Happy Gotcha Day, Maggie!

Happy Gotcha Day, Maggie!  Five years ago today we signed the adoption papers at Langley Animal Protection Society (LAPS) and you and I became family.  

Meeting Maggie for the first time - May, 2017

Together we've explored beaches,

Hiked together,

Checked out many parks,

Watched the seasons change, 

 

And enjoyed sunsets together.

We're both growing old together.  You're no longer able to do hikes, but you sure enjoy being taken to parks and beaches.

The stumps you climb are shorter and flatter now.  Come to think of it, so are my hikes!

Your fur is whiter, like my hair, and you don't hear as well or see as well as you once did - but neither do I. 

Will these glasses help me, Mama?

You strain my finances and sometimes my patience, but repay me a thousand-fold with love, laughter, companionship. 

I love you, sweet Maggie.  I'm so glad I gotcha! 💗

This is not an eagle

 

This was my 'thin slice of joy' today - a perky, inquisitive quail in our strata's garden, waiting to greet me when I opened my front door this morning.  Last year, I saw  many families of quail on my walks around the block - after seldom seeing them on the island.  There was another adult quail on the ground near this one, but due to the shrubbery I couldn't tell if they had any chicks with them. Soon, I expect, I will see quail once again scurrying across the roads, across the driveways and lawns, diving under shrubs with their many, many babes in tow.  I love their jaunty little feather caps on their heads, bobbing along. So much fun! 

A few more eagle photos

 Just a few more photos so you know I'm still here.  Maggie and I went away for a few days with a couple of friends last week, so I'm still editing the eagle photos.  This week the drywall is being put into the ensuite and bedroom that were damaged by a broken pipe, and Mags can't be in the house when they are working so I may not get much done all week.  These photos are some of the 'teasers' I put on facebook recently, but I still have lots more to do including some that tell a story or two.  Enjoy!

Take off!

Eagle with fish

Bringing home dinner

Sychronized landings

And away we go! 

Happy Mother's Day, by Maggie

 Hi everyone! It's me, Maggie.  I have a pretty nice Mama, so today I told her she could take the day off from editing about a zillion eagle photos, and I'd take her to the park instead.  

I would have made breakfast for her, since it is Mama's Day, but I'm not allowed to use the stove.  Or open the fridge. Or order delivery on the phone.  Okay, I'm not only 'not allowed' but as I don't have opposable thumbs those things are pretty tricky for a sheltie.  I'm smart, but not THAT smart!

So, I suggested we have a nice walk in the park.  Craig Bay Heritage Park, to be exact.  It's always quiet, and there's grassy paths, and a bit of beach, and lovely views, and now that it is spring there are also flowers and lotsa birds.  So I even suggested she bring her camera along.  And I promised I wouldn't hog the lens. 

I think she had a nice time.  These are some of the photos she took.  I dunno the names of all the flowers but I know a couple of them.  Mama probably knows the others but she's asleep already 'cause I wore her right out!  

This is camas lily I thinks.

And these are some type of blue bell.

These are rhodos.  Mama said they might be wild ones, but most 
likely they were planted many years ago when the property used to
be a homestead or later a campground. 

We saw birds too - some heron and something flying in the sky:

And guess what else we saw?  A bunny!  But he runned away when I shouted hi to him.  Mama said I should use my indoor voice when we see other critters. I forgots.

We saw a little humming bird on the end of a bare branch.  He is always there, every time we go. But he is real because he moves his head to look at us sometimes.  I think he just likes to watch the ocean and listen to the waves - just like my Mama does.

I kinda forgot I said I wouldn't hog the lens,  and when Mama was trying to photograph a flower I kinda got in the way - hehehehehe!

This was the flower she was trying to get before my snout got in the way:

So I think Mama had a pretty nice day.  Maybe tomorrow she'll get back to editing the kazillion eagle photos she took on Friday.  Don't tell her, but I'll give you a sneak peak at one of them:

I hope you gave your Mama a nice Mother's Day too, or if she's gone to the Rainbow Bridge, I hope you thought of her today.  

I love my Mama.  Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there! 

Love, Maggie.

A Convocation of Eagles

 ♫♫  If you go down to the beach today, you're sure of a big surprise! 
        If you go down to the beach today, you better go in disguise. 
       For every eagle for miles around, is in the air and down on the ground. 

      Today's the day, the eagles are here for a picnic! ♫♫

The midshipman fish have arrived - the females laying the eggs among the rocks in the water, the males guarding them until they mature.  And lots of midshipman fish in the shallows of the outgoing tide mean lots of eagles ready to pounce.  

It happens every year at this time, and I have often seen dozens of eagles in a very small area, all hopping and strutting, flying and fluttering about as they eat their way through the midshipman fish buffet. 

Today, I had Maggie with me so I didn't go anywhere near them. But I also had the good camera with the telephoto lens so even from about 300 yards away I was able to get a few shots, though they were almost out of range.  Still, some of the images had 40-50 eagles in a single shot. 

Yeah, right.  I'm  much more photogenic and a whole lot closer too!

Just sittin' here quietly, watching a bunch of dumb birds. 

Tomorrow, if the rain holds off  when the tide is falling, I'll head down there without Maggie, park myself on a rock about 50 - 75 yards away, and try for some better shots.  

The weather forecast doesn't look great, but perhaps I'll get lucky.  There are few things more thrilling to me than sitting among dozens of these majestic birds as they skillfully fill their bellies at the edge of the surf. 

There are few things more thrilling to me than filling my belly! 
 Is it dinner time yet? Let's go home. 

Happy Maggie at the Park

 Don't ask me how the restoration work and insurance stuff is coming.  Just don't.  Instead, let's enjoy these photos of a happy dog, a beautiful setting, and a bunny.  Maggie and I go out to a park most days, in addition to our little neighbourhood walks.  Today we went to Rathtrevor, which we haven't been to for quite awhile.  We traipsed around the trails furthest from the campers and majority of walkers, and had a thoroughly nice time. 

This is a big tree, Mama! 

Bunny - one of many. We saw chocolate ones, black ones, peachy coloured ones, and brown ones with white tails.  I'll never understand why people dump their pet rabbits in the wild. 

Checking out the interesting smells along a lovely trail

Maggie's favourite spot - a dozen or more stumps just the right height for jumping on and for leaping from one to the other.  She can'd do quite as many as she used to, but she sure remembered what to do.  Such a happy girl! 

Happy Easter

 

I'll leave this here

I'm dealing with a Very Big Crisis here to do with a broken pipe, a bunch of damage, a second water-related crisis in another area of the house, tons of frustration dealing with insurance companies etc etc etc.  And total chaos and upheaval for Maggie and Me.  Plus snow last Sunday (SNOW! On the Island! In April!), and a six hours power failure. Life is not going smoothly.

Let's just say I could use some good vibes, a few prayers if you're so inclined, a pot full of money, a barrel full of patience, and maybe a few good jokes. 

Meanwhile, since I know you come here for the photos, even if I don't have time for a story or two, here's a few more photos from the other day at the North Island Wildlife place. 

Some days I'm dealing with turkeys.....but not cute smart ones like these.

I need the wisdom of an owl and his quiet zen nature as well.

Things are moving on at about the speed of a turtle. 

I'll get back to blogging when I can, if only for a photo or two.  I will probably have to move out for a bit so not sure how much time or access to computer/internet I'll have.