Black Diamond NOW

Snow Hike to the Slatted Bridge

Another local hike that you can take in most any weather condition is the trail from Lake Sawyer Park along the west side of Ravensdale Creek to what I call the "slatted bridge".  Measured from the parking lot to the bridge, it's about a 4 mile round trip through second growth forests on easy trail that provide some nicest views of the creek as it meanders it's way to Lake Sawyer.  Cross the bridge to the east side and follow the trails further north all the way to 288th and circle back around to the west side of the creek and you can another mile or two.

These are trails first established and maintained by a community of mountain bikers that provide some of the best mountain biking in King County.  I call it the slatted bridge because of the type of bridge shown above.  It's not the smoothest ride across but it sure is sturdy.  This is also a location where we have seen coho salmon spawning in the past.  The above view is looking east.  On this day, we even found some color.

Berries from weed holly trees stand out in the snow.  Other areas along the creek that can look a bit drab in the winter, really dress up in the snow.

It doesn't take a lot of sun to brighten the day.

What a winter wonderland we have here.

Snow Buddies

One might think that snow and cold weather would bring levels of outdoor activity to a halt.  Nope, it's been quite the opposite.  We've had visitors stop by that we haven't seen in some time knocking on our door.  Regulars take us a bit for granted, like our hummingbird friends who stare at us through the window if we are late in thawing the sugar water in their feeders.  Or the tribe of Dark-eyed Juncos who invited all their friends over.  I must say, they are fun to watch as the snow falls.  They stay so "puffed up" in the snow.

I still haven't been able to figure out which Juncos are females and which are males, though love is certainly now in the air.  They also invited their friends the Towies over for lunch.

The Wigeon family have been the biggest party crashers and made themselves at home in our yard and under our deck.  We haven't seen them all year.

Two females scouting the territory, followed by the boys.

The army of Coots stayed in the water (only about 100 or so of them), which is just fine by me.  Mallards, of course, acted as if they owned the place, waddling along right up on our deck.  We never feed them, but they sure looked like they expected a hand-out.

Mallards are truly the "Rodney Dangerfield" of the duck family but they really are a pretty bird.

And, of course, the squirrel family joined the party, cleaning up after the others.

Quite a menagerie on a snowy day.

Time to go for a hike in the snow.  Enjoy!

A Walk in the Park

What to do on snow days?  Stay close to home and if you live in Black Diamond, take a walk in Lake Sawyer Park.  After the snow falls, we often have clear skies and bright sun, creating a fantasy land, like this sunset at Ravensdale Creek.

Or, you might like it better in the morning.

Fortunately, city staff was quick to clear the park access road and only a few inches of snow fell, making it easy going on the trails.  It's an excellent opportunity to catch some sunbursts as the sun shines through the trees.

See if you can find some hoarfrost close to the lake.  With cold temperatures and high moisture levels in the air from fog rising on the lake, you can often find fields of hoarfrost, some even growing on the snow.

We found it everywhere.  If you have a micro lens for your camera (I don't), you can get some really neat shots of individual snow flakes.  I used my 300 mm long lens to capture this closeup while standing a long ways away.  Always looking for interesting shapes and lighting, like this view of Ravensdale Creek looking upstream.

And downstream.

A tip if you like to take pictures.  You will find Ravensdale Creek to be a great spot for sunset photos over the next couple of months.  Soon the sun will be setting right down the chute.  It's still setting a few degrees south as you saw from the first photo, but it should be even better in a week or so.  Usually, lots of color even now.

Are we all fortunate to live in the northwest or what?

Making Videos With Timelapse Photos

Our son Craig is a wonderful photographer (you can find his work online at Craig Goodwin Photography).  Concerned about what I was going to do with myself in retirement, he and our daughter Hillary ganged up on me and along with Judy encouraged me to take up photography.  Hillary bought me a camera and Craig patiently began showing me the ropes of how to take pictures.  Needless to say, I became hooked and regularly look to Craig for both inspiration and knowledge.  I'm also his occasional "intern" at Art Shows.  So, when Craig begins experimentation with one photographic technique or another, it inspires me to learn more too.  Recently, he began doing some really neat time-lapse photography so I began playing around with sunrises here at Lake Sawyer and see what I could learn.  I did some time-lapse photography with night shots under the stars in the past, but that was really quite a bit easier than doing either sunrise or sunsets because of the dramatic changes in lighting that occur as the sun rises or sets.  For example, as the sun begins to rise, I might have to use a shutter speed as long as 20 seconds or more to capture an early image and then by the time the sun rises, I might have to speed it up to 1/250th of a second or faster and balance all this change with appropriate aperture and ISO settings over about an hour's period of time..  

Choosing where to do time-lapse photography is a critical starting point for success and in this, living here on Lake Sawyer, I am blessed with an ideal location without having to pack up and head out any time I want to give it a go.  This is also the perfect time of year for capturing colorful sunrise images - and foggy ones too.  Gosh, I wonder what it looks like as the fog rises during sunrise.  So, I set out to see what I could learn.  

Far from being a static environment, I learned that a foggy morning had a whole lot going on as the following 350 image time-lapse video will attest.

 

Having fog as the central image theme made it a little easier to photograph since camera setting changes during the transition from a 30 second exposure to 1/400th of a second were muted by the fog, making these changes look more natural.  And I learned what it looks like as the fog lifts.

The next one was a lot tougher.  The sunrise on January 30 was a knock-out.  There was both a lot going on and many lighting and color changes to blend together.  This one is still a work in process as I try to see how I can make it smoother with fewer flashes during setting changes.  But, what a sunrise it was.

Each day is so very different.  Following is a sunrise time-lapse taken on Jan. 26, 2019, my first try here at the lake.

 

The variety of colors and clouds and settings I see each morning make truth to the saying "it's a new day".

One more, this one taken on the 31st.  

 

Lot's of fun and a lot easier for me to set up now.  Much more to learn and having fun.

Lake Sawyer Water Temperatures

It sure seems like it's been a warm and dry January.  One indicator for me has been that I've been able to be out on the lake in our kayak at least a half dozen times so far this year.  I can't remember ever being out in January before.  Maybe it's all that tough old horsehide we grow for skin as we age, protecting us from the cold?  Curious, I checked the Lake Sawyer Weather website and sure enough, weather has been mild this January to say the least.  As of January 31, Lake Sawyer water temperature measured 48 degrees F at one meter below the surface.  That's certainly warm for this time of year.  I think we can forget ice skating around the lake again this year.  Here's the latest lake water temperature chart.

Although Bob Edelman, who maintains this website, doesn't have historical water temperature data readily available, he does provide historical annual rainfall data and historical ambient temperature data on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis for Lake Sawyer dating back to 2005.  Using this data, following are two charts.  First, January rainfall for the years 2005 through 2019.

2019 has had the lowest level of rainfall at just 2.87 inches in January over this period.  Average January ambient temperatures also are at the high end of the spectrum over this period.

Unfortunately, higher temperatures are not good for fish habitat, particularly trout and salmon.  The oxygen carrying capacity of warm water is much less than for colder water.  Not a problem for catfish though.  It's most likely wishful thinking, but let's hope that warming trends don't continue or accelerate as recent years and forecasts seem to suggest.

Thanks again Bob for keeping us informed about the lake!

Lake Sawyer Wildlife - Making it through Winter

Helped no doubt by our unseasonably mild weather, local wildlife seem to be thriving at the lake right now.  I see one or two bald eagles most mornings taking stock of what's on the menu for the day.  They also are flying a lot together - could it be mating season?  Migrating ducks are also abundant now with mergansers and goldeneyes also making preparation for mating season.  These Common Goldeneyes are good sized and live up to their name.  First the male:

Females too.  Their orange tipped beaks and reddish brown colored heads, along with their eyes, stand out more than many female ducks species.

My favorites are still the Pied-billed Grebes that go fishing every morning just off our dock.  The females have quite a long neck.

Males have more coloring on their beaks and are noticeably smaller.

I think we have a pair of squirrels nesting under our deck.  They love to do cleanup duty on the seeds and bits of suet that fall from our bird feeders when the birds are feeding.

Easy to get closeups of these guys. 

This one looks like he's sticking his tongue out at me.

Our favorites, of course, are the hummingbirds.

Will post some lake eagle pics when we get some more sunshine.  In the meantime, here are a couple of eagle photos from my travels to the Nooksack.

 

 

Prime Time for Sunrises at Lake Sawyer

With the sun at it's lowest angle of the year and plenty of high clouds for color, early January is often the best time for us to see amazing sunrises at Lake Sawyer.  Not that we haven't had some nice ones already, but colder weather also brings a few less low clouds that tend to give us the grey days of December.  That said, here are a few sunrise pics from the last couple of weeks.

The above photo is a 5 image panorama stitched together taken on Dec. 22.  

Totally clear skies aren't what we look for either.  Even just a few high clouds can add so much color, amplified by lake reflections.

Too many clouds for a lot of color in the above photo but for some reason, we often get just a small "slit" of clear sky on the horizon directly across the lake from us as the sun rises to the southeast. This same view that we see above looked very different only about 10 minutes earlier.

What's so much fun is that you never know what you will see and it changes so much in a 15 to 30 minute period of time.  

The above photo (a single exposure using a 20mm wide angle lens) was taken just 4 minutes after the first one I showed.  Clouds drift so much in a short period of time and colors change from pinkish to more orange and yellows in a matter of minutes.  One more.

Good news too about sunrise in December and January.  WE GET TO SLEEP IN and not miss a thing.  Get up at 7 am on weekends and you're good to go.  Somehow I feel like I'm cheating when I don't have to get up at 4:30 am.

How Do Hummingbirds Make It Through Winter?

The short answer to this question is that most of them migrate to warmer climates in Mexico and the Caribbean in winter and even to South America.  That's a long way for such a small bird.  But, according to National Geographic, more hummingbirds are staying north these days as a result of both warmer winter weather and human activity.  Winters in the Puget Sound region are by no means severe and we have lots of people activity, so we find lots of hummingbirds here year round.  How many of us have hummingbird feeders that we dutifully keep full of nice sugary water?  Many of us I'm sure.  Watching them fly and feed is so much fun!  So is trying to photograph them while in flight.  This one was taken Christmas eve morning.

To capture this image, I took the photo through our kitchen window and had to use a shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second.  What do hummingbirds feed on?  Of course, we all know that they love sugared water.  A concentration of 25% sugar is very similar to the high sugar content of flower and plant nectar that we typically see them feeding on in our gardens.  But hummingbirds are actually carnivores and feed on insects as their main food staple.  For some reason, the more people there are, the more insects and the better the habitat for hummingbirds.  Hmmm, some "food" for thought.  Sugar from plant nectar and people hummingbird feeders provide the fuel needed for them to catch their real nutritious food.

Look at those tiny little feet!  Hummingbirds need lots of sugar to survive and consume up to 1/2 their body weight in sugar each day.  A hummingbird's metabolism is the highest of any endothermic animal on earth and thus the need for lots of fuel.  To conserve energy during extreme cold weather, a hummingbird's heart rate can plummet from 1,260 beats per minute down to fewer than 50 beats - entering a state of torpor.  Even then, however, they can still lose 10% of their body weight over night.  They need food and lots of sugary fuel to find it.

Following is our latest addition of hummingbird feeders, this one made of blown glass by an artisan at a farmers market.  Pretty fun and holds plenty of sugar water.

Some people caution about making hummingbirds too dependent on people during the winter.  Fair enough.  Probably the best thing we can do is grow more plants that bloom in colder seasons - like hellebores.   And a couple of feeders properly attended will do just fine.

Now, if only I could find a way to increase my metabolism while eating all of that sweet holiday food, instead of going into torpor.  

Goings On

Two important issues are before our community this coming week:

1. Public Hearing re Black Diamond's city budget for 2019
2. Public Comment period ends re DOE Agreed Order for cleanup of the Reserve Silica mining site near Ravensdale

Black Diamond has scheduled a special Council meeting for Monday December 3rd at 7pm to receive public comment regarding the city's draft 2019 budget.  A copy of the budget can be found at Special Council Meeting Packet.  I know it can be arduous to work your way through all these numbers, but it's important too.  With significant development underway, it's particularly important now.  Increasing our city's financial reserves remains essential.  After having the coffers nearly bare in 2009, steady progress has been made over the years, with the notable exception of the Derdowski council spending of 2017.  The following chart shows beginning and ending general fund reserves. beginning in 2010.

You can find a complete copy of my comments for this year's budget at Download 2019 Budget Comments.  Please let our Council, Mayor and staff know that you care about these issues and support their efforts to continue to shore up city financial reserves.

The Reserve Silica site near Ravensdale and Ravensdale Lake has been closed for surface mining of silica and coal since 2007.  However, dating back to the 1980's, the site was also used as a dump site for hazardous materials that continue to this day to result in groundwater/surface water quality problems at and adjacent to the site.  Mine owners first sought to develop part of the site into residential lots.  Thankfully, with the help of local citizen's, the King County Council's preliminary approvals for changing land use were overturned and owners are now under Order from the State DOE to reclaim and clean up the site.  The public comment period for these reclamation plans can be found at DOE Reserve Silica and Greater Maple Valley Council - Reserve Silica.  This issue is important to Black Diamond and Lake Sawyer residents.  Surface water runoff through current groundwater seeps can contaminate Ravensdale Lake which flows into Ravensdale Creek which flows into Lake Sawyer.

 

Return of our Lake Sawyer Feathered Friends

As Thanksgiving approaches, we are beginning to see quite a number of our feathered friends at Lake Sawyer.  Some, like bald eagles, pied-billed grebes, ring-necked ducks, bufflehead, hooded mergansers and cormorants often winter-over here (I've seen each of these so far this year).  Ospreys will soon join them.  Others, like common mergansers, coots, western grebes, wood ducks, gadwalls, wigeons, teals, northern shovelers, golden-eyes and pintail ducks generally pass through heading south after a short rest.  And of course, we have our year-round resident great blue herons, Canadian geese and kingfishers.  If only we could induce the geese to migrate south.

Following are some photos from last week.

Also saw a juvenile eagle making the rounds yesterday.  With their old nest in Lake Sawyer Park badly damaged in past storms, let's keep an eye out for where they might build another nest or repair the old.  

These cute little pied-billed grebes are great fishermen and we see them diving near our dock year after year.

This male hooded merganser was hanging out with a group of ring-necked ducks at the south end of the lake.  The following shows a ring-necked duck on takeoff followed by his/her buddy merganser.

This time of year, you will often find a heron standing atop the outlet weir in the morning hours.  

The above photo was taken at Nisqually showing the bird's reflections.  Still working on getting a good recent shot of our Lake Sawyer herons.

More reflections taken at Lake Sawyer park of Mr. & Mrs. ring-necked ducks along with more heron reflections that follow.

It's a fun time of year for birders.

 

Sunrise at Lake Sawyer

My goodness, we've had "photographable" sunrises at Lake Sawyer for 6 out of the last 7 days - and this is November!  With morning fog drifting in and out, it has been particularly fun and challenging to capture.  In no particular order, here are a few examples.  Which one is your favorite?

Tuesday Nov. 13

Wednesday Nov. 7

Thursday Nov. 8

Monday, Nov. 12

Saturday Nov. 10

Sunday Nov. 11

 And one more from yesterday.

Not exactly tough duty getting up in the morning.  Don't forget to get your 2019 calendars.  $20 each with all proceeds benefiting the Black Diamond Community Center.  You can get them at the Smokehouse & More next to the Black Diamond bakery or let me know - I'll deliver or mail free of charge.  Tax deductible too!

Lake Sawyer Water Quality - 2018 Phosphorus Concentrations

For those not familiar with water quality sampling at Lake Sawyer, twice a year, in May and August, samples are taken to measure phosphorus concentrations in the lake at depths of 1, 8 and 15 meters.  Phosphorus is the best single indicator we have as to the health of the lake and potential for algae growth and eutrophication.  The lower the numbers, the better.  As one might expect, phosphorus concentrations are consistently lower in May, when stream flows into to the lake are high, and higher in August when the lake is lower and there is limited stream flow.  Following are the results posted earlier for May.  Trends are what we need to be concerned about.

Though we see some significant fluctuations, trend lines at all depths are essentially flat.  The same can be said for sample results in August.

Because flows and water levels vary significantly from year to year in August, we see more significant variations - though no clear trend at this point.  You might note that lake water levels were particularly low in 2015 and again this year.

Number one concern right now are plans by Pacific Coast Coal to restart the John Henry mine. Will keep you posted.

Photos of the Week

Fall officially began on Saturday Sept. 22 and the signs of change are in the air.  As our evenings cool, we still have flowers blooming but they are just hanging on.  Our sunflowers and cosmos seem to be the hardiest of the lot right now.

Sunflowers bring a smile to my face every day while cosmos may have invented the colors in the pastel palette.

It's a little early for birds to be migrating through or bald eagles and osprey to begin building their nests, but old faithful great blue herons continue to hold down the fort.  This one was practicing his/her "fancy dancing".

We no longer have to get up in the wee hours of the morning or stay up late to catch sunrise and sunset.  The angle of the sun is also flatter, leading to more and more colorful displays at Lake Sawyer.

Sunrise and sunset have both moved further south and rise at about 90 degrees to the east and set at 270 degrees to the west.  I guess that signals the start of fall.  Weather has also remained warm and nice.  It's not often that you will see sunrise reflecting on  Mt. Rainier in the morning without a cloud in the sky.

We also had a rare event with the moon setting right behind Mt. Rainier and the Milky Way also right over the mountain at the same time.  I had to hike up to Dege Peak to stay above the clouds initially.

And then the moon set and you can see some of the Milky Way behind it.

Looking forward to some great fall colors in the weeks ahead.

 

 

Lake Sawyer Water Levels - Current Readings

Thanks to Jack Sperry, we are able to track seasonal water levels in Lake Sawyer dating back to 1996.  As we can all tell just by looking at the lake, water levels have already gotten pretty low - the second lowest reading we have seen for this time of the year since data has been collected on a regular basis.  Here are the trends.

This is how Jack Sperry explained what he sees:

"As you will note on the graphs, the lowest yearly water level in my collection of King County data (1996-2006) and Bob Edelman’s (2010-2018) data using my water level gauge was in 2015(bright green line) when the inlets to the lake were restrained by beaver dams until they were removed.  This year (red line) is showing the 2^nd lowest summer water levels in my data collection.  I believe this is due to unusually lower rainfall this year and early and extended periods of warm and sometimes very hot weather.  We’ve received about 10 cumulative inches of rainfall less this year than at this same time last year and coincidently our water level (red line) is just a little more than 10 inches lower than it was a year ago (brown line)."

Hopefully, the current weather outlook for rain over the next week will help arrest the decline before it gets much lower.

Thank you again Jack for keeping us up to date.

Summertime in Black Diamond

As summer wanes, it's time to look back over my wanderings around town and pick out a few highlights, starting with from whence our community came.

Although a wayward automobile crashed the "party" this summer, damaging several exhibits at the Black Diamond History Museum, our miner stood strong and continued to oversee happenings in old town.  Thanks to Mira Hoke and Patty Moss, another part of local history also received a wonderful new face lift. Thank you Mira and Patty!

Other historic parts of town, like Lawson Hill, continued to stand tall after over 100 years.

St. Barbara Church continues to look like new.  Other places like this old gas station in Morgansville - not so new.

Across the street, though, signs of change with a new roof and paint job in the offing.

Less than a half mile from here, a whole lot of new is beginning to take shape.

This time of year, we find mountain bikers and road bikes all around town as they ride some of the best biking roads and trails that you'll find in King County.

Trails for young and old and all abilities - and pets on a leash too.

And some of the best fishing around.

Spectacular views of Mount Rainier in all its splendor.  You can go sight seeing and fishing all at the same time.

You just can't beat our local fishermen.

I guess that's why Osprey are also called Seahawks.  Don't mess with these guys either, part of our police auxiliary to slow down speeders.

Not all of our local wildlife are so aggressive.

Lake Sawyer is a great place to cool off too.

Fall is fast approaching.

Back to school beckons.

Enjoy Labor Day festivities today and tomorrow!  See you there.









 

Bald Eagles - So Much Fun to Watch

This year has been a banner year for watching eagles, be it at Wolf Lodge Bay in Lake Coeur d'Alene, along the Nooksack River, Skagit Flats and here at Lake Sawyer.  Lots of birds including youngsters and adults. There is something special about bald eagles that really grabs my attention.

Maybe it's seeing sheer power on display.  Look at those talons.  My curiosity about their habits and behavior led me to do a little research. 

• Why are they called bald eagles?  They are named for their white head (not lack of head feathers).  
• How big are they?  Females are typically larger than males, 35 - 37" long with a wingspan of up to 90".
• They can weigh from 8 to 14 lbs.

This is what I call a wingspan.

Their feathers weigh twice as much as do their bones, which are hollow and very light weight.  Their feet are actually tendons and as a result, cold resistant.  Eagle beaks, talons and feathers are made of keratin, the same material as in our hair and nails.  

• How do they stay warm when it's cold outside?  Their 7,000 or so feathers have several layers and can be rotated to increase or decrease insulating effect.
• How do they cool off in hot weather?  Eagles have a body temperature of 106 degrees.  To increase cooling, since they don't sweat, eagles pant or fluff their feathers.

Looks like he or she is having a bad hair day!  Eagles are known for their incredible vision.  They can be flying several hundred feet above the lake and see fish below the surface.  How do they do it?

• Eagle eyes are larger than eyes of adult humans.
• Each eye has two "fovea" or centers of focus allowing them to see both forward and to the side at the same time.
• Eagles also have binocular vision, allowing them to maintain depth perception while diving.

Despite being at the top of bird power ratings, their lives are far from easy.  Chicks stay in the nest after their eggs hatch for 10 to 12 weeks before taking flight and leaving.  Those early test flights can be interesting.  The following photo taken here at Lake Sawyer shows a juvenile taking some test flights outside the nest.  Look at how big they grow in such a short period.

Though they get their size early, the growing up process is a long one - 2 to 3 years before they reach full maturity and are able to mate. It has been estimated that 50 to 70% of all juveniles die in their first year and maybe 90% before reaching full maturity.  Learning to hunt for fresh food takes skill and practice.  Catching a fish for juveniles often takes quite a few passes and more often than not ends in failure.  This is one reason, perhaps, why juveniles rely more on eating carrion (dead animal carcasses) than do adults who feed mostly on live prey.

Following is a picture taken this summer of a juvenile "fishing" as the sun rose at Lake Sawyer.  Note the color of the bird's feathers.  They are just now turning into the familiar black with white head pattern of mature eagles.

It's so much fun watching them fish while competing with other eagles for territory.

How old do eagles live?  When in captivity, eagles have been known to live for 40 to 50 years. but when in the wild, 15 to 20 years would be more typical.  Life is tough out there.

Best time to observe eagles at Lake Sawyer seems to be in the morning during the first couple of hours after sunrise and late afternoon before sunset.  You can also see them in the middle of the day soaring high above the lake riding afternoon thermals, scoping out their territory - usually not fishing if they have already fed.  They eat between 1/2 to 1 and 1/2 lbs of food each day (6% to 11% of their body weight) and can gobble down a 1 pound fish in just 4 minutes. discarding what they don't want.

Following is a photo from a recent fly-by taken from our deck.

You can observe eagles at Lake Sawyer most anywhere on the lake, including at the boat launch park and the regional park at the south end of the lake.  Enjoy the spectacle!

 

Lake Sawyer Water Temperatures - Hot

With August temperatures among the highest we have seen for an extended period, being able to go for a swim or jump in the lake has offered great relief from the heat.  The Lake Sawyer boat launch and Regional Park have both been well used during this period.  How hot has it been?  Bob and Janie Edelman maintain a local weather station - most helpful if you want to know the answer to these questions (LakeSawyerWeather.com).  Following is the graphic posted today showing both ambient air temperature and lake water temperature measured one meter below the surface.

At over 80 degrees, that's almost bath tub hot.  

How do current lake water temperatures compare with history?  It's getting hotter.

Data Source:  King County 

The above chart shows water temperatures measured 1 meter below the surface dating back to 1993.  As you can see, the trend is up.  This does not bode well for water quality and local fisheries.  If surface water temperatures are rising, what about at 8 meters and 15 meters below the surface?

Data source:  King County

Sampling for temperature at 1, 8 and 15 meters below the surface are typically done twice a year , once in May and once in August.  Data for August 2018 has not yet been posted.  Please excuse the chart labeling showing November for each year.  The correct labels would be May and August (blame my lack of charting skills in excel for the mislabling).

Unfortunately, we are seeing spikes in water temperatures at 8 meters below the surface now too.  This is not good for salmon and steelhead spawning through Lake Sawyer and on to Ravensdale Creek and Rock Creek.  If you have done any hiking into the Green River gorge, you might note the signs that have been posted by Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.  Steelhead fishing this year is limited to catch and release only.  Water temperatures were apparently too high at the hatchery resulting in low survival rates for hatchery stock.  Trends would seem to indicate that this problem can only get worse.

Lake Sawyer Photo's of the Week

Our wonderful summer continues with even a little rain and cooler temperatures.  It also brought out the eagles and osprey enjoying stellar fishing this summer.  Here's one of this week's better fly-bys.

This is not what you would call a classic full moon rise but lots color.

So many different lake toys now in use and kids are having fun.

Our pets even get into the act.  I didn't realize that pets had lifesavers too.  Of course, this is Black Diamond.

This year's new leading edge water toy appears to be a motorized wakeboard or paddleboard.  No need for boat or paddles.

Some people take their exercise seriously and get around the lake the hard way.  Wow

Our police force has enlisted some help in patrolling the lake during off hours, so don't speed.

Looks like another great week ahead.  Be safe!

 

A Summer of Butterflies

I'm not sure why, but I seem to be seeing a much larger number of butterflies taking wing this summer than I have in the past.  Locally, the Western Tiger Swallowtails are both abundant and colorful.  They seem to particularly like our phlox.

One thing I've noticed in contrast to other local wildlife is that butterflies seem slow to get going in the morning - kind of like our teenage grandchildren who like to sleep in late.  Why?  As it turns out, butterflies need to get their blood temperature up to a minimum 86 degrees before they can fly.  Their lifespan as an adult butterfly is also typically short, perhaps just 3 months or less.

I first thought this guy was a moth but the club on the end of it's antenna clearly shows it to be a butterfly.  No such club for moths.  Here is another tiger swallowtail enjoying the nectar from one of our rhododendrons. 

How can butterflies survive from year to year?  As we all were taught in grade school, they have four lives.  First, a mature female must lay fertilize eggs, usually leaving them on a leaf as shown in the following picture.

Image courtesy Canisius.edu

Interestingly, some butterflies can "taste" with their feet, helping them to identify whether the leaf they are on will be a good place for laying eggs.  Caterpillars (larve) rely on these leaves for food as they grow and grow.  That's the job of caterpillars - eat and grow big.  They are not always the prettiest creature at this stage of their life.  

Note the ants clinging to this caterpillar.  Looking for a meal?  Because they grow so fast, caterpillars continually shed skin.  Then comes becoming a pupa, hanging from a tree swathed in a protective net and looking like a mummy.

Finally, mature butterflies hatch from the pupa, completing the cycle back to adult butterflies.  Once able to fly, it becomes a mad dash to mate and lay eggs before they can be eaten by numerous preditors, starting the cycle all over again.  They sure are pretty now.

 

 

 

Black Diamond Trails

Looking to find a shaded place for easy hiking close to home?  Try the old railroad bed which once carried passengers and coal to and from Black Diamond - now part of the Green to Cedar River trail plan.  Long term, this trail will take us all the way from Lake Washington to the Green River near Flaming Geyser State Park.  The following map shows the trail.  Most of it is hike-able and mountain bike-able and suitable for horses today, but some overpasses are needed such as at 288th and across the railroad tracks north of 288th.  In addition, most of the trail will eventually be paved to facilitate use by street bikes, trikes etc.   

The south section of the trail between 288th and Lake Sawyer park has some of the best "walking" trail you'll find.  The area is also haven to some great mountain biking so keep your eyes open for these hardy souls.  Following are several recent photos of the trail from this past weekend.

It was nice to see bikers with their dogs on a leash.  Some, like the woman above, attached the leash to her wrist.  Others attach it to the bike.

This guy sure looks like he is having fun.

Great place to teaching youngsters how to ride.

Also a great place for youngsters to carry their first backpack.  Have to carry water.  

Best parking is in the recently completed parking area on the west side (on your right heading south) along SR169 just south of 288th.  Gotta love the plant "cave" created by all the trees and bushes growing along and over the trail.