I launched my kayak, figuring if nothing else, I’ll get some exercise.  The rain has been lightening up at times, so maybe I’ll even get some photos. 

The first morning, I spotted this common loon trying to consume a little bottom fish that he’d caught.  It looks like the loon’s eyes might be bigger than his stomach.

 

 

 

 

 

Even though the rain was relentless, we enjoyed the beauty of Codville.

 

On one of my paddles, I discovered blooming thimble berries.

 

 

 

Elderberries were also starting to bloom.

 

 

When I got to a large rock near the entrance to the lagoon, I spotted this flock of harlequin ducks.  I made them very nervous, so they kept paddling from one side of the rock to the other, hoping I’d leave, because they really liked whatever it was they were feeding on near the rock.

 

 

 

 

I noticed that there was only one female in the whole flock, and the males followed her everywhere.

 

 

 

 

This crow was finding some low tide goodies.

 

Al spotted this osprey flying over one morning, landing in a tree at the head of the cove.  He was so far away, I had to zoom in at 200X.

 

 

 

 

On the chart for Codville, I spotted a little group of islets, back in the lagoon, nestled in between the mainland and an island.  So, one morning I set out for those islets.  It was raining off and on, mostly on, but I eventually located the islets and let the wind carry me into a particularly picturesque little cove.  To my surprise, I spotted a merganser sitting on a rock.  She looked at me, with no apparent interest, and continued sitting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I floated closer, however, she decided she’d better reassess the situation.

 

 

She didn’t like what she saw and took flight.  “Thank you for the photos,” I called, as she winged her way to a more secluded setting.  Mr. Robin popped his head up on the opposite shore to see what all the ruckus was about.

 

 

As I was leaving this pretty little cove, I spotted this rather large, unusual rock that looked like it must have been thrown here during some cataclysmic readjustment of the terrain that occurred eons ago.  There weren’t any rocks like it in the area, and the moss growing on the top of the rock added to its weirdness.

 

Another interesting feature of the cove was this cave-looking hole that was created by the low tide.

 

 

On my way back to the boat I spotted these marbled murrelets enjoying a respite from the rain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After listening to the weather report this morning, we decided conditions were good enough to move up to Codville Lagoon.  It’s still raining, but the wind has lightened.

An hour after pulling the anchor in Kisameet, we had it down again in Codville.  There was a sailboat anchored in our favorite spot, but a couple of hours after we arrived, the sailboat moved into the inner anchorage, so we now have this anchorage all to ourselves, except for a pair of common loons.  One of the loons, is still holding on to its winter plummage.  I can relate.  I’m still in my thermals.  It’s been about 50 degrees Fahrenheit inside the boat when we get up in the mornings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soon after anchoring, we launched the dinghy so that Al could set the prawn trap.  We’ve been hankering for Codville prawns all winter.  The commercial prawners have pretty much cleaned out Codville, but Al managed to capture enough for a couple of delicious meals.   (Total of 146 – a mixture of Coonstripe Shrimp and Spot Prawns.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rain, rain, and more rain pretty well sums up our stay at Kisameet this year.  On the bright side, however, we’ve never had more hummingbirds, anywhere, with often as many as five on the feeder at one time.  Since kayaking was out of the question most of the time, due to the weather, I was thankful to have something to photograph; and, their antics provided hours and hours of entertainment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One morning when I awoke, I didn’t hear the pitter patter of rain, so I suited up, launched my kayak, and set out looking for photo ops.  This loon was the first thing I came across.  He teased me along for at least thirty minutes, just out of shooting range.  He finally wore me out and I zoomed in to 100X and took a shot, figuring this guy was never going to let me get any closer.   

 

 

 

Then, I spotted this robin hopping all over the rocks on shore, gathering something.  When I zoomed in, I saw that he was gathering feathers, and he had a mouth full. 

 

 

 

I guess he planned on feathering his nest…literally.

When the Robin finally headed for the trees, I turned around and discovered a fish weir at the mouth of the large creek that enters Kisameet. 

 

I imagine the Indians trap a lot of salmon here.

With all the rain we’ve been having, the creek was roaring pretty good.

 

 

 

While I was studying the fish weir, a couple of ducks flew over and landed on some rocks in the middle of the bay.  On my way to those ducks, I spotted this oystercatcher looking for goodies.  He was really camera shy, only allowing me this one shot.

 

 

So, I continued on to where those ducks landed, and to my surprise, they were harlequins!

 

 

 

 

This cute female Barrows goldeneye popped up out of nowhere.  The harlequins didn’t seem too happy about this perky intruder.

 

On the next rock over, I found the rest of the goldeneye’s family.

 

 

 

By now, the rain was getting serious, so I had to head back to the boat and hope the rain hadn’t ruined my camera.

A couple of days later, the rain quit long enough for me to venture out again.  However, the wind came up, creating a chop that made it almost impossible to focus on anything.  To get out of the chop, I headed between the little islets that dot Kisameet Bay.  In one of these little hidey-holes I managed to find these Barrows goldeneyes enjoying the quiet waters.

 

 

 

 

They kept they’re eye on me while they fed along the shore, and eventually they’d had enough of my intrusion and headed for more secluded waters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The skies are overcast again this morning, but it isn’t raining when we pull the anchor, headed for Kisameet Bay.  We had an easy 2-1/2 hr run up to Kisameet.  I’d hoped to get a paddle in this morning, but by the time we got to Kisameet it had started raining again.  Oh, well.  Guess I’ll work on bringing my blog up to date, and we have hot water now, so we’ll be able to take showers.  Yay!

It rained non-stop from Thursday afternoon, until Saturday morning, when I was able to get out in my kayak and look for photo ops. 

I didn’t expect to find much, since I hadn’t seen anything but a couple of murrelets since we’d been here.  So, when I spotted some seagulls on some nearby rocks I decided to take a couple of shots, just in case I didn’t find anything else.

 

 

 

 

Then, I set out for the lagoon at the north end of the inlet. 

Al had assured me that there weren’t any rapids at the entrance, and he said all the birds are probably hanging out in the lagoon.  So, I headed through the narrow opening checking the shoreline for any swift currents.  Everything looked fine until I came to a rock about mid-channel, where I spotted a pretty mean looking whirlpool.  I quick reversed course and paddled like crazy until I got out of the strong current.  So much for Al’s “local knowledge”.

On to Plan “B”.  I paddled along the east shore headed for the south lagoon, when a couple of little birds flew overhead and landed not too far from me, near a small rock in the middle of the inlet, where seals like to hang out.  I got my camera out and zoomed in to see what the birds were.  To my delight, they were harlequin ducks!  I was pretty far away, but with 100X zoom I was able to get these photos of one of my favorite birds.

 

 

 

 

Not too far from the harlequins, I spotted this pair of loons.

 

 

When I got to the south lagoon, I found that the Indians have strung a net clear across the entrance, so I had to go to Plan “C”.  Last year I’d found a whole flock of harlequins just outside the entrance to Kwakume, so that’s where I headed.

Looking outside, through the entrance to Kwakume, I spotted this tug towing a huge barge, stacked with colorful containers.

 

 

 

 

And, just outside the entrance, where I’d found them last year, there was a big flock of harlequins preening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I looked up and saw the big ferry, “Columbia”, headed north up Fitz Hugh Sound, I  decided I’d better duck back inside Kwakume before I got bounced around in her wake.

 

 

 

By the time I got back to the boat, the wind had picked up and it had started raining.  Good thing I got an early start this morning.

 

 

 

 

It’s a beautiful sunny day as we leave Green Island Anchorage this morning, headed for Kwakume Inlet.  We only have about 10 miles to go, so we’re able to sleep in this morning.  The seas are like glass.

There weren’t any boats in Kwakume.  We anchored in our usual spot at the north end of the anchorage.  As soon as we had the hook down, Al said, “Hey, there’s a wolf.”  “Where?”, I said.  “There, on the beach.”  Well, it wasn’t a wolf, but two deer.   I grabbed my camera and went out on deck to get a shot.  As soon as they saw me, they started heading for the safety of the trees, but not before I got these shots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was up at 0545 hrs this morning, hoping to get some smooth-water kayaking in.  It had rained during the night, and it looked like we might be in for more rain today.  At the moment, however, I had calm winds, smooth seas, and a bit of blue sky here and there….I’ll take it.

I headed for the bitter end of Illiahie Inlet.  I wasn’t able to paddle that far last year, so I was determined to make it this morning. 

After about 30 minutes of paddling, my VHF came to life.  It was Al calling to tell me he just saw a bear swimming across the inlet, about 300 feet from the boat, headed for Fitz Hugh Sound.  Darn!  If I hadn’t got up so early, I would have had me some bear photos.  Oh, well.

About that time, I spotted some very small birds ahead.  They turned out to be Marbled Murrelets — not quite as exciting as a bear, but cute.  Murrelets are very camera shy, so I couldn’t get very close.

 

 

After over an hour of paddling, I finally reached the bitter end and was rewarded with these beautiful tidal falls.

 

 

 

I could hear mergansers chattering away, but I could never spot them.  They must have been hiding in the trees, taunting me.

The wind had started to pick up, which made the paddle back to the boat a real workout, since, of course, the wind was right on the nose. 

I spotted a dark mass near the top of a tree and decided to investigate.  I got lucky.  It was an eagle’s nest, and the eagle was home!  The eaglets probably haven’t hatched out yet.

 

 

The nest was obviously built for function, not aesthetics.  It looks like it’s been added on to over the years in a slap-dash fashion.

 

High tide this afternoon was very high, showing off these picture-perfect trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It rained all night, but this morning we have a bit of blue sky.  I got up early, hoping I wouldn’t have to contend with wind today.  The water was flat calm.  I set out toward the entrance, hoping to find some wildlife.  I paddled for over an hour without spotting anything.  It was a beautiful day, however, and I found several small creeks along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

I was paddling right against the shore, which got quite shallow at times, with as little as 6 or 8 inches under me.  That’s when I spotted the egg collar of a moon snail.  I was so excited.  I know it doesn’t look like much, but you don’t see them very often.  The moon snail lays thousands of eggs in this rubbery collar.

 

 

After dinner we decided to head for Green Island Anchorage, at the entrance to Fish Egg Inlet.  The wind was blowing 15-25 nots, so when we got close to the entrance to Fish Egg the water got pretty nasty.  Luckily, we only had to suffer for about 20 minutes before we were in the protected waters of Illahie Inlet.  There was a boat anchored in our favorite spot, but we managed to tuck in between two islands.  It was so nice to get out of the wind and ugly seas.

 

 

We only have 17 miles to go this morning to Fish Egg Inlet, but we leave fairly early, just in case the wind kicks up in Fitz Hugh Sound.  Leaving from Big Frypan, we headed for the northwest side of Penrose Island, where we entered Fitz Hugh Sound, heading for Convoy Passage.  It’s raining again, but there’s not much wind, so we have an easy trip.  Once inside Fish Egg Inlet, we decide to anchor at Bitter End Cove, deep inside Fish Egg.   The anchorage is lovely, with a large creek that comes down from Doris Lake. 

 

The tide was ebbing against the wind in Fish Egg, making the water choppy, so I waited until late afternoon before launching my kayak.  The water was still choppy, but the wind was down to 10-15 knots, so I set out for the very end of Fish Egg, thinking the wind would continue to drop.  It wasn’t long before I realized I should have waited for morning.  The wind started picking up again, gusting to about 25 knots.  The good news was that I didn’t have to paddle — the wind was doing all the work.  Way in the distance, at the very end of the inlet, I spotted a lonely merganser swimming.   I started paddling, hoping to get to him before he spotted me.  I paddled for all I was worth and then tried to zoom in and find the merganser.  He was gone!  I couldn’t believe it.  The wind was taking me toward the rocks at a pretty fast clip.  I took one last look through the viewfinder and there he was; but here I was closing in on those rocks.  I zoomed to the max and took a shot, not a very good shot, but after what I’d been through I had to have something to remember him by.

 

 

Now, I had to turn around and head back into the wind.  Ugly!  I tried to keep my profile low, getting as much weight forward as possible, for fear the wind would pick the bow up and capsize me.  I paddled like crazy in between gusts, and eventually made it back to the boat.  That lousy merganser shot was definitely not worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

From the time we arrived, until we left, it rained.  I managed to get a couple of hours to get a paddle in, and that was it. 

I found these female Mergansers in the next cove over.  They were busy preening, so they didn’t pay much attention to me as I slowly floated toward them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During all that rain, Al made a delicious batch of navy beans and ham, and fresh baked beer bread….Yummmm!