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Photos from my Boat

I love to watch and photograph birds from my kayak. It is very quiet and animals are more comfortable around it than around an upright person. Of course, it’s not a stable platform and it’s always moving at least a little bit so not the absolute best for photography but still.

This time I found a very cooperative and tiny Western Wood Peewee that called and called and I am surprised I didn’t get any images with its mouth open. Also a baby American Robin, an immature gull and the elegant Common Loons. Topping it of was a beaver, dragging a branch to its lodge to feed its youngsters.

And on a hike I found a couple new to me, wildflowers.

So Many Wildflowers

And rocks. And dogs. And views. And a butterfly. And a bug. And a Cooper’s Hawk.

It was a gloriously sunny day for a hike. Not the best photo conditions with midday sunshine and wind. Still it was beautiful and these flowers are so fleeting. I may not see them again this summer.

Jump in a Lake

Sky and I got an early start at a popular hiking trail last week, beating most of the swarms of hikers. We even got a great seat on the rock overlooking the lake and had it all to ourselves. And Sky did her traditional jump into an icy cold lake. Really icy. Most of it was still covered with ice! Much of the trail was snow covered or muddy too. Starting early, we avoided most of the swarms of the mosquitoes too. They were thick when we returned to the overflowing parking lot at midday.

It’s nice that more people are enjoying the outdoors but I wish they’d take better care of it and pick up their messes. And I wish the Forest Service had more money to maintain the popular sites.

July Wildflowers

The unsettled weather of May and June and even into July has left us with some impressive and long-lasting wildflowers. I drove to 6000′ elevation and saw quite a variety.

Little Birds and Big Birds

More from my recent photo dump. The Mountain Bluebird was in the mountains. The first Bald Eagle was at a lake, photographed at dusk from a boat. The Turkey Vulture, Western Bluebird feeding young and the last Bald Eagle are from here at home.