Go for nature walks on the weekends

Did a lot of nature walking this past weekend, up to beautiful Ruby Beach near Forks, Washington and Damon Point at Ocean Shores, Washington. Perfect weather with low wind and 65 to 70 degree temperatures, found lots of shells and rocks, happy people and happy dogs with waggy tails. My dog certainly did not complain!

Spent the afternoon at a local beach and found lots of crabs, sanddollars, sea worms, oysters, clams, geoducks, snail shells and sea weed everywhere! It was great for the kiddo to interact with the sea life and explore.

I’ve been banned by hubby from going on a Nature Walk today since I am still not over my horrible cold/flu, and he’s mad at me for being up and about, so we will do our nature walk in the back and front yard this weekend. Yesterday I went out and weeded a bit, and my son found wonderful worms and beetles and isopods, picked dandelions and little muscari, and dug in the dirt a bit. He also climbed a tree and found some sticks, so I think he got his nature shot for the weekend. The weather this weekend is simply too beautiful to stay inside and do nothing.

I mentioned in my last post I picked up a Nature Journal for my son, and one for me….here is the detail on the one I picked up for my son…from PAJARO

www.pajaro.com/mnj.shtml

More pictures coming….

It was raining this morning, but we dressed for it and braved it anyways….hubby with his camera, and son with his ziplock baggie to find something that represented ‘nature’ to him. He settled on two blades of grass…one newly green, and one dry, brown, and dead from last summer.

In between showers, we walked about 4 miles total and saw many wonderful things, including a river otter crossing in front of us on the trail, chickadees, robins, hummingbirds, and woodpeckers gathering nesting materials from the lichen, moss, and cattails. We also saw a Great Blue Heron, several Canadian Geese, and wood duck, loon, and regular ducks….and a few banana slugs.

Spring is emerging, and we saw salmon berry blossoms, flowering water lilies, pussy willows, and other green shoots appearing. The bird songs were fantastic.

Afterwards, we stopped in at the gift store and I picked up a great waterproof nature journal with pen, and a kid’s nature journal for my son and I to write in while hubby is taking pictures for future walks. I also found a great little journal bag to carry the items in as well as to carry any field identification reference cards, compass, and/or snacks.

I want to get my family to go for a weekly nature walk, even if it is 10 minutes long or a whole day, on the weekends. We have plenty of beautiful places right around here (over 30 parks) and the beach to the West and to the North, mountains to the West and East, and prairie to the South. I will try to post pictures as they become available and we go.