouds) are more common. Alas, for those of us who are valley dwellers, … Continue reading →