#watched an osprey swoop down for his lunch

[ca-d]

spring dayssss

[globetrottinggeordie]

14th February 2019

Today we’re off to the house boat for a day cruising along the inland waterways, however, before setting off Joan managed to squeeze in an 8.00 am yoga class. A yoga master took the class and launched into it straight away, starting with some gentle stretching exercises before launching into the more strenuous routines. Some of it was a bit like Pilates but there were some more demanding stretching exercises. I don’t think Joan was ready for this exercise!

When Joan hadn’t arrive back by about 9.15 I was beginning to think that she may have got lost on her way back to the hotel, however, she soon turned up, rosy cheeked, after an enjoyable workout.

So a quick breakfast, then shower, before being picked up by Dharman our driver to take us to the house boat. It was an interesting drive through the Keralan countryside, and eventually we arrived at a rather upmarket resort where we were to join the house boat.

When we saw our boat, and how well it was fitted out, we were amazed. We had the whole boat to ourselves. 

We had an open seating area at the prow of the boat, then a fully enclosed dining area, and then our en-suite bedroom with king size bed. 

We had three crew members, a senior captain and a junior helmsman, and a chef who would cook all of our meals while on-board.

We cast off and headed off into the lake which is about 220 square kilometres in area. It was like heading out to sea as you couldn’t see the other side of the lake. After an hour or so we pulled in on the bank of the lake and lunch was served, and by golly the chef did us proud. First course was a chicken and vegetable soup, which was delicious. This was followed by four dishes, one of which was grilled lake fish, which was superb, and a coconut vegetable dish which was really creamy. 

When the chef brought the fourth dish he said that this was the last of the starters!!! There was enough in the starters to feed a family of four! The main course was chicken korma with vegetables, rice, and another curry dish. This was followed by a plate of fresh fruit with a freshly made chocolate brownie, washed down with a cup of coffee. We were absolutely stuffed after that, and went for a lie down in the open section, to watch the world passing by. Only five hours until we have to do it all again at dinner!

We moved from the lake into the canal system that feeds the lake, and after a while came across little villages and hamlets, and it was really interesting to people watch. 

There were lots of birds about, and we saw a kite swoop down into the water and fly away with a fish, just as if it was an osprey. Amazing sight!

The captain invited me to take the helm for a while so we could take some photographs.

We meandered up and down the canal system and then as the sun began to set, we moored in a quiet backwater, which would be our resting place for the night. 

We had brought some beer and wine on-board with us, as the boat didn’t serve alcohol, and so had a cold beer before dinner, as we watched the sun set over the water.

After a shower we prepared for dinner, which we both felt we would not be able to do it justice. The first course was once again soup, which was quite refreshing. This was followed by a plate of grilled tiger and king prawns, which were absolutely massive, and tasted delicious. As Joan doesn’t like prawns I had to help out. There was also grilled fish on the plate. 

This was one of three starters, the others being stir fried vegetables, and cauliflower in a masala coating and stir-fried. Yum Yum!! The main course was Keralan fish curry served with cumin rice, a vegetable pulao, and a dhal. 

Joan by this time was absolutely stuffed and couldn’t manage very much of the main course, so as the chef had worked so hard to produce such beautiful food, I had to eat for England to make it look as though we had done his meal justice. Dessert was gulab jamun, which was light and sweet, and complemented the curry nicely.

After dinner we sat around for a while before deciding we should go to bed, and prepare for the day ahead.

[islandadventureswhales]

Anacortes and Everett

Anacortes Spring has sprung, winters over, summer’s coming, however you say it the nice weather is definitely moving in this week. As we greeted our guests today not only were there blue skies above but we also had a lone Osprey circling the marina. We made our way out into the Salish sea today and were blessed with a perfect day for boating. Our first stop was at Burrows island to view the historic light house as well as some very active harbor porpoise. The porpoise were feeding in the heavy currents around the island and were coming way out of the water! From there we headed over to Allen island and found a large group of harbor seals hauled out on the rocks. Most of the harbor seals were quite dry telling us they’d been out for a while. Our search took us into Burrows bay and down the coast of Fidalgo Island toward Deception pass. As we continued on more harbor porpoise popped up along with lots of sea birds and harbor seals. We poked our head into the Pass for some great photo opportunities for everybody before we continued our search down Whidbey Island. We found our first whale just off shore from NAS Whidbey and also managed to get a free air show. As the whale surfaced it showed that it was definitely feeding in the shallows along this part of the island. The air station was busy today as well with jets performing many different drills for our viewing pleasure. After some time with our first Gray whale we headed a little further south and joined up with a second gray whale along Whidbey Island. Both whales had markings matching whales we had seen early in the season, who are new to these waters. After a great time hanging with the whales we headed west to Smith island where we found a small group of harlequin ducks and two very cute tufted puffins!!!! The weather continued to get nicer and so we continued our search south toward Admiralty inlet where we found a few Steller sea lions hauled out on a navigational buoy. We hung with them for a bit before continuing our trip back to Anacortes. As we cruised home we found many more sea birds and even a few very energetic harbor porpoise that were coming way out of the water. It was an amazing day to be out on a boat and getting the gray whales was just icing on the perfect cake!!!!

  Everett AM It was a glorious milky sunshine morning once we set off out of Everett. Bald eagles dotted the driftwood logs and beach of Jetty Island and a few California Sea lions lounged about on the floats at the Navy Base. We pushed further out into Possession Sound but it didn’t take long before we spotted our first whales! The whale meeting spot today seemed to be between SE Gedney and Everett as we found #49 Patch hanging out with #53 Little Patch. They were soon joined by a third gray whale, which remains unidentified. Once we left this trio, we headed up to Camano Head where we saw the juvenile gray whale that washed up at Harborview Park a few days ago. A necropsy will be performed by Cascadia Research, among others tomorrow, which will help determine the cause of death. At the same time, we had a bald eagle swoop down in front of us and grab a fish that it almost could not get away with!! Luckily, perseverance paid off and it was able to fly up into the trees to have lunch. As we headed back in the direction of home, we were once again graced with the presence of #49 Patch and 2 others, one being #22 Earhart who is showing some changes to the white scar on her right side near the dorsal ridge making it a challenge to identify her this morning, while the 3rd whale was a bit further in on the Delta an remains unidentified. Before getting in to the dock, we got a nice look at the Osprey in their nest on the navigational marker, just outside Jetty Island.

  PM Sunny skies prevailed for the afternoon and as we headed out into the Sound, Captain Carl could see 5 blows in the distance over by Gedney Island! On the southeast side, we started by getting a look at #49 Patch who was later joined by #22 Earhart, #383, #531 and #723 Lucyfer. After a time, #22 Earhart, #383 and #723 Lucyfer engaged in some pretty interesting behavior and were all moving together quickly, sometimes rubbing up against each other. There was a lot of movement from other whales too and it was hard to keep track, since they were all over the place! Some whales that were further off, would surface once and then go down for several minutes. We spent some time watching the trio that was closer to us and then #49 Patch came over, and even raised his flukes! That’s something he doesn’t do very often, even in deep water. There was also a boat nearby that seemed to be following too closely. So many whales today, both near and far and in all directions; sometimes at the same time, definitely kept us on our toes!!

[planet-inanity-blog]

Skeleton #6: WILDLIFE LOOKOUT

You've been working for the park service for some time now, maybe ten or eleven years, and your routine has become so ingrained that you think if the whole visitor center burned down, they would find you in the rubble performing your daily duties as always, pantomime. After your shift in the "Exploration Zone," the hand-on area with beaver pelts and miniature log cabins left sticky and grimy from the tour bus kids, you head into the staff kitchen to enjoy your lunch: a peanut butter and banana sandwich (the usual) with some peanut butter cup greek yogurt (not the usual). Like you do every day, you sit at the table overlooking the pond in back of the center and the lush coniferous forest beyond to watch the water fowl conduct their social activities on the algae covered surface. As you are finishing your sandwich, you see movement from the edge of the forest, and a man emerges, looking side to side like he doesn't want to be seen, which you find funny since there are always hikers or park staff wandering around these parts. He is wearing a dark suit, and has reflective sport sunglasses on, and as he looks around one last time and apparently decides the coast is clear, he hoists a huge Rubbermaid bin from the foliage and picks up what appears to be a brown canvas lunch bag. Then, he darts off in an exaggerated gallop toward the parking lot. Huh. He didn't appear to be doing anything illegal per say, so you decide to enjoy this break in routine, and plan to come back the following day to watch this spot and see if he returns. You take lunch early the next day, and sure enough, there is the man, doing his strange lope towards the treeline, Rubbermaid tub and lunch bag in tow. This goes on for a few days, and you now consider this strange fellow to be as much a part of your routine as wiping down the Lincoln Logs in the Discovery Zone with disinfectant.  One day, the curiosity gets the best of you, and eating an early lunch, you decide to try and follow the guy into the woods to see what he's actually doing in there. As you crouch amid the ferns, you are a little scared about the possible confrontation, but also feel an elation and excitement that you haven't felt for years at the prospect of seeing something nobody else has. Soon, the man arrives, punctual and carrying his usual items, and leaps into the forest beside you. He follows no path, but as you crouch-walk stealthily after him, you can tell he knows exactly where is going. Soon you reach a clearing that you didn't know existed, and he sets down his tub in the direct center. You hear a rustling above you , and startled, almost give away your position as you gaze upon an entire forest canopy filled to the gills with birds of many types. Most are blackbirds like magpies and ravens, but there are also beautiful flecks of color from songbirds that are supposedly quite rare in the area, and even some birds of prey including a bard owl and a few ospreys. Except for the occasional rustling of feathers, the birds are strangely quiet, all fixing their eyes on the man in the center, who is now getting into the oversize bin with his lunch bag. He curls up in the clear plastic container, shrinking to an unbelievable size, and closes the lid over the top of him. Then, carefully with his right hand, he unscrews a threaded plug that you had failed to notice on the underside of the container's lid. He holds the plug now with one hand, while with the other he reaches down into the lunch bag, and hastily starts throwing the contents of the bag through the small hole in the top. It all happens so quickly that it is hard to process, but as he tosses the mixture of what appears to be breadcrumbs, pieces of meat, and corn, coating the outside of the bin in the stuff, the birds all suddenly swoop down at the same time, squawking their heads off in a deafening cacophony. Through the maelstrom, you see the guy hurriedly screwing the plug back into the top of the container. Then, as the birds surround him in a feathery technicolor dreamcoat, you see him lie back in the tub, completely at ease despite the aggressive pecking from the outside. This goes on for a few minutes, and as the birds make an opening on your side,  you realize that you can no longer see the rise and fall of the man's chest, and immediately chastise yourself for your denseness. Of course he can't breath -- it's an airtight plastic tomb! There's no way he wouldn't asphyxiate himself in there. Just as you're about to leap up and shoo the birds away from the suffocating guy in shades that you now feel a strange affinity for, you see the beak of one of the ospreys pierce through the lid of the container. Then, a magpie does the same. Soon, there are hundreds of tiny holes in the container, and as the birds finish their meal and begin to fly off, you see the container shudder as the man's body springs back to life, gasping for air. While he regains consciousness, he lies deathly still, and you would say that he was watching the departing birds if he didn't have those mirrored shades on. Finally, he pushes the lid from the top of the container, steps out of the box, and brushes off any remaining crumbs. Then, as enthusiastically as he arrived, he lifts the tub over his head, and lunch box under his arm, trots gleefully back the way he came. As he nears your position, he abruptly freezes on the spot, sniffing the damp forest air and looking around calmly from left to right. You try to make yourself less visible by pressing yourself closer into the ground, but as suddenly as he stopped, he bounds back onto his trajectory through the woods and you soon lose him in the distant pines. After that time, even though you eat lunch a little early every day, wanting to catch sight of him just once more, he doesn't show, and you hope with all of your heart that he has found a new clearing where he can, unobserved, do what he was clearly meant to do on this planet.

[randomconnections]

Return to Church Island

Several weeks ago I received a Facebook friend request from Deb Mims. Deb and I had never met, but she had read several of my posts here. I’m usually very cautious when I get a request like this out of the blue. However, Deb had some interesting things going on, so I accepted. I’m glad I did, as it led to an excellent kayaking trip and the potential for more exploration.

Deb Mims and Ed Deal are the proprietors of Blueway Adventures out of Bonneau, SC. They also are the organizers for the Tri-County Blueway Kayaking Meetup. I think the three counties referenced in the name are Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester.

It was this latter group that caught my attention. I saw that they were taking a trip out to Ferguson. My posts about that trip remain the most popular on this site and I’ve been wanting to return. Sadly, it didn’t work out for that trip, but I saw that they had one going to Church Island, which had been the second half of my original trip. That one I could do.

I could do it, but it was going to be a challenge for logistics. I would be leading a group from Lowcountry Unfiltered into Sparkleberry Swamp on Saturday, then there was this trip on Sunday. Since they are on opposite ends of Lake Marion it would make sense just to stay overnight. However, I was loaning boats to folks and Jim had kindly offered to drive down to Sparkleberry. So, on Friday while I was loading up my Pungos for that trip, I put my Tsunami on the Subaru so it would be ready to go early Sunday morning. It would do better on the more open waters of Lake Marion for the Church Island trip.

Saturday evening I tried to rest up while also switching gear for the next trip. It was more a matter of recharging batteries (including my own) and tossing the gear into the Subaru. I even had a spare sandwich left from the previous day’s trip, so I didn’t even have to make another one.

Even though this trip was further away than yesterdays and the drive would be longer, they were meeting a bit later. That was a good thing. It gave me an extra hour of sleep which I really needed. By 6:30 am I was rolling out of the yard.

My plan had been to get to Spiers Landing by 9:30 so that I could find parking and get my gear ready to go. A SNAFU with the GPS threw me off-course a bit, so that I got there just a bit before 10:00. The landing was busy and I had to park quite a way from the ramp, but I brought my kayak cart for just such an eventuality. Other paddlers were also readying their boats. I didn’t know anyone, and just assumed we were all on the same group.

I spotted Deb and went over to introduce myself. I also met Ed and Guy. Parked on either side of me were Tracy and Myranda. I would spend a good part of the trip talking to them.

The MeetUp site had nearly 30 people signed up for the trip – a huge group by LCU standards. With cancellations and no-shows it was closer to 20. Still a huge group.

I hauled my gear over to the launch to find many boats were already in the water. Somehow I’d expected a “paddler’s meeting” or something like that. Ed was giving instructions to a couple who were about to embark in a kayak. I decided to follow suite and launch.

We did raft up for a moment for instructions, then headed on out across the lake. As was the case in Sparkleberry yesterday, the weather was nearly perfect. Osprey danced along the low cypress trees.

It surprised me how many boats were the same model as mine. I counted at least three other Tsunami 145s and several shorter Tsunamis. Ed had a boat like mine, and now I’m wondering if these are the boats they carry in as part of their outfitting business. There were also several Pungos mixed in with the group. I knew they were offering rentals for those that didn’t have their own boats.

I chatted with everyone as we paddled along, but spent more time talking to Myranda and Tracy. Myranda is an attorney in Charleston, and Tracy retired from the police in New Jersey and moved down here. Tracy was trying out her new GoPro and seeking advice. Myranda had a bright pink kayak that was hard to miss.

It didn’t take long at all to reach the island. We threaded through cypress trees as much as we could, but when we hit the unprotected water the lake got rather choppy. I was impressed that this large group managed to stay together (unlike yesterday’s group.) Even the folks in the tandem were doing well.

Here’s a bit of video from the GoPro:

Soon we reached the cemetery and landed. The group began to explore.

I won’t go into the history of the Church Island Cemetery, aka Rocks Cemetery. I covered most of that on my last visit. However, there was one grave I was after, that of Joseph Palmer Simons. I missed it on the previous visit and wanted to make a point of finding it this time.

I also made an embarrassing mistake. Simon’s Find-a-Grave listing has the following:

Note: Died by own hand / gun shot.

For whatever reason I took it to mean that those words appeared on the headstone, and said as much to those that were helping me to find it. More on that in a bit.

To recap…

Joseph Simons lived on Francis Marion’s former plantation, Pond Bluff. The government had appropriated his land for the Santee-Cooper Project through eminent domain. Having exhausted his legal options, Simons stood on his porch and shot himself. His grave was a direct link to the formation of the lake.

Until we found Simon’s grave we looked at some of the other historical markers. As I noted last time, there were several signature stones, including one that looked like it belonged to Thomas Walker.

Ed and I had an interesting conversation about this history of the area. He grew up on this lake, and knew all the history as passed down by his friends and family. Sometimes that history differed from which I’d heard. For example, my information said that clearing the Lake Marion stopped when Hitler invaded Poland. Ed said that he’d heard that it was the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The dates support the Hitler-Poland story. It wasn’t an argument about who was right (me), but just a conversation about how these stories influence our perception of an area.

I found the Simons family in a back corner of the cemetery, but Joseph wasn’t among them. Finally we found it, down closer to the lake. Joseph was buried next to his parents, Keating Lewis Simons and Ida Gaillard Simons. His stone bore the following inscription:

Son of Keating Lewis and Ida Gaillard Simons of Pond Bluff. At rest.

There was nothing about the cause of death. Of course there wouldn’t be. What was I thinking? Oh well.

Ed gathered us together to ask if we wanted to have lunch here or at a beach further along the island. The group voted for further along, so we loaded up and continued along the edge of the island.

Now our goal was to circumnavigate the island. I stayed close to the front with Ed, who gave a running commentary about the history of the island and its various features. He was a wealth of information, and I wish I could have stuck close enough to hear. We rounded the north side of the island, staying within the cypress tree line that ringed it.

We found a beach on the north side of the island and pulled up for lunch. Everyone grabbed a section of log for a seat. I missed out, so I went back to my boat and pulled out my string hammock. It made for a decent seat for lunch.

After lunch we stuck to the tree line until we reached the eastern side of the island. From there we crossed more open water, watching the ospreys swoop around their low nests. The twin smoke towers of the power plant loomed to the east. Somewhere out there was the channel that connected the two lakes.

I met another paddler, Matt, who said he used to paddle with a group called Lowcountry Adventures. The group is based out of Hilton Head, and my from from both LCU and the Church of the Double-Bladed Paddle, Tim Brown, has paddled with them. It turns out Matt knew Tim well. However, it got me wondering about our group, Lowcountry Unfiltered, and Lowcountry Adventures. Coincidence? A reaction to? I found it a strange coincidence that they were from the same area.

I had one other interesting conversation with Ed. Sometime during the course of the trip Ed said that they no longer allowed human powered craft through the Pinopolis Lock. I’d had the chance to paddle it, but it seemed like that was now a thing of the past. According to Ed, the problem was with a group of Stand-Up Paddlers that wouldn’t listen to the Lock Master. He decided to cut off access for every paddler.

Before I knew it we spotted our take-out at Spiers Landing. Ed pointed out a cove about a mile away where he said we could find some alligators. I asked Tracy if she wanted to check it out, and her response was, “Only if they prefer white meat to dark meat.”

We pulled back onto the bank from which we had launched, then started the process of loading up. I said my goodbyes to my new friends and passed out some of my contact cards. It had been a great trip, and I had met some great folks.

Compared to yesterday, it had been a short one, only 4.65 miles. But, it was still an excellent trip.

I’ll definitely join this group for another paddle. Now I’m glad I accepted Deb’s friendship request.

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[islandadventureswhales]

Port Angeles Highlights:

J Pod Resident Orcas

BREACHES!

Harbor Porpoise

The day started off a little gray but as we left the harbor and headed north, the skies began to clear up and turn blue. After covering a lot of area searching for wildlife, we got reports of killer whales across the Strait of Juan de fuca. We jetted off heading north and caught many looks at harbor porpoise all around us across the strait. When we arrived at the west side of San Juan Island, a large group of resident orca were traveling west along the shore line. They were ID'd as the J Pod with definite J11's, J16's and J22's. We got lots of playful behaviors such as tail slapping and breaching!!! We also saw J31 pick up a piece of kelp with his tail and trail it along behind him! After getting excellent close looks, we turned back south and made the crossing for home! 

La Conner Highlights: 

J Pod Resident Orcas

Minke Whale

17 Bald Eagles!

Beautiful conditions today as we exited the slough to the south, passing many great blue herons on the way.  There were bald eagles and an osprey as we passed Goat Island, and black oystercatchers and cormorants on the rock jetty.  We headed out the pass and came across harbor porpoise off Lawson Reef.  South of Salmon Bank we got a quick look at a shy minke whale, but the real stars of the day were resident orcas near San Juan Island!  They were spread out along the island and traveling northbound.  We spent most of our time with J19, J41, and J51. At one point, a large vessel passed by creating a large wake that both J41 and J51 surfed!  We saw another bald eagle as we entered Fisherman's Bay on our way to enjoy lunch on Lopez Island.  Afterward we went south to Whale Rocks for harbor seals and Steller sea lions.  We went under Deception Pass bridge again and then stopped by Seal Rock for more seals and black oystercatchers.  First Mate Stephanie kept track - 17 bald eagles total today!

Anacortes Highlights:

J Pod Resident Orcas

California Sea Lion

Harbor Seals

Bald Eagles

Nesting Cormorants

We bid farewell to May with another fantastic tour aboard the Island Explorer 5.  Despite a few clouds early in the morning, the seas were glassy and sunshine was plentiful during the latter half of our tour.  Almost instantly after departing the dock we came across a sleeping California sea lion on the channel marker in Guemes Channel.  After a quick stop for photos without disturbing his slumber, we headed south in Rosario Strait pointed toward the south end of Lopez Island, passing harbor porpoise along the way.  The rocks south of Lopez were a haven for dozens and dozens of pigeon guillemots and as they were standing on the rocks, we had wonderful looks at their bright red feet!  Crossing over Salmon Bank, we came across more birds, such as common murres and rhinoceros auklets, before arriving for the main event - KILLER WHALES!  J Pod was cruising along the west side of San Juan Island and it appeared, based on the numbers, that the "whole gang" was here today!  We had fantastic looks at J27, "Blackberry", J50 "Scarlet", J31 "Tsuchi" (Blackberry's sister), and then further up the coast, J19 "Shachi".  One youngster breached for us several times and we saw a tail slap or two as well.  They were swimming right along the shoreline and it provided a great backdrop for viewing.  When the activity slowed down, we went off in search of as much other wildlife as possible by stopping near a pelagic cormorant nesting site and then continuing on to Spieden Island.  The exotic hoof stock of the island weren't out today, but there were nearly 100 harbor seals AND a bald eagle swooped down and caught a fish directly in front of our boat!  We came across a few more mature bald eagles near the edge of the island that posed for a few photos as well.  We continued home through the inner island route and ended up back in Anacortes with plenty of time left to enjoy the great weather.  May was a spectacular month for whale watching this year - can't wait to see what June brings!