A beautiful day......

I should have done this report yesterday evening, but the same holds true for today....it is a beautiful day....

We'll start over at Harrison Bay where it was so calm and quiet.  Water levels have actually dropped slightly (and even more today) but that is due to cool nights the past few days.  With temperatures on the rise now I expect the water levels will be coming back up.

the Osprey were back at the piling....when I zoomed in I could see that the nest under construction is actually down in the piling group, not on top...there was actually another pair working on a nest on another set of pilings further out.

in fact at one point this Osprey came towards us, circled behind the trees and I thought it was going to perch when it suddenly snapped a branch off just as neat as you please and took it off to the nest.  My regret was not having my DSLR camera with me as I could have got a spectacular shot.

Still a number of Canada Goose pairs although I noticed that the numbers of them in the adjacent farm fields has dropped dramatically.  I'm still waiting to see any goslings.

It looks to me that there is a nest down in that rotten piling so maybe some goslings will be seen soon.

did see a Spotted Sandpiper though......

and the Wild Roses are coming into flower.

this European Starling was taking what looks like a beetle to it's nest....

and there is one of those White-crowned Sparrows in the same general spot we've been seeing them.

back up at my end.....

look at all the baby fish enjoying the sunshine! 

a big surprise was turning around and spotting this Ruffed Grouse sneaking across the path!

This female American Goldfinch came down for a drink....

Then in the evening.....

this male Wilson's Warbler was in the same general area, in deep shade so not a great photo!

also, not a great photo but wanted to show a rather interesting happening in the sky....

on the bottom left you can just see an Osprey with a fish, beside it is an adult Bald Eagle, intent on grabbing the fish and above both were a pair of Common Raven both going after the eagle.  It was quite the carry on!

and we'll end with a beautiful spring evening scene at the Chehalis Estuary.

Some first of the seasons....

Haven't been out with the camera for a few days now but did want to report that the 'first of the season' sightings are happening thick and fast right now....

Yesterday, May 4th....the Bullock's Orioles arrived!  So nice to hear their chatter....

this is a photo of a male taken several years ago in my former backyard.  These birds love the large poplar trees (like the ones recently destroyed) growing close to the shoreline where they build their hanging nests.

Today....

the first male Black-headed Grosbeak showed up at the feeder (this photo again taken some time ago).

and tonight.....

it was the first Spotted Sandpiper of the season...again a photo from way back when.

Of course the Brown-headed Cowbirds are back 'enforce' as well.

Pelicans!!!!

This first day of May we had some rare visitors..... American White Pelicans!  I didn't get to see them but my husband did while walking our two dogs....

he managed this 'proof they were there' photo but that was all.  They were way over close to the edge of the Harrison River.  This is just the 2nd sighting of Pelicans here that I know of, the last time was in August of  2010.

The above photo was taken at Elk Island National Park in Alberta.  I've just posted it so you can see what they look like a bit more clearly.  Pelicans are common on the prairies but there is also a population of them that nest in the Chilcotin area of our province. 

I went down later in hopes of seeing the birds for myself, but of course no such luck.  Here are the water levels....this first day of May.