Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Hummingbird! and Heron Diva

This weekend I kept out of the way of the stand-up-paddleboard race in Cadboro Bay's Gyro Park, and took my little inflatable over by the yacht club. It was a good opportunity to check out the yachts, which apparently multiply in summer weather. I guess a number of people get their boats out of the yard, or maybe come along to this bay from other places now that it's summer.
Low tide was really low on Saturday... but hey, that's what's going to happen when the full moon comes close to the summer solstice. It was a good opportunity for me to go along the shoreline looking for stone bowls. There are plenty of bowls at a Willows Beach site, but so far I haven't found any in Cadboro Bay along the intertidal rocks.
A hummingbird did come by, though, and buzz around the wet rocks for a while. I've never seen one over the water before. There's nothing for hummingbirds to eat for several yards along the Uplands shoreline, but there are flowers in the gardens. That must be where the bird flitted away to.
Back at the beach, there was a photographer with a large-lensed camera on a tripod, carefully taking photos of a great blue heron. The bird was elegantly stalking along, hunting the little stickleback fingerling fishes that darted around in the shallows. It became apparent that the heron was well aware of the photographer, and "working" the camera with all the aplomb of a high-fashion model. Stride, stride, vogue, stride, pose. Herons don't have a good side -- they look fabulous from every angle.
Another pleasant paddle outing on an ordinary day -- with birds.


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