Och så snöade det hela natten så nu har vi ca. 20 cm snö överallt. Detta är inte inräknat att det snöade hela dagen igår (se föregående post för en mer korrekt taxonomi över vad som hände igår), men allt det smälte bort. Och det är tydligen så att det ska snöa hela dagen idag också…
Winter is coming. Read the rest of this entry
33 dagar kvar, och just hemkommen från våningen nedanför där Deb hade en brunch till vilken hon bjudit in en massa folk. God mat, massor av lekande med en halvårsgammal bäbis, Sasha, som älskar att bli blåst i ansiktet, klickljud, och skägg. Diskuterade bland annat en oerhört bra manga/anime, Attack on Titan (Shingeki no kyojin), som går att läsa online här.
Ikväll ska vi deklarera, och ta reda på om vi får någon återbäring eller inte. Förra året fick jag tillbaka i stort sett allt jag betalat i skatt, så när som på femtio dollar eller något. Får se hur det blir i år Det är inte lika enkelt som i Sverige, utan man måste gå in på nån hemsida och fylla in allt man kan och sedan får man reda på om man får något tillbaka eller inte.
Dessutom snöar det ute igen. Regnblask egentligen, men det ser ut som snö när det faller.
I was at Antelope Island last week, and the camera of course died after ten minutes, but I did manage to get this one picture of a coyote Canis latrans: Read the rest of this entry
Lots of new stuff. Yesterday, on my way to the first Biology Class with the Free Skool, I passed through Liberty Park, and got my first: Larus argentatus smithsonianus, the North American subspecies of Herring Gull (gråtrut).
Today, Andrew and I went to Antelope Island and Farminton Bay, but the fog was so thick that we could hardly see anything. There was some open water along the causeway that leads to Antelope Island, and we had some luck there with all three species of Bucephala in the world! A female Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula, which is the same species as back home (knipa), but a different subspecies (B. c. americana), one pair of Barrow’s Goldeneye Bucephala islandica (islandsknipa), and several Buffelheads Bucephala albeola (buffelhuvud). There was also a Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis (amerikansk kopparand), lots of Chukars Alectoris chukar (berghöna), and some Canvasbacks Aythya valisineria.
We continued to Farmington Bay quite early, as we couldn’t see farther than about 100 m at Antelope Island. Farmington gave more Herring Gulls, as well as both Western Gull Larus occidentalis, Thayer’s Gull Larus thayeri, California Gull Larus californicus, and Ring-Billed Gull Larus delawarensis (ring-näbbad mås). Lots of Bald Eagles Haliaeetos leucocephalus (vithövdad havsörn) on the ice, and over-all a good diversity of birds of prey, including Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus (blå kärrhök), American Kestrel Falco sparverius (sparvfalk), and others. The most diversity was in ducks, however, with several large flocks containing:
– Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (gräsand)
– Pintail Anas acuta (stjärtand)
– Shoveler Anas clypeata (skedand)
– Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis (amerikansk kricka)
– American Wigeon Anas americana (amerikansk bläsand)
– Gadwall Anas strepera (snatterand)
– Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera (kanelårta)
– Merganser Mergus merganser (storskrake)
Some Pied-Billed Grebes Podilymbus podiceps (tjocknäbbad dopping) were in those flocks as well, and here and there on the ice stood Great Blue Herons Ardea herodias. One Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia (sångsparv) was foraging around the reeds where we were standing.
On the way out, we also saw a Red Fox Vulpes vulpes hunting in the snow!
We’re probably going back next weekend again when there’s no fog.
Species list update:
Life list:
– Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera
– Barrow’s Goldeneye Bucephala islandica
– Western Gull Larus occidentalis
US list:
– American Herring Gull Larus argentatus smithsonianus
– Merganser Mergus merganser
– Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
Utah list:
Bald Eagles Haliaeetos leucocephalus
Photos will follow once I’ve uploaded them to the computer.
So the last week has had:
– Rain that freezes when it touches the ground, so that everything is covered in a thin crust of ice;
– Pouring rain that sweeps away all the ice and much of the snow;
– A persistent snow storm that caused no less than two car accidents (one humorously involving a snow plough) on my street alone;
– Sunshine during the day that melts the snow;
– Snow during the night, obviating any progress towards Divine Spring that could have been caused by the sunshine during the day.
Did some of you just prank me into believing that I left Gothenburg, and in reality I am just living in one of those parts of the two that everyone knows exists, but no one has ever visited, such as Mölndals Kråka, Björlanda, or Gullbergsvass?
Also: I have a slight cold, which is not incapacitating, but very irritating.
Det har duggregnat hela dan, men är så kallt att allt fryser så fort det nuddar marken… Hela Salt Lake City är täckt av en tunn isskorpa, och det är tydligen ännu värre utanför stan… Lite som Göteborg är mellan september och maj, med andra ord.
The snow is gone again in the valley, but it’s still not very warm. I am guessing that the snow sublimate away due to low humidity (desert, remember?) rather than actually melting.
Speaking of which:
Red-hot ice!
Compare that to what I though the desert here would be like:
NOT FOR BEAR LOVERS!
I was at Smith’s (a large grocery store) today FOR VARIOUS REASONS. Read the rest of this entry
Kom precis hem från brädspelandet, och det har nu snöat i stort sett konstant i 48 timmar. Det längsta uppehållet vad jag vet var ungefär en halvtimme mitt på eftermiddagen idag. Snödjupet är ungefär 40-50 centimeter.
I just got back from boardgame night, and it’s now been snowing more or less constantly for the last 48 hours. The longest break, as far as I know, was about half an hour today during the afternoon. The depth is about 40-50 centimeters.
Treeweasels 