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The Daily Bucket - rainy days [1]

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Date: 2025-03-25

March 22-24, 2025

Pacific Northwest

The last few months have been abnormally dry in this area, but lately we’ve had a deluge of rain in a series of storm systems off the ocean. Over the past week we’ve added enough rain to get our normal March precip, though for the water year we’re still significantly below. Still, every little bit helps since we’re moving into the dry season.

Currently the ground is squishy with puddles everywhere. Newts abound. Chorus frogs are just deafening at night.

I was able to go out during a couple of brief windows in the rain when it was only drizzling. No other humans around but all the wildlife were managing the wet fine (with one exception). The warmer temps have brought out the insects when the rain lightens up intermittently.

Wildlife in the puddles, fields and pond —

These two hen buffies have been hanging out in this small pond for weeks

Drake Hoodie and a Killdeer bathe in the soggy grass/puddle interface

Song sparrow in bare dripping Nootka rose thicket

One of many flies feeding on fresh willow catkins

Some earthworms were not happy with the oversaturated ground. There were hundreds of dead worms on the roads. Some were still alive, heading for high ground refuge. I’ve always assumed worms emerge from saturated ground to avoid drowning (even though they get oxygen by diffusion across their skin from aerated dampness, they need oxygenated water). But apparently they can be immersed for days without dying. A google search of earthworm+rain+roads yields other explanations, the biggest one being that earthworms use wet ground as an opportunity to travel more quickly than burrowing. Earthworms sense precipitation by feeling the vibration on raindrops on the ground. Worm predators even use that response in hunting:

This explanation could help shed light on a practice called "foot trembling," which is seen in some birds and reptiles, Butt said. Instead of generating sounds by moving within the soil as moles do, these animals apparently stomp on the surface, generating vibrations that may mimic those from rain. These vibrations "can cause earthworms to come to the surface and fall prey to the predator," Butt said. www.livescience.com/...

But if coming to the surface is purposeful rather than reactionary, why are they dead? It’s possible they might get squished on some roads but this particular one gets traffic only by summer residents. Could they have dried out suddenly? But we haven’t had long stretches without precipitation over the past few days. It’s a bit of a mystery.

Alive on left, dead on right

In the bay, more ducks and friends —



Drizzling in the bay. Low visibility. I note the patch of alders on the left is pinking up.

Half a dozen Red breasted mergansers were cruising the shallows. Also two Goldeneyes, several buffies, and one Common loon (and lots of Canada geese). Raindrops.

Horned grebes are turning. The one on the right is in full breeding plumage.

A lone River otter fished in the shallows. More raindrops on the surface.

There were 5! seals on the dinghy dock. FriendlySeal + the two LittleWhiteSeals + two other individuals, all in a row.

Precipitation data as of this morning, Tuesday March 25, from CoCoRaHS:

The upper graph shows March precip is slightly above average. We got half that precip in this past week. Lower graph: blue line shows an uptick in cumulative but still below average for the water year:

Birds, mammals, amphibians and vegetation thrive in warm rainy conditions like this, it’s nice to see them enjoying a bit of a wet. And the sight of a madrona in full wet blazing color is enough to get me outside too.

(This is my last bucket for a few weeks since I’ll be heading out of the country on Friday, back mid April. Carry on, bucketeers!)



💦

A break in the succession of storms today in the PNW islands. Forecast is for another wet and windy system to roll through from Wednesday-Friday. Daytime temps in the low 50s, nighttime mid 40s.

What’s up in nature in your neighborhood?

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