Our beautiful Island never fails to amaze and thrill me! On our weekly walks I always find something new and wonderful to admire and photograph. No matter how familliar the path.
Leaves, bushes, trees all have something new to offer.
The walk on the Sunday of the last weekend of December was particularly thrilling.
We went to the Nanaimo River Canyon. It is always a pleasant walk, lots of scenic changes and usually quite a few bird sitings. This walk was no exception.
It had rained heavily the night before. But now the air was clear and the skies were blue with a few low hanging clouds. Rain last night meant that there was fresh snow on top of Mount Benson. It was a beautiful morning for a walk.
I could hear eagles in the distance and could see one perched high up on a bare tree branch surveyings its world.
As we moved away from the main river stream turned down the path to the SideBar Channel (my name for it), and re-entered the forest the sounds of the Eagles got louder.
There was a loud swoosh overhead and we looked up to see a large young eagle flying close overhead – it landed on a branch not to far away and remained quietly posed long enough for me to take a picture. As we continued along the path there was another swoosh and another eagle flew overhead. The kyrie crys of the eagles were getting louder as well; another swoosh overhead – this was more activity by eagles than I had ever encountered before. And much closer to my head than every before. I was awed, amazed and not entirely comfortable with so much movement going on so close overhead!
A few steps further and we were at the Sidebar. As I looked down the stream I counted 7 more eagles lining the trees down stream! Four almost directly above my head. Eleven eagles in one day, in one walk, in one location – I was literally awestruck!
The reason for the congregation wasn’t hard to understand – there were several large salmon carcasses on the ground and a few more in the stream. It was feeding time at the River.
I had never seen so many of the large birds in one place – and will not ever forget this experience.
Happy Walking
Lynette