Category Archives: weather

Steam devils

  A clear morning with a brisk sub-zero wind over the water is ideal for sighting steam devils. There was only a gentle wind two days ago and the devils were not as grand as on some earlier occasions. Yet, … Continue reading

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Sun pictures

  During the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, telescopes looked up; I looked down. Well, fair’s fair, I looked up also, but I concentrated on the ground. Let me explain.  I leave it to the folks with good equipment … Continue reading

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Smoke colour

  Having one’s home on a wildfire Evacuation Alert is a stressful experience — but, it would be worse having one’s home on a wildfire Evacuation Order. Portraits of Local Wildlife: My presentation is this evening. The fire prompting the … Continue reading

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Limb darkening

  My enthusiasm for the natural world wanes when it comes to things such as earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, wildfires, and mosquitoes. Nevertheless, while our present smoke-filled valleys are distinctly unpleasant, they offer some interesting features. Consider a view of the … Continue reading

Posted in scenes, weather | 7 Comments

Owl, toad, rainbow

  Seen yesterday: a Great Horned Owl chick, a Western Toad, a double rainbow. A recent posting showed a Great Horned Owl parent and one of its chicks. Here is the other. Lest one be called a speciesist, we must … Continue reading

Posted in birds, herptiles, weather | 5 Comments

May goulash

  This is the twentieth posting made this month. What could possibly be left over for the end-of-the-month goulash? Many things, it turns out, but I will show only a few of them. The Chipping Sparrow is a common and … Continue reading

Posted in birds, mammals, weather | 1 Comment

Icicle ripples

  With the (inept) proclamation in the media that yesterday was the first day of spring, icicles would seem to be an inopportune topic. Yet, sometimes a natural phenomenon festers for years before treatment. Such is the case with icicles. Icicles were … Continue reading

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Road rock

  A temporary break in the rains has left mountain slopes sodden. This has resulted in mudslides blocking highways.  When late in the day, one lane of this highway was opened to alternating traffic, it was clear that in addition to a few … Continue reading

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Suncups

  Suncups are abutting bowl-shaped depressions in a snow surface. Typically they form high in the mountains during the spring when the wet-bulb temperature is below 0 °C.  I have travelled through suncups three-metres across and a half-metre deep on the névé … Continue reading

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Wave dispersion

  I am confused by success.  Below is a picture I have sought for months, yet, I don’t understand why I was able to get it now. It is a simple illustration of the dispersion of gravity waves on water.  On more than … Continue reading

Posted in weather | 2 Comments