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All the Colors

Sky and I had a nice walk in the hills yesterday. I think it was the first hike this year where we did not encounter anyone else. It seemed like such a luxury after all the days of busy trails. Even at midday, the colors were astounding and nothing beats the light this season. There were layers upon layers of color from the various plants and trees and water and sky and distant hills. Oregon grape is notoriously difficult to photograph so I tried the same plant in sunshine and shade. The aspens were all colors of yellow to orange to dried up and brown.

Wind and rain and maybe snow are in the forecast so these days are probably numbered.

I made lots of pictures of Sky too. You will see them soon.

Good Dogs Out On the Trail

A few members of the Good Girls’ Club got together to enjoy a fall meeting/walk recently. Topics on the agenda included fall colors, sticks, pine cones and cold water. Since Luna no longer attends these meetings, there were no notes taken so we will never know what decisions were made.

Fall Images

Fall is finally here with cold, frosty mornings, occasional fog and sometimes rain although it remains oddly dry and dusty. Fall colors are finally coming on here in the valley. Here are a few images from our hill.

Feeding the Birds

I did not mean to feed the birds. Sometimes Luna doesn’t feel well and she was getting white rice mixed into her regular kibble and still she did not eat her breakfast. So I picked it up to keep Sky from eating it. Later we walked down to the lake and when we returned, the local flock of Canada Jays was having a heyday with it. These jays make their way through the campground each morning looking for careless campers who leave their food out. Normally, I keep a clean campsite so I was a bit horrified at myself but then watching the jays was so much fun and they were really loving the unexpected treats!

Canada Jays used to be known as Gray Jays and before that, they were Canada Jays. I don’t know why ornithologists made those decisions. They are commonly known as camp robbers or whiskey jacks. They are very gregarious and will even take food from a person’s hand. I wonder what they eat in the winter when people aren’t around?

Fall Birds

I like to watch and photograph birds from my kayak. During the breeding season, birds seem more at ease with people-powered boats. But in the fall, the birds are migrants, visiting unfamiliar lakes and terrain, and they are more wary. Each morning of my recent camping trip, there were different birds on the lake. Birds often migrate in the dark so yesterday’s birds moved on and new ones arrived in the wee morning hours to rest for the next leg of their migration. And there were far fewer than in the summer. The loons were gone, having moved on for the winter. They can often be seen on the big river (Columbia) this time of year.

The pair of Ruddy Ducks tried to fool me. I had seen and identified them from shore by their small bodies and stiff, upright tail but when they initially went by my boat, they had their tails tucked in the water and I was puzzled! Then, in unison, they flicked their tails up as if to point out my ignorance. Very cute.