The rain over the past week at Dogstar brought out all kinds of critters. I found the toad (Bufo americanus) hopping around near the garage and the unknown bug in Janie’s garden. A pair of pileated woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) were making a ruckus in a tree about 100 yards from the back porch and I was able to catch a good shot with a long zoom.
Janie has been noting that the rainfall amounts reported by the Dogstar Observatory weather station seemed low. Never one to ignore my wife’s comments for very long (terrible things can happen!), I checked out the rain gauge and found a layer of muck in the bottom that was restricting water flow to the tipping bucket rain sensor. Perhaps from wind blown dust from East Reach or pollen left over from the spring. I will have to check it more often in the future!
Jim
