An Eagle, Birds, Kayaks Adrift and a Real Nice Day Kayaking Jenner

Thursday December 31, 2015 Jenner CA.

It was chilly in the valley I live in when  I got it going this morning as the sun hadn’t come over the mountain yet.

The sun was out and the wind was down as I pulled into Jenner this morning to kayak for the day. I put my boat in the water and headed across the river to Penny island and decided to go on down to the mouth area along the north side of the island and this is what it looked like. Nice. The tide was out so there was some exposed shoreline.

I saw some birds eating something on the shoreline here near the bottom end of the island.

Birds feed on a dead fish

They seemed to be eating what’s left of a big steelhead fish. The turkey vulture waits it’s turn. The eagle is first, but the vulture is patient.

As I drifted closer the eagle moved off the dead fish being cautious, so the vulture got a turn.

Then the eagle picks up some weeds for some reason, carries them a little ways and drops them.

I moved off towards the mouth area. At least one sea lion was hunting around for fish as I approached. They don’t usually stay on the surface long so it’s hard to get good pictures of them.

Boats adrift

I moved on down to the end of the river where I found two kayaks adrift. High tide was starting to come in and they hadn’t put their boats up high enough on the beach. One of the kayaks I recognized as Dan’s. I figured they were on the beach for a walk, so I waited for them to come back which wasn’t long. It turned out they had been walking on the beach picking up trash of which there is a lot right now with the recent high water. I returned their boats to them so they didn’t have to swim for them and then we shot the bull for about an hour. His friend Richard was helping him.

Headed up the river

I left them at it and headed on up the river headed to the muskrat area about a mile up the river.

I stopped for a break in this area  just below Eagle’s landing. There was only a light breeze and the sun was out taking the chill off the day.

I paddled on up to this area which I call muskrat and sat around for a while watching things and enjoying the day.

Eventually I headed on back down the river. The wind was down so much these same clouds hung over Jenner for a couple hours at least.

Headed back down to the mouth area

As I got near the boat ramp, I decided the day was so nice I’d head back down to the river’s mouth area.

I’m paddling back down along the north shore of Penny Island here.

I paddled by this snowy egret fishing along the shoreline and doing well on some very small little fish.

I stopped here in front of the open river’s mouth for a bit and then headed back towards the boat ramp for the day.

This brown pelican swooped in and landed here in front of me and started bathing and preening.

Reflections

At the boat ramp there was quite a reflection.

I did a vertical flip on that picture just to make it interesting. :O)

I drove on home where it was getting dark, so that was my day for another nice one.