Bald Eagles: Daytrip to Nooksack River

We had heard several first hand accounts of eagles feasting on fish in the Nooksack River and we finally had a beautiful day for a drive. Dan, my mom and I packed hats, gloves, cameras and snacks in the car and headed on a 2-hour drive north on New Years Day.

We stopped in Mt. Vernon and I was able to locate the farm-to-table restaurant that my friend, Amy and I ate at on our way to the Vintage Spring Market at the Skagit Valley Fairgrounds last year. The restaurant is called 3rd Street Cafe and it is run by the Skagit Valley Food Co-op. We had a delicious burgers (and one breakfast plate - oh the bacon!) and had a nice break from the car before we drove farther north.

For some reason the wind was bitter cold when we arrived around 3 in the afternoon. We learned that most of the eagles had passed through the area in mid-December (so inconvenient for me!) but we were able to see at least 20 eagles in different spots as we observed the area over the course of an hour.

This fellow seemed much closer in person and I think he enjoyed posing for us. There were at least 6 more eagles in the tree far above him. We were on the map at Nooksack River near Mosquito Lake Road (see link). We relied on that "Welcome Grocery Store" for snacks and other necessities. 

While we were out, we saw a boat marked Skagit River Tours in the water, so I'm including a link to their site: Skagit River Eagle Tours. Despite their name, they also take tours on the Nooksack River. I encourage you to watch the video on their site called "Virtual Eagle Tour." You can hear the birds and enjoy seeing the area exactly as I saw it. 
Magnificent Bald Eagles in their natural environment. It's fantastic! 

We left at 10:30 am and arrived back in town around 6 pm. It was a great day looking at the scenery, trying to name mountains and enjoying the s-u-n. If this is January in Washington (clear and 40 degrees), I'm in.

#baldeagles #daytrip #seattle #pacificnorthwest 

Flat Rainbow in Seattle's Eastside

Yesterday I looked out and saw a FLAT rainbow! I put it on Instagram and joked that after this long rainy winter, even the rainbows need a lift - ha!

Have you ever seen such a thing? It was hovering over the town of Snoqualmie Ridge, with the Cascade Mountains in the background.

Elk: Charming Charlie

We were driving back from Oktoberfest in Leavenworth, Washington (post to follow) when I saw my first elk! We were on a side road near Suncadia resort when a small herd of elk meandered across the road. The cars stopped and let them pass, which gave me a chance to notice the elk and open my camera phone.

I bought an elk charm years ago when I was in Montana and I never felt good about it...until now. 

Now I've seen an elk and I qualify for an elk charm. Thank you, Washington.

Nest: A Tiny Treasure Found

I noticed this little nest tucked into a tangle of lavender plants just a few feet off the ground near the cottage. Did the wind blow it down? Could a bird have chosen this as a nesting place? It was so arranged so perfectly straight, it didn't look tousled by the wind.

I meant to come back later and see if I could answer my own question, but it never caught my eye again. Though the proximity to the ground seemed risky, the sweet smell of lavender would have made a lovely place to nap.

Mattress: King, Queen or Daylily Bed?

There is a romance to this photo that I want to share. This is the bed of day lilies at the cottage and for yet another summer, a family of deer have been sleeping in it every night. 

It starts sometime in July. After a season of growth, one day the plants are healthy and lush, the next morning there are distinct circles where each mother, father and baby deer has slept. The day lilies don't fluff up much during the day and the circles are even more distinct each morning. This lasts the entire summer. I have never seen the deer, but they certainly leave their mark.

Isn't it wonderful to think of them quietly walking into the yard, choosing their place and sinking into the cool leaves. Do leaves have a Sleep Number? Do the individual deer choose the same spot each night?

You may not have realized it, but this really is a BED of day lilies. Sleep tight!

Serta Perfect Daylilies

This is a post where you have to use your imagination a little.  Bring the fairy tale front and center and think of deer wandering through the yard in the twilight.

My parents have a large daylily bed in northern Michigan that has become "Serta Perfect" for a family of deer.  Can you see the dents?  It might be easier to see them if you look at the rim of the daylily bed.  See how it is fluffy and has many large grass-like fronds?  Now look into the center - nothing is upright.  Those are the deer dents.

At least 7 deer (I counted the dents) come in the night and sleep in our daylilies.  They really aren't eating the garden, we mostly notice their handiwork in the Spring when they devour the tulips.  During the summer, this is strictly a nighttime spot for them.  Isn't is romantic?

We often are awake until 11:30 pm, no deer.  And my mom gets up around 5:30 am on many morning, no deer.  Sometime during the moonlight hours, the family comes, nestles into the leaves and sleeps.

What sleep number do you suppose day lilies are?

Swan and Water Lily

I drove over to a public dock to see if I could get close enough to photograph some water lilies in bloom.  I think I was just a few days too early; I expect that these yellow blooms will open and spread out after a bit more time in the sun. The scene was beautiful, though, and I loved the watery reflection of the reeds on the surface.  

I was about to leave when I noticed...

A mother and father swan taking their 5 kids out for a swim after dinner!  It was so sweet, I only wish they were closer.  I was really pushing my "zoom" and the quality suffered, but at least you can see them, happy and relaxing in their natural habitat.

Marsh Marigolds in the Leelanau Peninsula

If anything makes me live in the moment, it's Mother Nature.  When something starts to bloom, I have to act quickly or I'll miss my chance to delight you.  On this particular day, I was up north for Memorial Weekend with my husband.  We were on an afternoon drive, heading towards Northport, when it suddenly occurred to me that the marsh marigolds might be blooming.  I am only up north a handful of days in May and early June and I often miss this bright yellow beauties.  Looking for marsh marigolds is normally an expedition I take with my mom but since she wasn't up north that weekend, I had forgotten about them.  I said to Dan, "Good grief! What if they're blooming!"

My mom normally drives us to "the spot" that we've been photographing for years.  Dan had our Garmin (navigation system) turned on, so I told him to look for a river running close to the road.  Voila!  He saw water denoted on the map, pulled over and there they were.  Marsh marigold mania.  I told Dan that all I needed was a moose to walk out of the woods and I've have my shot.  Ha! No moose, but I think it is lovely just the same.

Thankfully it was a bright sunny day. It is gorgeous this time of year, get your camera and go outside.

My Own Little Muppet Baby

I don't think I'll ever take another photo of a baby robin that I will like better than this one.  This is Gayle, with her beak wide open and her hair all askew.  She is my own little Muppet Baby.  Tiny, cartoon-like with a big personality.

I was so very happy when a mother robin came back to nest in the crook of the gutter on my house again this year.  Remember last year when she had 3 baby boy robins named Reggie, Brice and Steve?  This year I decided that they were girls and named the three little darlings, Charlotte, Stella and Gayle.

One of them is far more insistent for food, eager to try squawking and most often found hanging her head out of the nest looking for someone to talk to.  I've named her Gayle.

You can see Gayle (above) in the nest craning her neck past Stella in hopes of being fed.  I love this photo because both Mother and Father Robin really look like parents.  They are sitting next to each other on the nest, looking at the kids and considering what is best for them.  I can see the nest from my family room window.  The photo isn't as clear because I'm shooting through glass, but it is nice because they can't see me (due to glare) and be bothered in any way.

When it was lunchtime (above), the Mother Robin didn't mind me standing in the yard and photographing them at all.  I used my zoom and stayed still.  I think she is used to me puttering around the patio tending the roses and watering the herbs.  It was just another day with triplets for her.  Notice the winged bug in the tip of her beak going right into Gayle's mouth. A worm is farther up her beak to be fed to Charlotte or Stella. 

If I get any more great shots, I promise to show you.  Happy Spring!

Empire Bluffs Trail

Are you heading north for the Fall color?  If you are headed to the Leelanau Peninsula, I have one more thing you can do to get out in the fresh air.

When I was visiting my friends in Alabama, we talked about northern Michigan a lot.  Melanie and Jon visit family up here every year and they were surprised that I had never been to the Empire Bluffs Trial.  They said that this view of Lake Michigan is their favorite and that a trip "up north" is not complete with out a morning hike out to the bluff (with coffee and muffins?).  Now that I've seen it, I'm sure that a lot of people feel the same way.

You can hike along the Empire Bluffs Trail and stop along the way at bench near the scenic overlook and take in the view (above) of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes dropping into Lake Michigan.  I stopped here to preserve my ankle, but my husband ventured on and took these two incredible photos.

He wanted me to show you the boardwalk and bench options at the top of the Empire Bluffs Trail, which is 1.5 miles round trip.  The self-guided tour handout says that the lake to the right is called South Bar Lake and that it was once part of Lake Michigan!  Apparently long shore currents deposited a sand bar that eventually separated the water into two lakes.  I know that rivers change their course, but I had never imagined lakes being created from
a sandbar taking hold.

If you make it to this spot, 400 feet above Lake Michigan, breathe in and feel some camaraderie with everyone that holds this view dear.

Welcome to the World

A mother robin has made her nest in the crook of the downspout in my backyard. She loves the afternoon sun and has been congratulating herself on picking such a great spot.  I love it too, of course, and am outside a lot.

You can see that I have a long backyard and have a path between the patio and deck.  Well, Mama Robin is in the area between and would panic and fly away whenever I crossed.  I felt terrible about this, and in an effort to apologize, I found myself saying, "I'm so sorry, but I really have to water the plants etc," as I walked across.

You know what?  I worked.  Whenever I talk to her and tell her my plans before I do it (trim the roses, move a chair), she's okay with it and stays put.  I kid you not.  This has been a great relief to me, as I don't want to disturb her, but I do want to get the garden ready for Summer.  (Look how big my roses are getting - and I have buds too!)

 

And yesterday the little guys arrived!  I noticed a lot of flying back and forth, so I looked through the family room window and caught a glimpse of "Junior" having dinner.  I saw a flurry of beaks just before this, so I think there might be 3 baby birds in there.  Happy Mother's Day, indeed!

***An update
"The kids" flew the nest on June 2.  I named them: Reggie, Bryce and Steve, I don't know why.  This was the group shot I got just before the first bird tried flying, see the row of 3 beaks? Adorable.

Below is Reggie on our deck just minutes after we saw him fly from the nest.

 Go Reggie Go!