December in Photos

In early December, we had heavy rains. So heavy our "bayou" filled up to overflowing. The flood apparently was a bit much for Matilda, the alligator. Her tail flipped upside down.

 

 

 

 

 

 But eventually,  the rain stopped, water went down, and Matilda was repaired. 

We had many bird surveys to fit into the few dry days. And one CoastWatch survey that is not a bird survey... but naturally, I took photos of birds anyway. A Belted Kingfisher was fishing over the ocean from a tidal rock, something I've never seen before. Johnny saw it kiting over the ocean. Such high hopes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Of course, I had to take a photo of a Black Oystercatcher, who is supposed to be on rocky shorelines, feeding on shellfish.

 

On the way home, we stopped at Gunaldo Falls, our traditional stop. Thanks to all the rain, it was visible through the trees. In the summer, it disappears.

Then came the Upper Nestucca Christmas Bird Count on the Solstice. The weather was decent if you don't mind fog; the Forest Service roads were very good; but the birds were silent and few on this the shortest day of the year. I got no photos of birds. So I took one of a spider web catching the sunlight in a spot that happened to have some.

Here Mary and Johnny trudge up the Forest Service trail in one of our areas that we call Raven Hill. We saw four ravens flying across the top when we got there. That unit seems to be on their flyway. Those were the only ravens we saw all day.

 

With few birds to be seen and none willing to be photographed, I took a photo of a rock wall along the road I was hiking. It was in the sun during one of the rare moments when there was sun.

In spite of the lack of birds in our sector, some of the sectors had plenty and we all (or most of us) got together in the evening for food and stories of the day in a local restaurant in Willamina.   

We have one more Christmas Bird Count to go... that one on New Year's Eve day.  

 

But first will come Christmas Day... with the unwrapping of the beautifully wrapped gifts from Jessica (and family, but she does the wrapping). What else we will do is anyone's guess, since it depends on this completely undependable weather.

Happy Holidaze anyway!