Sunday Wonders - W

W is for Wings.

Yesterday we took advantage of the clearing skies to go down to the Maplewood mudflats.  This is a wildlife conservation area, mostly birds,  and one of our favorite places to visit.  Long before it was protected, we used to walk here.  Then, we would walk out onto the mudflats, when the tide was out like this, and get up close and personal with the gulls.  That bar of light-colored sand way out by the water is actually not sand.  It's made of crushed and broken shells.  Of course, people walking out there isn't permitted any more.  It's not good for the habitat - and it could be dangerous.  But, then, that danger was part of the fun. 

Here, a gull is getting his lunch.  He picks up a mussel, flies up and drops it.  The plan is that it breaks.  This usually takes a few tries, though.  Then he happily scarfs down the meat and moves on to the next round.

The crows are hangin' in the trees just waiting for their opportunity.  Gulls always leave a little something behind for them to find.  It's just not on for a crow to work at getting food.

As we walked away from the water, blackberry thickets and tangles of shrubs provide shelter for the redwing blackbirds.  Their songs - my favorite and a sure sign of spring - filled the air.  It was hard to capture a photo as they refused to sit still and pose.  In fact, it seemed that the birds knew just when I was ready to shoot.  Each and every time, I was foiled by a quick hop to another branch which was even more concealing. Can you see him?

We stayed until the next rainstorm drove us away. A few minutes away, lunch in Deep Cove was a most pleasant end to the outing.