I could watch this channel all day…
Feb 11th, 2010 by lapazfarm
The kids and I are getting such a kick out of watching all the birds that hang out in the harbor in front of our house. It’s like our very own constantly changing nature channel.
The other day a bunch of ravens out on the rocks at low tide caught my attention. They were behaving strangely, flying straight up and then back down, up and down, and I wondered what they were up to. I watched a while longer and it turns out I was witnessing a behavior I had often heard about but never before seen.The ravens were plucking mussels from the rocks, flying into the air, and dropping them on the rocks below to crack them open and eat them. Clever birds!
Here is a short video of the behavior and though you cannot see the mussels it is pretty clear what they are up to:
Low tide is a great time to spot other birds as well. I took a couple of sneak shots of Superboy out taking some pics of a bald eagle sitting at water’s edge:
Here are the pics he took:
He’s become quite the amateur photographer lately.
And JBug has taken to trying to identify the myriad asssortment of waterfowl that float past. Here she is with a field guide making a positive id on a Barrow’s Goldeneye (a gorgeous bird you can see here).
You just never know what’s going to swim, float or fly by on the best nature channel of all: our own front yard!
I’m loving all the gorgeous pictures of your new home. And I love the birds. I saw my first bald eagle a few months ago and was thrilled. I really like Superboy’s picture of the eagle in the water.
How cool is that!!!! Wonderful sightings and love the photographers
I love those two shots of his, too! Very nice.
I can sit in the back and watch ours for hours, too.
short sleeves, huh?
hmmph.
Fascinating! You’re an amazing adventurer who inspires the rest of us to go with the flow and take in the goodness of nature where ever we find ourselves. Thank you for that.
Y’all have the most fun! We love bird watching here in the South. It is such a pleasure to see all of the photos and those kiddos sure are growing. WOW!
That was one of the more amusing and disturbing lessons I learned moving from an urban lifestyle. Before we moved to Washington, we lived in Charleston SC and all along the beaches and the harbor lived huge flocks of seagulls. We’d spend one day each week with a huge bag of bread we’d secured from the day-old store and feed throngs of seagulls and city pigeons. The same shorebirds would follow the tour boats and harbor ships. Out here, we thought to continue this tradition, only to be scorned with baleful stares from the gulls who seemed to be insulted we threw something at them. It took us a while to realize they were fisherbirds, and our bread was no use to us with them!
I am so envious of your sea view. And love those birds
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