Birding, Running and Sunset

By -
Yesterday was a day filled with good time outdoors.  Starting with a cup of coffee and running a few small errands.   Then heading over to pick up Monika for a bit of birding.  So some people look at me funny when I say I am going or have gone birding.  Birding is bird watching.  We have been going out and checking out sea birds but have not done my woodland birding, so that was the goal of the day.  We headed out to the Roche Harbor trails and walked around the woods listening and searching out the birds as the flew amongst the trees.  After a pretty long hike we decided to surrender our efforts and check a few other places.  The first stop was in hopes of seeing Wood Ducks, but that did not work out.  Moving on the False Bay for a quick look around and not seeing too much.  The tide was high so we usually do not see much.  The off the see if we could locate a Northern Shriek.  That really did not work out either.  

I headed home and decided it was a good day for a run.  The forecast was for rain and the sun came out and it was really nice most of the day.  I could not resist the opportunity to get a run in. Heading out to my typical running spot and getting on the trail.  I made good time to the back side of the trail and made my way out of the woods to the open hillside.  It was going to be a wonderful sunset.  I took a seat on a nice rock and before long I look over my shoulder and Richard was making his way to the same spot.  Exchanging hellos and discussing how beautiful the scene looks.  A bit of work chat and then as the sun slipped away the air developed a cold bite.  Instead of running back to the trail head, I decided to enjoy the walk out with Richard.  My friend Penny was somewhere on the trail but we did not know where.  The walk was perfect, there was little wind, the sun setting created wonderful rich tones on the landscape.  It was almost silent outside.  Returning to the trail head we meet up with Penny and it was time for everyone to head home.

Being such a great day, I wanted to have a great dinner.  So I collected a few people and we headed to Steps Wine Bar and Cafe.  The perfect end for the day.  Enjoying a few nice glasses of wine and food that was flavorful and complementing of the day.  Hanging out with friends over good food and wine is one of the better ways you can spend an evening.

Here is my bird list from the day:
Ruby Crowned Kinglet American Robin
Chickadee Junco
Rave Bald Eagle
Red-Breasted Nuthatch Varied Thrush
Northern Flicker Spotted Towhee
Bewicks Wren Crow
Pintail Ducks Ringneck Ducks
Kingfisher Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser Buffleheads
Mallard Ducks Trumpeter Swans
Green Wing Teal Duck Mew Gulls
Glaucus Wing Gull Red Tailed Hawk

The photos:


Looking south on San Juan Island.


Taking a break from my run to enjoy the sunshine. Thanks for the photo Richard.


Beautiful


Richard enjoying a classic San Juan Island sunset.


Sweeping View

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Morning Kayak Lessons

By -
Image
A good start to the day when you wake up and see the sun and having to get on the water to teach kayak lessons.  Though it was cold outside, I could tell it was going to warm nicely once the sun had time to do its work.  After a cup of coffee it was time to meet Lauren (my student for the class) and load the gear and get on the water.  The water was perfect, flat calm and good for learning the basics.  Lauren has taken classes before and it pretty up to speed on self rescue.  So we were out to work on kayak handling skills.  Mainly driving home proper edging, body movement and blade placement. After the lesson it was off to grab a bite to eat and get back outside.  I of course headed out to check in the Red Tailed Hawks (RTHs).  I ran into Monika again,  http://orcawatcher.blogspot.com/  , who once again got great images on the RTHs in flight. She got some images of the pair together.  I was able to locate the Rufous Morph further south. There was a visitor with me in town from London ...
Read more

Astral Greenjacket Review

By -
Image
I have finally spent a bit more time in the Astral Greenjacket and I have decided it is time to go ahead with my finally review of the product. My previous jacket was a Stohlquist Brik .  Which is a side entry style jacket.  I was really happy with performance and fit.  I did have a zipper problem which was a not really taken care of by Stohlquist.  I was teaching a class and was performing a "Cowboy/Back Deck" rescue and the zipper broke.  When I contacted service dept to get it fixed they wanted me to pay shipping and charge for the repair of a new jacket.  I passed on the factory repair and did the best I could do. I do not recommend that.  Next issue I had was there is simply no storage on the vest.  Not that big of a deal since I try to not load myself with stuff.  Overall it was a good fit and a clean front making it snag free while messing about the deck of my sea kayak. On to the Greenjacket !   My use of the Greenjacket is for sea kayak guiding and personal kayaking...
Read more

Friday Harbor Bike Rentals

By -
Image
It has been awhile since my last post. So I thought I would write a bit on the latest happenings. Spring has arrived on San Juan Island and I am back to work early this season. Kayak tours kicked off a bit sooner than normal this year. I assume the lack of good snow in the mountains and the early sunshine has something to do with it. So with Spring here we ( Discovery Sea Kayaks ) are open and running kayak tours. This is a great time to visit San Juan Island for a kayak tour. With less people on island there is a very charming small town feel. On the water the wildlife encounters can vary. Some days you might encounter killer whales other days watch as a pair of eagle fly over head. Last season we started renting bikes from our shop in downtown Friday Harbor. Our location is perfect for walking on the ferry and then renting a bike when you arrive in town. Being in the heart of town and close to the ferry makes it easy. I have all the bikes clean and ready to be rented. This se...
Read more