January: We are experiencing the shortest days of the year. The first thing that comes to ind is that by the end of January, the days are noticeably longer. The last few days of the month the sun is actually setting after 5:00 p.m. But does that mean I'd just as soon have January hurry up and be done with it. Not at all! January is one of the few months we can have snow. A nice snow fall can brighten the darkest days. It doesn't happen every year and perhaps that's what makes the snowfalls so special. And if snowfall isn't enough, January is a great month for sunrises.
February: February can be beautiful or rainy. My first February here in 2005 we had less than an inch of rain and numerous days of sunshine. With these lovely winter days many years the first plants start blooming. Red flowering currant, white fawn lilies along with blue-eyed Mary make it a very patriotic month.
March: The switch to spring on the equinox. March has many species of flowers that start blooming: buttercup, camas, paintbrush and shooting star are four of my favorites.
March also is when the nesting migrating birds start returning. Rufous hummingbirds arrive along with white-crowned sparrows and orange-crowned warblers joining the resident song sparrows and spotted towhees among others.
April: Throughout the month, more and more color is added to the island and the dawn chorus is in full swing. April has an aliveness, a happiness, like no other month.
April dawn chorus on Yellow Island
May: In 19 years here on Yellow, peak blown has fallen between the last week of April and first week of May every year except two. That also means that these two weeks are the heaviest visitation weeks of the year. For those that know me, you know I'm pretty much an introvert that loves his solitude. But if you really know me, you know i love to share and show off the island. There is nothing like sharing the beauty of Yellow Island with first timers here as well as old friends that have been appreciating it long before I became steward.
May also has more first bloom dates. Another of my favorite flowers, broadleaf stonecrop, covers the rocky outcrops most of the month and on into June. And, our latest arriving migrant arrives to nest, olive-sided flycatcher with its 'quick, three beers' call.
Olive-sided flycatcher
June: Ah, the longest days of the year and I'm loving it. Prickly pear cactus begins blooming and it's like playing Where's Waldo. Each bloom only last 24-36 hours so you need to be alert or you'll miss them. Also, the first baby birds are fledging.
July: Seal pupping month. Throughout July seal moms are busy birthing, nursing and otherwise caring for their pups. It's always great fun to watch the mother/pup interactions.
August: The days are getting noticeably shorter. My August blog (August 2017 Blog) was the August Top Ten List. Perhaps my favorite August event is the fledging of the black oystercatchers. They are successful perhaps three years out of five, and it always amazes me that they are successful at all. They nest on nearby Low Island that is also a seal haul out and nursery. One year Low Island had 18 bald eagles plus numerous turkey vultures feasting on a dead adult seal. A week after the carcass was totally scavenged, the oystercatchers fledged three young. How they hide those young on an island measuring less than a tenth of an acre I'll never know.
September: After labor Day, it's like a hush comes over the islands. The crowds are gone, the weather still gorgeous, the sailboats are actually sailing and I can gain let my introvert side dominate.
See last year's September blog to know why September is my favorite month.
October: The fires in the wood stove for the fall. More migrating ducks are returning. And, for the past half dozen years I've had the opportunity to work with a class at FHL, the Pelagic Ecosystem Function Apprenticeship (PEF for short). My responsibilities are helping students learn to identify and record marine birds and mammals. It's always a pleasure to assist the next generation that will be taking care of the planet.
November: I always think of November as the wind storm month. If I'm off island and miss a storm even I somehow feel cheated. Feeling the power of a fall storm makes me feel alive. Plus just seeing how it can change the island. The spits (actually tombolos) at either end of the island get rearranged every year mostly by November storms.
(You can just feel the power of the waves.)
November is many years the rainiest month. In 2009 we had just under 6 inches of rain. It's the time of year for filling water cisterns and knowing why the moss can compete with the cactus on the same rock.
December: The month to reflect on the past year being thankful for the cycles of nature and chance to witness them. A time to come home to a warm cabin enjoying the solitude, or going off island to share special holiday moments with friends.
"The care of the earth is our most ancient and most worthwhile, and after all, our most pleasing responsibility." Wendell Berry
"Ten thousands flowers in spring, the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.
If the mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life."
Wu-Men (1183-1260)
Throughout the year I am grateful for the opportunity to be a witness to the changing seasons nature provides. Each and every day is special!
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