Noticed a large flock of Hooded Merganser out there, and of course the ever present gulls! There are also some shorebirds in the above photo, probably Killdeer but couldn't tell for sure even when I zoomed in.
and of course there were Bald Eagles, pretty much every where you looked - liked this photo with leaves still hanging on, won't be there much longer between the bit of frost we had last night and the forecasted winds.
The Trumpeter Swan family with 4 youngsters were at the log bay today. There is also a lone juvenile that seems to be living in the log bay, it seems healthy enough but very strange for it to be all on it's own. Note the Mallards in the background and the number of deal salmon on the shore - definitely no shortage of food out there right now!
While watching the swans though, suddenly....
a family of River Otters swam by...difficult to get pictures of as they swim in an undulating fashion....but then...
one of them actually climbed out of the water and up the bank! Otters of course are just one of the many creatures that are presently feasting on those salmon.
On the way back, encountered a large flock of....
Bushtits....unfortunately, even with the DSLR camera that I had with me for a change, this was the best I managed of those little birds that never sit still for a second.
Saw a few....
Varied Thrush as well....again looking pretty in the last of the leaves.
Now have to mention this....in the afternoon drove out to Harrison Hot Springs because I'd heard that....
Snow Buntings had been seen there....and we actually found them! These little birds of the high arctic have actually been seen here at the estuary, but not for a long time, although they could well be here more often than we know of, years when the water levels are very low. It also reminds me that we used to regularly see Horned Larks and American Pipit, two more arctic species that like vast open areas....haven't seen either species for a long time now....
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