|
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
|
.
August 24, 2020
Salish Sea, Pacific Northwest
It’s been months since I’ve been able to go out in the boat. We didn’t go far or for long but it was sure great to be out at sea again.
We crossed paths with old friends on this late summer day.
Lots of gulls for starters.
Mew gulls are back from nesting, and will be around now until next May.
Mew gull on kelp raft
Glaucous winged gulls nest locally. Many of the grey mostly feathered chicks aren’t fledged yet, so they lounge around on the rocks where they hatched. Twenty or thirty pairs nested on north Whale Rock this year it appears.
Adult and baby GW gulls
About 20 Steller Sea lions stayed here all summer, choosing to skip the trip back to their breeding colony. Still, that’s not many, so there’s plenty of room for harbor seals to haulout at the Rocks too. Once the rest of the sea lions return this month, the seals will go elsewhere.
Seals
Sea lions, some hauled out and some playing in the water
South Whale Rock was covered with Heermann’s gulls and Brandt’s cormorants. Heermann’s will stick around for another month or so, Brandt’s through winter.
I was amazed by how many baby Heermann’s there were. Haven’t seen so many for quite a few years. The babies are all dark grey, without the orange bill of adults.
Heermann’s gulls and Brandt’s cormorants
Brandt’s, a few still with faint blue chins, color remaining from breeding season
Very brief video clip passing Whale Rocks. It’s zoomed way in, so that makes it bumpy, even on this very calm day and at slack tide.
.
Gulls and more gulls....
Hundreds of bathing gulls at slack tide
Passing Long Island, a small flock of youngster Heermann’s wheeled and swooped across toward the Rocks.
Bald eagle perches on left
I saw very few seabirds on this trip. Pigeon guillemots are still mostly in breeding color, as are the Rhinoceros auklets.
Guillemots
Pair of Black oystercatchers at Cezanne Wall
Hopefully we’ll be going out again soon. There’s a chance we may be tying up our boat at a nearby dock before too long on a permanent basis rather than parking it on the buoy, which would make excursions much simpler. Fingers crossed.
🦅
Low stratus in the PacificNorthwest islands today, onshore flow. Sun expected later. Some smoke up high yesterday making sky hazy. Moon last night was golden rather than white.
Fall approaches.
What’s up in nature in your area today?
🦑
|
"SPOTLIGHT ON GREEN NEWS & VIEWS"
EVERY SATURDAY AT 3:00 PM PACIFIC TIME ON THE DAILY KOS FRONT PAGE.
IT'S A GREAT WAY TO CATCH UP ON DIARIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED. BE SURE TO RECOMMEND AND COMMENT IN THE DIARY.
|
