Our latest trip out to Whale Rocks was the first sunny day we’ve seen in months. Yay! The ducks have departed and gulls are settling into their nesting colonies, but there was activity at the Rocks this day, and much of it was of youngsters and their elders. I love getting a peek into their social dynamics, even if it’s just a few minutes as we putt putt around the rock.
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Most of the year Bald Eagles use the rocks to perch and survey the surrounding waters. Once in a while I see them actively fishing, but mostly it’s the thousand-yard gaze off to sea. This time an adult eagle cruised in, and the juvenile eagle already there took issue with the newcomer.
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I snapped a series of photos of their encounter...
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Then they both settled into quiet gazing out to sea. Eagles will perch like this for a long time.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the rock, the Steller sealions are still here, a favorite resting spot in the the Salish Sea. These golden giants hang out at Whale Rocks from September to May — depending on the day, we’ll see them snooze, scratch, swim, hunt, play, posture and carouse. Soon they will depart for their summer rookeries, having built up considerable body mass.
Below the eagles on this less popular side of the rock, one bull sea-lion scratches his neck with a back flipper in the same way every other mammal I’ve seen deals with an itch.
Around the corner at the more popular haulout site, 20-30 sealions are more active than usual this day. A few perch up high either sleeping or dozing vertically, but most are down near the water gamboling. It’s a fairly high tide so there’s not as much dry ledge area to stretch out and sunbathe on. It’s a warm sunny day in May, pleasant weather for everyone.
Late spring, and finally the sun has come out in the Pacific Northwest.
What’s up in your narural neighborhood today?
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