Goodbye November

It has been a chilly end to the month so haven't been out for very long....

yes, that is ice forming out there and with the cold weather it hasn't taken long for the water levels to drop way down.

this was the scene at the log bay today...there were actually quite a few Bald Eagles in the area (and almost as many photographers).  Lots of ducks too, mainly Mallards

took one obligatory shot and left the place to the visitors - I get to see them any old time.  Actually what I was most thrilled with was seeing some Red-wing Blackbirds there - they have been totally absent up to now which is rather unusual.

Yesterday we did a short walk over at Harrison Bay...

you can tell what the temperature was like by these swans and ducks all huddled together on a bit of ice covered dry land.

this Song Sparrow was about the only small bird that ventured out.

An interesting find this morning here, close to home...

was this American Robin and while I was watching it, I could hear not only Chestnut-backed Chickadees but a Red-breasted Nuthatch.  Has been a while since either of those species were around here.

and it doesn't seem to matter how chilly it gets....

Anna's Hummingbirds seem to cope just fine.

Before the cold hits

Today's walk will most likely be the last one over at Harrison Bay if the forecast for high winds and cold  temperatures materializes.  Due to other commitments we were later than normal when we got over there and much to our surprise, and probably vindictive of the change in the weather, we were the only people there.

not a really notable day although seeing this Northern Harrier down in the field with a kill was interesting.  Couldn't make out just what it was eating.

Further along...

there were a number of Steller's Jay....for such a big, bold bird they do tend to be difficult to get a photo of, so nice when they decide to pose.

also saw some Eurasian Collared Dove...

Yesterday, we had walked the other way, and again, eagles were the story of the day, 

in fact we figured on something like a 130 along the route, many lining the far shore, but also many in trees alongside the dike.

the pair were working on their nest - 

and then there was this one.....

Unexpected walk, unexpected sight

Sunday's we don't normally get over to Harrison Bay, due to volunteer 'job' at Kilby, but today was a quiet day, at least in the museum, so left early and took the dog for a bonus walk ...  The walk itself was uneventful, it was as we were driving home that we saw something surprising....

a lot of activity along this stretch of the Harrison River, right beside the highway.

Bald Eagles....lots and lots of Bald Eagle!

Had to be a hundred or more ....when you look closely there are a lot of salmon they are eating....I guess with the colder weather, the water levels are dropping enough so that the salmon bodies are getting uncovered....either that or some fishermen were generous.

Eagles everywhere you looked

Some were quite close.....

Earlier in the day we had walked over to the park where there was also  a lot of activity, not eagles, but quite a variety including Canada Geese and various ducks including some Gadwall, the first ones I've seen.  There were also several heron and a lot of Common Merganser.

Going back a few days, we've had frosty mornings and sounds like more are on their way.

One final picture....

got a decent shot of a Dark eyed Junco the other day....one of our commonest winter birds...and speaking of common, or not....have had a Chestnut backed Chickadee in the yard the last couple of days.  Up until a couple of years ago I would say they were common, but this is the first time one has been around in almost two years!

About face pays off!

Started out for our usual walk alongside Harrison Bay...

you can see the water levels have really crept up again....at about this point we could see some people with two large dogs coming towards us and when you have one small dog, you have to be wary of such situations, so we decided to turn around and walk the other way along the river.

so calm!

As we walked along....

spotted something in the distance.......

a Northern Pygmy Owl! 

The sun was in low in the sky and of course in the wrong position, but did manage some good photos of him, especially as we walked back...

like this one...

and this one, where it's head is turned so you can see the 'eye' (that dark marking) on the back of it's head 

Although the Pygmy Owl was the biggest treat, as we didn't see any all last winter....

this male Belted Kingfisher also cooperated about as much as a Kingfisher ever does...

and of course there were a few ....

Bald Eagles, like this one busy eating something on a branch overhead.

After the festival

Well the Bald Eagle Festival is over for another year.  The weather wasn't the greatest, but it could have been worse.  Water levels were perfect for protecting the habitat and for viewing in some areas, but in other areas, not so much.  Still 'official' counts, taken from the boat tours, on Saturday were 1,434 and on Sunday, a day of very low clouds, the 2nd highest count ever - 4,100!

Now that the weekend is over, of course the weather has improved. Let's start with yesterday morning....

this guy was right beside the yellow tape, still up from the weekend to protect the grasslands.

see how close...

In the afternoon we headed over to Harrison Bay....

it was a lovely, but rather quiet day....

there was a good size flock of Buffleheads in close....2 males and a female here

there were Mallard - like this pair, in many of the puddles in adjacent fields.  Also saw a few Green-wing Teal, the first we've seen this fall.

In another area a number of small birds, like this Dark eyed Junco were feeding on the seeds of the alder trees.

can you find the Song Sparrow in this picture?

Today we got up to a gorgeous day....

water levels have crept up again a little bit...

and it was pretty busy out there....67 Bald Eagles visible in this photo and 5 or 6 what turned out to be Tundra Swans.

look closely at the base of the bill on the swan....that yellow is one of the features that identifies it as a Tundra, rather than a Trumpeter.

Turning around to head back home...

this guy flew into a tree that we had  to walk right under....

not the least bit disturbed, he continued to eat his breakfast.

After lunch it was time to head to Harrison Bay again, this time the walk was in the opposite direction and again, it was pretty quiet for birds...

Other than Common Loons....seems they like this particular spot...

this one was busy attempting to eat a crayfish

With water - comes waterfowl

Didn't get for a walk until later than normal this afternoon but boy was there activity out there....

the amount of waterfowl was astounding....lots of ducks, mainly Mallard - we estimated about a thousand easily, with several hundred American Wigeon mixed in.

Canada Geese too, 

just 1 pair of Trumpeter Swans.

over at the log bay rope barriers have been set up in preparation for the weekend.  Lets hope visitors respect them.

this female Common Merganser was right in the bay....

while the chase was on as the lead male must have had a particularly tasty morsel.

activity every where you looked!

Oh, and eagles, well yes there were some eagles, probably about 300 of them way out on the dry areas of the estuary, although a dozen or more were perched in nearby trees.