Wednesday, November 21, 2012

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!  :)

18 comments:

  1. The Stellar Jay looks a bobby dazzler.
    That looks like a very large salmon meal the seal has.
    Congratulations with the Blogs of the Week award.

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    1. Thanks John. Because of its bright blue colour, the Steller's Jay is eye catching ~ it is on the large side, too, so not easily missed. The adult salmon do get huge and I was pleased to see that I'd caught the whole salmon in the photo. The seal lion then flung the thing in the air and then went after it again...no wonder the gulls hang around in a frenzy when that happens.

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  2. That sea lion must be a happy chap. It is sunny here for an hour or so....blowing a gale though. It looks very peaceful where you are.

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    1. Yes, the sea lion made quite a catch! It is a very special place to visit, and although it can be quite noisy (bird wise), it is peaceful :)

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  3. What stunning wildlife you have! I would love to have a deer walking through my garden, and I wouldn't mind an eagle or two to enjoy! Those eagles get me EVERY time, stunning they are.
    That salmon is GIGANTIC! Almost as big as the sea lion. What a shot to capture!
    Well done on the award, you deserve it.xxxxx

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    1. So pleased to know you enjoy seeing my wildflife photos, snowbird! I was happy to get the photo of the whole salmon in the sea lion's mouth...usually just see ragged bits of pink! The eagles are always interested when the salmon spawn so they are in good supply.

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  4. Lucky you seeing all that wildlife both on your doorstep and further afield. The photos are wonderful, and the weather looks good, whilst here it was extremely wet yesterday and very windy today.
    Hilary has excellent taste in choosing that as one of her Posts of the Week. Flighty xx

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    1. Thanks Flighty ~ Lots of wildlife around during the salmon spawn. Glad you enjoyed the photos, and when the weather is bright, I'm out in it! We've had a mix of rain and sun, and it is getting frosty some nights. Fresh snow on the mountain!

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  5. lovely photos, nice to see the swan family!

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    1. Thanks CGP! Yes, the Trumpeter Swans have gathered here for the winter after spending time farther north in Alaska.

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  6. Still chilly looking, but not as blustery! Hurray for the surprise sunshine. Should I tell you that we had to have all the windows open during Thanksgiving meal today because it was so warm?

    Your shot of the sea lion with the salmon is amazing. That's quite a mouthful!

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    1. Yes, you have it right on Nikki re the weather. I can't imagine it being warm enough to have the windows open! Must be lovely :)

      Thanks re the shot of the sea lion and salmon. I was pleased to get that shot!

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  7. The water looks perfectly serene - beautiful. And what a massive salmon the seal caught - I always feel sorry for salmon, everything is out to get them.

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    1. Thanks Elaine ~ it is a lovely spot and can be very serene, and other times quite wild when the tide is coming in and the wind is blowing. I much prefer to visit when the sun shines:) Yes, the salmon are hunted by so many ~ and seem very vulnerable as they head from the sea up the river to spawn.

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  8. Good grief Glo!! That Salmon is massive!!!! What a great capture, well done :-) Beautiful photo of the swans too.

    You certainly do see a great variety of wildlife in your own garden, even deer, how lovely.

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    1. Hi ShySongbird ~ Thanks for your comment. I sent the photo of the salmon catch to our local newspaper and they published it, so that's exciting :) Other photos I've taken of the sea lion/salmon encounter usually show pink chunks rather than the whole salmon, so I was happy to get this photo. The Trumpeter swans are so beautiful as they glide in the water, especially on a sunny day. They are huge, too, and when they take flight, the sound of their wings flapping is amazing ~ sounds like a motor!

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  9. Wow.. fine shots. I love the swan family and those eagles are just so majestic. It's the seal fishing that grabs me thought. That's a fine catch for him and for you.

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    1. Thanks Hilary ~ I was pleased to capture that shot. There was a lot of activity in the water and I just kept clicking away :)

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