Wild and Wonderful

As November comes to a close, when it rains down here at sea level, it snows up there at mountain level ~ the first snow.

Today in between rain showers, I skedaddled to my favorite place.  It was windy but mild. The waves were churning up all sorts of succulent morsels, much of it being caught amid the eelgrass, seaweed and whatever else accumulates along the shoreline.

A plethera of pinnipeds ;)

Seagulls were shrieking together over salmon bits and bones.  Can you see the salmon bones?

Eagles everywhere

A myriad of eagles flying overhead:

... perhaps keeping eagle eyes on this youngster. See the white feathers showing through?

 Oops, sorry to interrupt...Keep Calm and Carrion

Surprise!

Although the weather forecast predicted rain for the next while, today turned out to be a surprise.   Sunshine!

I was off on an adventure to my favorite place to experience wildlife away from my front and back yard.  Remembering I still had two fold up chairs in my vehicle, I was able to find a good viewpoint and sit down to enjoy the wonder of it all.

The Trumpeter Swans have returned. Parents with three young:

Eagles everywhere:

and a sea lion has a successful salmon hunt:

What a catch and what a day!

Many thanks to Hilary of The Smitten Image for chosing my Drama in the Skies post as one of her Posts of the Week.  I am in excellent company!  :)

Blustery

Sunshine hides from blustery days

A stiff-legged gull

With black toenails

Waits

The Feline Four

Oh gosh, they’re up to something now!

They really are the cat’s meow.

So humour me as I expand

on knowledge that has come to hand.

With George and Wimsey in cahoots,

they’ll soon require their two recruits

to join them on a certain quest ~

Perhaps what follows says it best.

The monocle suggests a clue~

A riddle starts each line anew:

We must away...

Listen to

Song of the Lonely Mountain

Lord Peter Wimsey

Inspired by the photos of Wimsey and his antics described on Nikki's blog ~ a mystery is solved.

A closer look and links:
Can you find at least eight additional props?

I much prefer the outside air

To sitting on a classy chair.

My passion is the great outdoors

Where it’s assumed I’m on all fours,

But sleuthing calls for many poses

As I search amongst the roses.

At times I pause; I need to think.

A pool is more than just a drink -

As I reflect and contemplate

On all the clues I’ve found of late...

A Side Blotched lizard slithers by.

A grassroots movement? Private eye!

And yes, he wears a Bowler hat,

A tailored suit and starched cravat.

Although it’s thought I give him chase,

We work together on each case.

Egads, I’m not a lizard hunter!

He, my friends, is Mervyn Bunter.

His alias when on the loose

Is Lennie, Gimpy, Newt or Bruce.

Lord Peter Wimsey, by the way.

I'm at your service, come what may.

Drama in the skies

We have been blessed with a couple of clear crisp days.  Mixing some work (raking and bagging leaves) and play (taking my camera on a nature quest) was a great way to spend them.

So back to check out the 'river meeting the sea' area.  There were many shorebirds in the water and flying about; there were seals and sea lions still pursuing spawning salmon; there were a few large dead salmon along the shore which were of interest to the crows...but the main drama of the visit was the interaction between two eagles.

A Bald Eagle was manning a post overlooking the waters when a darker large bird approached ... can you see the dark wings at the lower portion of the left post in the following photo?

This series of photos shows what happened next:

The large dark bird could either be a 2nd year juvenile Bald Eagle or a Golden Eagle; according to the bird ID reply it is hard to distinguish between the two when Bald Eagles are at this stage.

I wonder as I wander...

Do you ever wonder what a bird might be doing or thinking?  I was wandering along a wooded trail near the shoreline, when something up in the midst of the trees, caught my eye.

I have seen the Great Blue Heron stand like a statue for ages in and around water, but this one was moving its head frequently. I suppose from such a height there is much to catch its interest.  I wonder if they nest there in the spring.

I carry on along the trail and spy a seagull eyeing something that seems rather unappealing.  I wonder if it thought so, too ~ although how could anything be more unpleasant than swallowing starfish whole?

While I wander, I find a little spot to sit and wonder some more.

I clamber over rocky crags to peer into tidal pools, and wonder at the variety and richness of life swirling inside.

I wend my way back along the trail; a shimmer of blue catches my eye!

Great blue herons eat small fish, swallowing them head first...and frogs, salamanders, snakes, lizards, shellfish, small birds, rodents, grasshoppers, and other insects such as dragonflies. 

I wonder if the Great Blue Heron is looking for the little blue dragonfly!

A Layer of Love

A brilliant display of Red Oak and Pink Dogwood leaves in the front garden ~

After the fall ~