New Year, New Adventures, New Inspirations

Happy New Year!  I look forward to sharing new adventures with you, starting with today’s!  My glassy girlfriends and I planned a hike up the Klickitat River in search of Bald Eagles.  This time of year they’re abundant along the Columbia River and it’s tributaries.

At dark thirty an eagle’s white head absolutely glows.  We had the entire Klickitat River to ourselves – just me and my dog.  My friends bailed on me last night, but I can’t blame them – one was sick & the other was expecting a studio visitor today.  It was 22 degrees when I left at 7 a.m., 32 degrees when I arrived at the parking lot, but a balmy 40 down by the river!

I hiked down to a sandy beach along the Klickitat River near the Confluence of the Columbia River to get as close as I could to the birds.  I am always inspired and invigorated when this close to nature and wildlife.  Even if it IS freezing outside!

There were plenty of geese on the Klickitat River while I (im)patiently waited for bald eagles to become active.  They were understandably nervous about my dog being so close to them.

A youthful bald eagle was the first to let me practice my ‘in flight’ photography.

He landed with grace and I managed to get 150 blurry photos of his skill.

A second youth showed up right on his heels as I continued to snap away, getting as many practice shots of eagles in flight as I could.

I think these ducks decided to take cover from the flurry of young eagles flying about.

A third young eagle flew over shortly after the first two.

This adult bald eagle flew in from the upper part of the Klickitat River and joined the five that I’d been watching.

In the meantime, my new friends decided my dog wasn’t coming to the river’s edge after all.

I counted six adults and three young bald eagles this morning plus sighted one along the highway on my way home.

Oh!  Two herons burst out of one small creek and headed north along the river – they were thrilling to watch and I’m happy I caught one with my camera!

The young eagles put on a great show for me.  They seemed more active at 9 than they were at 8.  Think I’ll plan my next trip accordingly.

It was hard to get a clear picture as they flew overhead against the gray sky.  Most of my overhead shots are just silhouettes.

I don’t know why I like this shot of the ducks landing, but it’s so full of color against the gray water that I decided to include it for you.

This was about the closest I could get to the eagles in the trees along the river.  I need a longer lens!  I hadn’t wanted to carry it, but next time I’ll pack along my tripod.  After about an hour and a half I was frozen in spite of three layers of clothing.  We’re expecting freezing rain this afternoon, so I’ll stay snug in my studio for the next few days gearing up for shows and photographing the hundreds of earrings I made the last few months.

The Glass Craft & Bead Expo is just around the corner.  I hope you can take a class with me this year!  I’ll post more info soon!