Sunday, January 3, 2010

A New Year

A new year, and time to take advantage of dry Sunday mornings for destination walks. This morning we headed to the Des Moines Marina, on Puget Sound, south of Sea-Tac airport. A weak winter sun was shining. This time of the year the sky and water often blend in shades of gray. Although void of color, it was clam and quiet, mild and serene. We walked out on the fishing pier.
There were some interesting water fowl to watch, like these mergansers.
Cormorants were sitting and sunning and fishing.
As we watched this one came up with an eel! It struggled with it's catch, then swallowed it whole. I don't know if the eel was dead when it went down. It may have wiggled and jiggled tickled inside it. The cormorant did some wiggling and jiggling itself for a while.
This is a Common Goldeneye.
A stream flows through a ravine and out into the sound here. We had planned to walk the trail along it, but it was closed for reconstruction.
The snow berries add winter interest.
There were quite a few Surf Scoters.
This seemed to be a lone little grebe.
Overhead, a Great Blue Heron sat, perched on a condo building, taking it all in.
Was this a "Who has bigger wings?" contest? The totem pole wins.
There were fishers on the dock and on the water.
But not much boat action today.
Since the trail was closed, we drove a bit farther south to Salt Water State Park. Also a stream filled ravine, the water cascaded to the sound.
It was quiet and peaceful, so unlike a busy summer day.
There really is beauty in gray.
This afternoon I watched the Seahawks play their last game of the season. It's hard to believe football is over for another year. I always miss it. Of course, if the team's record weren't a dismal 5 - 11, we could be in the playoffs for a while yet. Oh, well, there's always next year.
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After the game I finished taking down Christmas, packing up my Santa collection. Now my shelves are empty until I get my pottery back on them.
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It really does feel like a new year.

12 comments:

  1. What a great walk! And love your photos of the the various duck species! And, yes, there is lovely in gray, too. Just have to look a little harder and with a little different eye! Have a lovely week, Linda! Enjoy!

    Sylvia

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  2. Interesting winter photos Linda. I specially liked your fishing jetty pjhoto. - Dave

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  3. Nice blog, Linda, a series of 'moody gray'.

    Sunday wasn't too bad but the rains have arrived with a vengence now.

    It is nice to walk on a day when there are no crowds.

    I haven't been to many south of Seattle parks but I realize I should.

    Love your new header----but darn them Seahawks.

    MB

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  4. Thanks for taking me along on your walk. I've never seen snowberries before (maybe here in Maine they are all buried under all the snow!)and they are pretty. Yes, gray is very beautiful, it brings out colors and makes us look a bit closer.

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  5. lovely shades of gray
    silvery actually
    beautiful photos

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  6. A beautiful post! A gray day it may have been but the quality of the light on the water was perfect. The capture of the cormorant with its meal is great as are all of the bird photos.

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  7. thanks for taking us along for a grey walk..the green sure stands out

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  8. We have snow...snow...snow! Makes your weather look very appealing.

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  9. You got really incredible photos on this new years walk of yours. I love that shot of the Cormorant swallowing the eel. That must have been so exciting to see.

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  10. You got some really nice shots of waterfowl. Winter walks are nice. I posted recently about some of my favorite on Whidbey Island.
    I remember when I lived in Des Moines, as a kid and would ride my bike down to the marina. (we lived in Tacoma first, then moved there).

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  11. Wow, that eel shot is amazing! What a catch (both for you and the bird)!!

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  12. You captured some great shots Linda,, wow!

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