Incoming!

Today's visit to the refuge was filled with 'incoming' - when the bird flies directly at you! You can get some great photos but one is not always ready for this!
The eagle started it out as we drove up to the top of Goose Egg Hill - I was watching this bird fly and realized he was coming right at me! I pulled over and grabbed the camera!
Later this gull decided to buzz me and he also looked serious!

In between we took a long walk down a dike, the hunters were out today so the herons and eagles had retreated to another place. But I found out what the white lump on the ice next to the 'geese' was - a hunter covered in white laying on a white mattress. I should have known that the Canuks had all left so these had to be decoys.

A few landscape shots, small bird and both male and female pheasants were captured along the way!
Enjoy!

Diana said she is glad to see the females 'cause the males get all the attention!

Looking East.

Can you see the hunter?

Looking west!

Birds

For your viewing pleasure.

Sunshine

It is so wonderful to have non-smoggy sunshine, to feel the warmth on my face and see it highlight the beauty around us.
With Diana's green thumb an orchid bloomed this morning and caught the sun lighting it up. Pinon jays bombard the peanuts on the back deck, always delighting us with their antics!
Enjoy!

A kid in the candy store!

Today is a sunshine day and Murph and I visited the refuge just to see what's up! Boy I felt like a kid in a candy store and could not stop taking photos!

First the drop-dead gorgeous Ring-necked pheasant posing so deliciously for us. Then the young eagle was back at his fishing grounds. The male Kestrel greeted me again from the same perch he had two days ago - minus the hoarfrost. Then a Barn Owl sleeping in a stand of grass - something about the arrangement did not seem correct to me so I backed up and looked real close and yep, it is an owl! On the way out a Northern Harrier treated us to lunch - or really to him having lunch and we got to observe!  Finally a GBH waved goodbye as we left the refuge!
Enjoy!

A couple more from the dike walk

With the smog and fog and cold there was lots of hoarfrost on the plants at the refuge and they fit in with the hazy scene quite well.  When walking be careful of what you are focussed on as you may miss other beauty right in front of you!

Walking the dikes

We weren't seeing much wildlife at the refuge, so we decided to walk down a dike and explore. Fortunately Murphy has a lot of patience, as he stood there in the snow as I took a lot of photos and then took 3 steps forward and took more, etc.... He just stood and looked at me - and ran like hell to the truck when I turned around :-)..

Halfway down the dike there was open water and the gulls, eagles, and herons congregated around the open spots. A young eagle caught a fish and was pursued by a gull for a short time. A heron caught a fish and his buddy decided to visit him - but only for a short time before he was chased off. The dynamics amongst the wildlife is fascinating to me to watch and learn. Here's some of the photos for the stories from today!

"Go catch your own!"

These two eagles against the diffused background of the snowy mountains captured my sense of drama.

Young eagle (less than 4 years old) is chased by gull as he carries his fish away with him.

These next two of eagles were just beautiful - couldn't resist sharing.

Someone called these herons - "Grumpy old men" - as they sit hunched over to stay warm.

These next two of the kestrel are kind of "Aaahhhhh" photos, cause he sure is cute!

Happy New Year!

Adding my wishes to the multitude of others that you have received for a happy and healthy and enlightening year!
I've been thinking back over the year - one of the real enjoyable surprises that both Diana and I experienced was how much we loved Paris! Diana has been reading a number of mystery books set in Paris and she can often identify the areas that they are talking about. We see articles that jog our memory and places that we did not go but will next time!
Here's a view of Mont. St. Michel from the Pompidou Centre -