What a difference….

What a difference a day…and a time of day…makes!  For many years I’ve gone for 2 walks a day, once in the morning and then again at mid-day, but for the past 6 months or so, my dog has decided she doesn’t want to go for a morning walk, so I haven’t been going…until this morning when the possibility of some ‘frost’ pictures drew me out…didn’t get any frost pictures…but I’d noticed, on the walk down towards the estuary, a constant stream of Bald Eagles flying over head from the estuary to the mountainside and

when I looked over towards the ‘eagle’ trees by the viewing platform…

I saw more Bald Eagles in those trees than I’ve seen for years!  Perhaps ever!  I’ve counted at least 48 in this picture.   I just stood, at a safe distance and watched from some minutes…then all of a sudden..

most of them took off.  I guess someone had decided to go for a walk in the park…don’t know, didn’t go that far…

some of the eagles heading southwards…

throughout it all one had stayed feeding on the near shoreline…

a number of Mallards and one female Common Merganser (right in the front), the first one of those I’ve seen for a while.

Our mid-day walk was almost as productive…not much at the log bay apart from a few gulls and Mallards…but took this to show the snow on the top of Mt. Woodside…

back at my end the Great Blue Heron was back in his usual spot…along with lots of ducks…an American Wigeon and some Green-wing Teal in this picture

a number of Hooded Merganser as well…enjoying a bath!

and of course gulls…this Glaucous-wing was very relaxed, having a rest on his clump of grass.