A "typical" day!

What could be better than going kayaking in the PM,
dissecting your duck, and then going to the shooting range?

Well, it gets better if a seal comes by to visit while at the beach.

"We have to go. Good bey seal?

For adluts only

Recently I saw 3 black birds with their heads stretched high into the sky.
The same day I saw a fight between three doves and felt sorry enough for the one about to die that I started to break them  up. Suddenly the littlest one gets away from being beaten up. What does he do? Goes back into the the middle of the fight, looking like he was NOT about to survive.

Suddenly I realized it is Spring and love makes us animals do crazy things.

So, when I saw two sea lions with their bodies entangled around each other,
as they barely made progress swimming down the channel,
I realized what was going on.

                                     

I was seeing "Sea Lions in love" .

Still, I  couldn't understand why there were a few others just swimming along with these two. The event took about 45 minutes to an hour, as I tried to avoid the show, while taking the gandkids for their first kayak ride in the marina

So I looked things up on the internet:  apperantly the macho male must satisfy his whole harem. So they swim close, waiting their turn, while he finishes one and then continues his duties with the remaining.

For those "Enquiring Minds" :

http://secretsexlives.blogspot.com/2007/05/californian-voyeurs-and-panda.html

From what I've read, at the end of their mating, one reaches up and bites the neck of the mate! And it is not a tender kiss. It looks like a pretty strong bite to me! But, I can't remember if it  is the female who bites the male.

And for those have to see to believe,  may I recommend a video of sea lion love in the water,

(just copy and paste this address to your browser, but be warned: it is graphic)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGeRjGGi05Q&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Spring again

Let's forget for a moment that it snowed 4 inches around Mothers'  Day.
And that for our recent hike, I had on my hat, gloves, snow coat, and thick socks.......

As a friend might say, "Spring has sprout!"

Friendly "puppy dogs"

On Saturday we took our young visitors kayaking at St Herman Harbor. They liked it so much that when I returned home form work today they were on the driveway, dressed and ready to go again. So off we went.

First we paddled out to see the 24 Steller sea lions on the man made island in the middle of the harbor. On the way back one comes up for air 5 feet form the front of the kayak, is completely surprised to see us and makes the biggest splash as he goes under water. And we didn't see him again.

It is usually us that are surprised by them, not he other way around.

But there is one that has really taken an interest in us during the last few days.  We noticed him yesterday when we heard his breathing just a few feet behind us. He just followed us for about 50 yards, keeping that short distance behind us.

Today, the kids and I were standing on the pier when the same guy spotted us

 and kept approaching ......,

He seemed as much interested in us, as we were in him.

He got so close that we could see the water droplets in his face's whiskers!

Looked so much like our old Labrador that it made you want to reach out and pet him on the head.

On the other hand, that did not seem like a good idea. Who knows if  he was really thinking,
"Those little kids would make a nice meal!" With one quick jump he could climb on the pier and have it his way.

But, no, he stared and stared and then swam away.

(PS, Again, there is no enlargements of these pics. This is how close he got.)

Watching out for hazards

Specially this month,
when you go kayaking from the marina into the channel,
there are a few things you should check:


1. That the Tustumena ferry is not heading your way in the channel,


and 2) That the killer whales are not coming in...

to have a sea lion snack.


Officially, April is Whalefest month:
when we celebrate the return of the Gray whales travelling past our shores.

But it's also the month the Orcas are coming into the channel,
to feed and train their young on the tricks for successful sea lion hunting.

And , although we get "used" to having a half ton sea lion swim just a few inches form the hull, I have gotten so scared that I have dropped the camera under such conditions.

Anyway..... you do NOT want your 14 foot kayak
between a sea lion and a hungry 20 foot, 5 ton mama killer whale.

That's not good.

But, if you avoid such excitement,
then you return as a "happy kayaker".

Sea Lions on a recent kayak trip

On one of this week's kayak trip, we heard a lot of noise
as we turned a corner around an island near the channel...

This is what we found:
sea lions in a fight over control of the land.



Since they were pre-occupied,
we felt safe in getting a little closer.




Finally there is a winner
and he is "King of the Island"!




PS These pics were taken with a point-and-shoot digital camera
and were then cropped.
We are not so stupid as to get as close to the fight as these look!

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First week of kayaking

We've been kayaking several days this week.
Leave by 7 and return by 9 at night, while there is still good light.
What do we see?
Ptarmigans, drying their wings.

Reflections in the water.


Did you see a circle in the water?
Click on the pic above to make it larger.
That's the splash of a sea lion, swimming under our boat.

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This was Easter week end. What does that mean?

It means it snowed!
It always snows on Easter weekend.

But, it also means that what is not yet melted, will soon be!
So, it is time to get the kayaks out of storage!


Because, we have decided: it is Spring!

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What's some of the things for visitors do in Kodiak ?

Borrow some coats, rain boots...
and go see the Sea Lions at Dog Bay, just playing on their man-made pier.


But what if a 500 pounder suddenly jumps on YOUR pier,
just a few feet form you?


Well, to a budding photographer .....
this is a golden opportunity!

The Inanimate Animals of Kodiak, Alaska

About 3 years ago someone asked me to put some pics of moss.
Apparent he or she had lived here and missed the walks among the moss.

We must tell you, it is easier to appreciate moss all around you than it is to photograph.

So hoping to capture a "fun" experience with moss, we put together a series of what we "see" on our walks.

Turn up the volume and close the advertisements to see our interpretation at the bottom of the screen.

So....... What do you see?