11, 16, 19, 20 September

11 September



A calm morning, slight overcast.  High tide.  The beginning of autumnal colour.

The river is still low.


Although I didn't see them this morning, the salmon are coming up the river.  With their arrival, the dipper appears as well, possibly drawn by highly nutritious salmon eggs.  


Fungi are emerging along the river and in the forest.



The high tide made the distant sandbar into an islet.

Flocks of waterfowl are beginning to pass through.  Mergansers are resident year 'round.  Remeber the saying about ducks in a row?


I use this stand of bitter cherry as a seasonal marker.  It's starting to show autumn.


A long-dead fir tree snag has a showy collection of bracket fungus.


16 September

September at its finest.  Sunny, then streaky cloud,


amiable warmth in the sun.

The river is still low, and very placid, despite a couple of nights of heavy rain.


Autumn's colours continue to advance.  The cottonwoods and alders along the river are among the first to turn.


Walking along the river I met a couple who asked, "Did you see the owl?"  I hadn't, so they kindly led me back to it.  


It was sitting calmly in a cottonwood near the road.  I think I was studying the river as I walked past it, and he's well camouflaged against the cottonwood bark.  Life's little lessons.

The trumpet honeysuckle is now fruiting.  


Although First Nations children enjoyed sucking the nectar out of the flowers, the berries are regarded as toxic.  

A mixed flock of house finches and siskins fed on the western crabapples by the pond.


19 September


A fine autumnal afternoon.  The calm river reflects the clouds and forest.



The high tide and salmon migration drew two seals upstream.  Unfortunately, it was hard to get a clear photo, between the foliage along the river and the speedy swimmers.  Hence, one blurry seal:


The alders and cottonwoods along the river are showing more golden.


Out at the point, the high tide brought in the beginning of the autumn migration.


The first wigeons to arrive fed in the shallows.


As the afternoon waned, the sky took on majesty.




20 September  

After yesterday afternoon, it was time for a morning visit to the Estuary.  The day was sunny, if brisk.  The forest is showing more colour.



A red-breasted sapsucker worked diligently on a maple.  He seemed to prefer the shady side of the tree, which made photographing a bit tricky.


He was worth the wait--a handsome bird.

I feel blessed to live so near so much beauty, in this place that always changes, with the tide, the weather, the foliage and wildlife.  There's always something new and always something wonderful.  



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