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We were treated to a spectacular sunset this evening that lasted for a long time and kept changing. The weather today was glorious — we got up to 83°, and there were gentle breezes. Many people came to enjoy Point Reyes Station and environs, and we spent most of the day at home watching birds in the backyard. We are also starting to pack up and get organized for our brief visit back home. Matt is going on a work trip, and I'll be at home Tuesday through Thursday getting the washer and dryer delivered and working my regular hours more or less.

The wild world around us: The Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) is the main deer we see in Point Reyes National Seashore. They are a native subspecies of mule deer. They are important in the food web. They are most active at dawn and dusk and browse on shrubs, twigs, and herbaceous plants. Non-native deer have been introduced in the past and are competitors. There are 5 deer species in the United States. White-tailed deer is found across most of the eastern, central, and southern US and is the most common; Mule deer is common in the western half of the country; Elk, which are large members of the deer family found mostly in western mountains and northern states; Moose, the largest deer species living in northern woods and Alaska; and Caribou (Reindeer) found primarily in the wild areas of Alaska. Point Reyes has had Fallow Deer (Mediterranean) and Axis Deer (India and Sri Lanka) introduced in the 1940s for hunting. They have mostly all been removed.

Thick ground fog early this morning. Beautiful backyard where we spent much of our day

This is like the perfect landscaped garden with different colors, textures, and heights.

Chipmunk eating lichen!
Ants! They have different ants here than in the city or where I grew up. I wonder how many different kinds of ants there are!
The sides of the trail are so varied. This is the location where the frogs sing
84.9% illumination

6:33 am – 7:53 pm, which is 13 hours and 20 minutes of daylight. (It's noticeable our evening walks need to start earlier)

The bird of the day is the Bewick's Wren

Here is a poem for you.

Love, Tawnia

Bird List: 40 species today

California Quail
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Acorn Woodpecker
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Western Wood-Pewee
Western Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Steller's Jay
California Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Oak Titmouse
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Wrentit
Pygmy Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Pacific Wren
Bewick's Wren
European Starling
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
House Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Wilson's Warbler