Saturday, July 21, 2012

it never gets old...

sweep

intent

jelly

sunbathing

catching fish

so many seals

one bear, two bear

there's rarely a day that i am not awed by the nature around me, and the creatures that share this island space with me. i feel very lucky to catch a glimpse of any of these beasts, whether it be a chickadee flitting through the treetops or a bear ambling along the shore. it never gets old.

these shots were all taken on a recent boat tour with my friend, so i'll grant that we were on the 'hunt' for wildlife. but i also think the lion's mane jellyfish i spotted while wandering down the dock was as cool as the 100+ dolphins we sat in the midst of in a remote inlet. you just never know when you might spot something, so i try to always be open to it. the other night i went for a walk through the woods and saw not a thing the entire way - which is perfectly fine. but when i walked up my driveway a flash of red caught my eye, and immediately i was entranced, watching a male pileated woodpecker work his way up a tree with his nearly full-grown youngster following along - and getting a meal from dad here and there. you just never know.

today in the alpine we looked for marmots unsuccessfully, but then were entertained by friendly (greedy?) whiskey jacks. on the drive back down the hill we spotted a couple deer grazing, and stopped while i snapped photos of a blue grouse. more on all that tomorrow. there's nature everywhere, if you let yourself see it.

we cleaned the house well in the middle of the week, and between last night and this morning i got a lot of putting by done in the kitchen. right now i'm putting the finishing touches on two custom whales. somewhere along the way sunday suddenly feels like a bonus day this weekend, like i somehow got ahead of myself for a brief little moment. hmmm, what should i get up to?

6 comments:

Heather M. said...

I've never seen a jellyfish like that, although I've been in a sailboat surrounded by thousands of moon jellyfish. I've also never seen that many seals in one spot. Could you tell me where you saw them? I'll be up your way, kayaking, sometime in August.

There's so many stories of wildlife interactions I've had here along this coast. Herons, orca, racoons, and more. I do love it here.

leFiligree said...

i feel the same way! i pinch myself every time i run into a beast considering i am in midtown in AKs largest city! we are So Lucky to have access to the wild :)

Kate said...

I'm so envious of the astonishing wildlife you live amongst. The lion's mane jellyfish is one my son is desperate to see. What inspiration!

Margie Oomen said...

you are such an amazing nature photographer k

jenny said...

Yes, NEVER gets old. Never. I love that you feel the same way. Your photos are so beautiful, K.

india flint said...

hey thanks for swinging by at mine - loving the beautiful images over here