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| Field Sketch of Common Murres |
Sunny! And just a
breeze! We pick up a ‘Subway,' breakfast
and head out to Yakina Head to eat. It's
a much tamer day, better for drawing and photographing, yet not as exhilarating
as yesterday's wind and fog. A little of
both kinds of days is perfect.
Yesterday I settled into drawing right away. Today it takes me a while to focus. We watched a whale while we ate, but then he
wandered off. I grab my camera before my
sketchbook. Dale will get lots of
wonderful shots of the birds, but a few specifics catch my eye -- how sturdy
certain plants are here, and
I like the young gull on a nest in the lighthouse
window.
All too soon the wind is building, but still mild compared
to yesterday. I try to record the
sounds, but my little ipod microphone picks up too much wind. Ah well.
Time to grab my sketchbook. I put
my camera in the car and pick up my scope and tripod. I really wanted to add paint to at least one
drawing yesterday, but it was too damp.
Maybe now.
Suddenly screaming gulls interrupt the normal yammer of the
colony. A bald eagle is harassing the
colony! Hundreds and hundreds of murres
take to the air, along with most of the cormorants. The murres drop off the steep cliffs and fly
low over the water. They make no attempt
to harass the eagle. Soon the ocean is
spotted with hundreds of murres. Only
the youngsters are left, those too young to jump or fly. The eagle swoops low over the island and back
again. Gulls scream and chase. No camera!
Where is Dale?
After half a dozen swoops the eagle drops down on the far
side of the island, out of sight. I
hustle over to tell Dale what is going on and to pick up my camera. Three fourths of the island is now bare of
birds where before they were sprinkled over the entire island top. A few are returning. It looks as though the excitement is over so
Dale wanders off again and I start painting.
Today
the overlook has lots of visitors.
August is a busy time on the Oregon Coast. Many people come here to enjoy the
lighthouse; only a few know what a common murre is. At least some will go home impressed by what
they've seen today. Others are just
surprised to have seen 'penguins' in Oregon.
It's approaching noon when Dale comes back to check on
me. Perfect timing. The gulls start screaming again and I watch
young murres scrambling from the far side of the island to the near side,
towards us. Here comes the eagle. He rises up and creates chaos all over
again. I suspect he has been on the back
side of the island for the past hour and a half, enjoying dinner and
digesting. This time he doesn't stay
long.
With gulls close behind he heads north. The gulls give him a good dose of scolding
and they return to their island.
And so ends two wonderful half days at Yakina Head
Outstanding Natural Area.
On our way home we stop at the Darlingtonia Wayside, just
north of Florence, Oregon. It’s a small natural area designed to protect a
small bog, surrounded by forest. There,
in a soggy, sunny opening, are hundred of Pitcher plants. They have finished flowering, but the plants
are doing just fine. I paint them and
then sketch them too.
