Great Backyard Bird Count Starts Today

Some friends reminded me that the Great Backyard Bird Count starts today. Fortunately it's a four-day event, so there's still plenty more time to be looking for birds. This is a great citizen scientist project, because you can do it right in your backyard. Or you can go on a special outing (read--good excuse to get out of the house!) to go find some birds.

Then you submit them on the GBBC website and scientists will look for trends. What birds are where and how does that differ from other years? Are certain species more predominant (like those blasted Eurasian collared doves that have nearly overtaken the mourning doves around here?)? What differences are there between cities, suburbs, and rural areas?

Despite the cold weather, there are birds nearly everywhere. Today I've seen mountain bluebirds (like the one in the photo above). I love the vibrant blue of their feathers. I've also seen a couple northern flickers, the most plentiful woodpecker around here, and with a conspicuous white rump easy to identify as it flies in its undulating pattern. I've seen dark-eyed juncos flitting in the trees and showing their tails with the white on the edges. A golden eagle was on the pole on the way to work. They are so much bigger than the other raptors around here (other than bald eagles) that it's easy to identify them.

Happy Birding! 
Let me know what you see.

Fun in the Snow

 Winter has finally come! We sure were excited to see some snow on the ground. Henry enjoyed munching on some big bones. What do you think they were from?

 From a dinosaur, of course!

 Desert Girl and Desert Boy got to try out the snow shoes. The footprint ones were a lot more fun than the regular ones.






Then it was time to go sledding down the pile of gravel in our driveway. Some day it may be spread around so we don't track so much dirt and mud into our house, but I'm guessing that day may still be months away. In the meantime, we might as well make the best of it!

Desert Boy really wanted to make a snowman, but the snow had gotten a little crusty and we had to settle for a miniature snow man.

It was small, but cute!

Henry kept chomping on the bones. Then the kids decided they had to chomp on something, too.

Fortunately they didn't need bones--snow did the trick.

Yum, what a treat.

Finally it was time to go inside and get some hot chocolate. But first we had to find a suitable spot for the snowman--on top of Henry's doghouse.

We're hoping we have some more time to play in the snow before the warm days melt it all away. We might have to head to higher ground. And keep our fingers crossed that we really do get another snow storm this weekend!

Leap Second--Don't Wait Up For It!

11:59:60

So I was listening to an astronomy podcast and they talked about the leap second. What?!? That got my attention. 

This is a leap year, so I know that we have a February 29 this year. That's because the earth's orbit is 365.242199 days, so we have to add an extra day every four years. (Like how I have those extra decimal places? Let me tell ya, I'm feeling like a mighty proud geek right now!)

But I sure haven't heard of a leap second before. Apparently the earth's rotation isn't exactly the same all the time. Earthquakes, melting of ice sheets, and unknown factors can cause the earth to rotate at slightly different speeds. Our time system was based on measuring the amount of time from the sun's zenith (high point) one day to the sun's zenith the next. That time is 24 hours, which is divided into 60 minutes per hour and 60 seconds per hour. 

Then along came some people who needed (or wanted?) to measure time more exactly, hence the atomic clock, which uses atoms and measures wavelengths to determine time. So now we have a problem with this ultra precise time measuring system not jiving with what the earth is actually doing. 

Some super-smart people decided that the thing to do would be to add (or subtract) a second when necessary. This year, we need to add a second. So at the end of June, instead of the clock going from 11:59:59 to 12:00:00, it will go from 11:59:59 to 11:59:60 to 12:00:00. 

Of course something like changing time is a little controversial, which you can read about here, along with a whole lot more info about leap seconds. It will take a little longer than a second to read, so you'll have to decide if it's worth the time we'll be gaining.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We haven't had any elaborate preparations for Valentine's Day, but with a rainy afternoon yesterday, it was the perfect time to pull out the construction paper, glue, scissors, and crayons so the kids could make valentines for their preschool friends.

Oh yes, we also had to get out the paleta sticks. (Paleta means popsicle in Spanish, and the kids learned the word first in Spanish, so that's how they remember it, kind of cute.) Desert Boy was so excited to use the paleta sticks for a project. Desert Girl was delighted to play with glue. She didn't really produce anything except a mess, but she was happy.

Hope you have Feliz Dia de San Valentin!

Central Great Basin Running Races

Ready to stretch your legs? Then it's time to head to the Central Great Basin for some running races!

Saturday, February 25 is the Wild Goose Chase in Delta, Utah. It's part of the annual Snow Goose Festival, which celebrates the migrating snow geese that enjoy the fields around Delta and then often overnight on the reservoir. The race is a 5K and 10K run or walk that goes right along the reservoir for part of the route. Sign up by February 24 for discounted price.

Sunday, June 17 is the Snake Valley Slither, a 5K race with beautiful views of Great Basin National Park and the surrounding area. You can enjoy some of the Snake Valley Festival before the race. The website still has info from 2011, but the 2012 version should be up soon.

Ready to try something longer? Head over to Cave Lake for Ely, Nevada's first half-marathon, Take It To The Lake Half Marathon. Run 13.1 miles in a beautiful setting. A kids' one-mile run will also be part of the event.

Know of any other Central Great Basin races? I'd like to know!