Out and about....

With  water levels staying too high to make it over to the park and with the eagles all concentrated way off in the distance (how many pictures of black dots does one need!), we decided to wander around a bit yesterday to see what we could see....

Started off at Harrison Bay.....

which was, once again, very 'bird less'.  A few gulls out on the water, not a single eagle to be seen....

and it isn't for lack of food.....the shoreline is littered with spawned out salmon....there for the taking.

around the corner where the river heads to the Fraser, there was a substantial flock of Black-capped Chickadee's with a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets mixed in...

Some Dark-eyed Junco as well.  Saw a few Eurasian Collared Dove and even a Brown Creeper but nothing like what we've come to expect over there, at least until recently.  Even that corner that has been of such interest with it's bear and bobcat was completely barren of life.

So headed back and drove....

past the estuary.  Lots of salmon here too, all along the creek.  As it was quite windy out on the river, there were lots of Mallard, American Wigeon and some Canada Geese sheltering in close to the road...all in spots where it was impossible to get a picture.  Saw a pair of Hooded Merganser as well.

Continued on up the road...

and turned in at the Chehalis river Salmonoid Enhancement Site...or hatchery.  With 2 school bus full of students along with others in the hatchery itself we chose to walk the trail along the north side to where this branch of the Chehalis River heads to the hatchery.  As usual it was full of Salmon, mainly pinks although we spotted several nice Steelhead.  Always before when we have been here we have found at least one....

American Dipper, like this guy taken at the site last year....didn't see one this visit, maybe they are all up at the spawning channels.

We walked further...

Spotted this Great Blue Heron on the opposite shore....one of several in the vicinity...
and of course....

there were Gulls, like this one which I think is a Thayer's Gull, based on the very pink colouration of the legs and feet.

and

this, I think Glaucous-wing although possibly a Western/Glaucous-wing cross.  Despite the fact there were gulls there, they weren't in the numbers one would expect and as for eagles....well didn't see or hear a single one!

did want to mention these berries though, the willow shrubs that lined the branch of the Chehalis were decorated with them.  These are the fruit of the European Bittersweet vine....an introduced species that is a distant relative of both tomatoes and potatoes....the obviously thrive in that particular area as I don't recall seeing such vigorous vines anywhere else.

After a couple of hours of wandering we headed for home....to be greeted by the only eagles we'd seen, circling overhead as we pulled into our gates.