Flakes, Friends and Feathers

Already December is careening along!  The list for the December photo scavenger hunt is as follows:

Where you stood
Down low
A view from here
A favourite thing
Front door
Sweet
Christmas
Decoration
Tree
Tradition
Black & white
Whatever you want

I am hoping that I won't need any of the following photos for my December compilation! Shall I take the risk? ;)

Unbeknownst to me as I was publishing my previous post on November 28 - white things were falling from the sky!  Falling flakes of snow, in fact, and when I looked outside into the night, the world had paled to white.

Fortunately the West Coast does not often find itself in this freezing mode, so although it stayed below zero for a day or two, it is now slightly warmer...like 2 degrees above zero ;)

Of course I had to check on the Neigh-baas and see how they were faring in their crispy world...

 They had found the only sunlit corner of the field and were sharing wintery whispers.

At the front door, I glimpsed the mountain through the bare trees, saw the new fallen snow, and hoped for a clear crisp day.

Winter jacket, scarf, gloves, camera...off I went to 'where the river meets the sea' :)  But first, a stop at a closer estuary...
This gull sneakily changed positions without me noticing...

...arriving at my destination, I am greeted by a sweet Song Sparrow

and a female Brewer's Blackbird

There are sea and shore birds everywhere!  No other person, just me and the birds.... :)

Busy Black Turnstones, in the company of a young Thayer's gull, scurry and splash at the water's edge.

Here's a Turnstone enjoying splashing in the sun and surf ~

and a startled pair of Trumpeter Swans here for the winter season ~

All clear...

One deciding to have a downy rest ~

  

Overhead...trumpeting

As I stood there, two flocks of Trumpeter Swans flew overhead and landed...what a spectacle.  These are huge magnificent birds...and although I see them each year, I am still awestruck.

Another flock...juveniles are grey

I have more to share from this location, but that is probably enough for this post...however, must finish off with another view from the front door, as sun set over the mountain...