Nature Watch, Your Flora and Fauna Photos and Stories

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IMG_8120.jpeg IMG_8119.jpeg Nine/Eleven Storks.
My dad always told me that the valley was full of storks in the mid last century.
Yet I never saw one. Now they are back!
Very happy.
:)
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Looking at the echinacea yesterday, I spotted a Robin on the grass...



Honey bees are getting their fill...



This Red Admiral is looking pretty tired...







This Red-Spotted Purple is amazing...



 
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My wife and I have been following the development of three Cooper hawk fledglings that hatched in the city woods/forest across the street from our house. It’s been awesome to watch these young hawks over the past month or so, and yesterday a neighbor sent me these pics; one of the fledglings found its way to a fresh rain puddle at a neighboring cemetery. Neighbor Matt, aka Matty Ice, said he stood there and talked with the hawk for several minutes as it bathed itself in the puddle.
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Something is blooming in the garden.
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This thing dropped out of a ufo and its planning to take over the world. IMG_20240725_124838.jpg
General Sherman Sequoia
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And I always have a pair of cooing doves around to enjoy the water and bugs.
 
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2FCDF73B-5E3C-4CD7-BDFD-1749207F2B65.jpeg 6D9BF3A0-06F0-44E0-ACBD-F7130D2F65AE.jpeg 4BD1AE7C-E7EC-446A-9683-A6B2A50E9733.jpeg E1B688CA-0258-442B-AE30-56D289FA6ED2.jpeg 906A8641-85F9-445D-BD59-10DD6133A23C.jpeg E5CC024B-D153-4F17-89CB-F42BB63F29ED.jpeg E58C3575-86CC-45F3-8678-DB682368E78E.jpeg Very tiny nothin near the little fellow for scale but he could easily be palmed. I was concerned look like he was breathing in distress but I later saw him hopping with the family
 
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Hiked a couple spots off National Forest Rd 83, S and SE of Mt. St. Helens today. Road access was closed until late June.

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The Mountain was cloud-capped today, so no great pictures, and because the majority of the destruction was on the north side, this is also the more normal looking side of the volcano.

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Still, some pretty good views. During the 1980 eruption the majority of the mudslides came down the South-SE side.

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Most of the signs of that destruction are gone today but some of the areas you can hike on the South Side do have plenty of partially standing destroyed trees. This trail leadi g to the Pine Creek shelter is also completely covered in volcanic ash.
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Pine Creek shelter, built in 1921 (restored in the 90's).


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The snow melt from the mountain cuts through a much older lava flow leaving behind a series of waterfalls. This water is moving incredibly fast!


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So many bees in our garden right now; I am so happy. Seems there are more than last year.

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A pair of Woodhouse's "toadlets." I was hiking near Swift Reservoir (WA) yesterday and saw dozens of these hopping about, but these two sat for a photo.
 
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Another picture from Neighbor Matt of one of the Cooper’s hawk fledglings. Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, ME.
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Another picture from Neighbor Matt of one of the Cooper’s hawk fledglings. Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, ME.
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Nice picture. Last year we had a fledgling Cooper's Hawk hit our back windows while hunting the birds at our birdfeeder. Unfortunately it didn't survive the crash...:unsure:

They're beautiful birds.