Tag Archives: fishing

Heron Swallowing Its Lunch

Herons hunting for their food have been on here before.  I have often been trying to get good shots of them making the strike as they go after a fish in the shallows.  The effort to then eat that fish has also been covered here.  Therefore, I am going to be repetitive today.  I happened to be a lot closer than usual to a heron when it was fishing and I got some good close up shots of its head as it swallowed its meal.  Looks like the fish didn’t have much of a chance!

Stickleback Snacks

It is possible to spend a lot of time watching a heron hunting without seeing anything happen.  Their ability to stay still for extended periods of time awaiting prey is impressive.  You hope you will get some catch at some point and that it won’t happen behind something that stops you getting a shot.  One of the herons in Juanita Bay was having some good luck catching sticklebacks.  The only problem was that it would often get other debris at the same time.

After the strike, the bill would have a fish wriggling around in it and some leaves or twigs alongside.  The trick was how to release the surplus material to allow the fish to be eaten without giving the fish a chance to head for freedom.  Clearly this is a regular feature of a heron’s life and the technique has been practiced but I watched with anticipation as it got rid of what it didn’t need and allowed the fish to be swallowed.  The stills don’t give you much idea of how much wriggling was still going on as the fish went down the throat!

Backlight For A Seastack

During the evenings at Cannon Beach, we could see lots of lights out on the water.  Fishing boats were out at work and their lights were very bright.  I am not sure whether they only fish at night or not.  During the day, it would be hard to spot them without the lights giving you a clue since they were generally quite far out.  However, one boat was closer in than the others.  It was right behind on of the sea stacks near Haystack Rock.  With a lot of mist in the air, the light from the boat was diffused and provided a backlight to the rock.  It wasn’t lone before the boat came out from behind the rock and the effect was lost.

Heron Fast Food Joint

I walked out on to the jetty at Olga to look back at the shoreline.  A short distance around the shore was an inlet which had about a dozen herons fishing within it.  They were constantly stalking through the shallows and grabbing at fish as they passed by.  With so many of them there, it must be a productive place to hunt.  A heron drive through (or should that be fly through?).

Commercial Vessels on Lake Union

Lake Union is a real mix of boat types.  We were crossing it on a pontoon rental that my friend Torger had access to.  We got to see a lot of different stuff out there.  There is plenty of cash in Seattle so there were a lot of the large boats that are owned by those with a touch more cash than me.  However, while the leisure market is a big deal these days, Seattle is still a commercial port.  Fishing boats abound in Salmon Bay and out towards Lake Union.  There are dry docks for the work that big vessels need including floating dry docks.

Towing operations are aplenty.  Tugs to pull barges up the coast to Alaska are there as are tugs for more local duties.  Fishing vessels also mean fish processing vessels.  These boats take the catch from the smaller boats and process and freeze it for transport back to the distribution facilities ashore.  These fishing vessels look pretty substantial when you see them alongside in Seattle.  However, I imagine when you are out in the Bearing Straits, they suddenly seem a lot smaller as the big swells of the northern Pacific are heading in their direction.  Not a job for the faint of heart.

Fishing in the Surf

I spent a little time at North Head Lighthouse looking back down the beach I had been walking along earlier in the day.  It is a vast area so the people down below were but specks against the sand.  However, one person did catch my eye.  He was fishing in the surf and standing out in the shallows as he cast into the water.  Not sure how successful a location it is for fishing but it didn’t look like the easiest way to catch your dinner!

Okanogan River Views

I made a bit of a road trip recently.  I decided a day off work was in order and I had some aviation themed things I wanted to see so I set out early.  My first stop was in a town called Brewster.  The airport in Brewster is up on a bluff above the Okanogan River where it merges with the Columbia River.  On a sunny August day, the view across the river was really nice.  An island under the bluff provided some interest and the view across the wider section of river to the opposite bank was very nice.

There were plenty of boats on the river.  It looked like they were busy fishing as everyone seemed to be in formation across the width of the river.  I assume it was fishing that they had in mind but don’t know for certain.  A tranquil spot for sure.  A house on the waterfront would look appealing but it is a serious hike to get there from any centers of population so I doubt I will be contemplating moving anytime.

City Center Fishing Pond

Looking out of the window of my hotel in Minato, there was a pond behind the building.  It took a while to work out what it was but, on the weekend, it was easier to see.  This is a fishing pond.  It is in between all of the hotels and, even on a hot and steamy day, there were plenty of people fishing.  I don’t know what the pond was stocked with and what the rules are once you catch something but I was more taken that this existed at all.

Roger Goes Fishing

One evening, while having dinner near the beach, we saw a flash of wings as a bird flew down to the water’s edge and landed.  It was a heron.  He was standing on the rocks as the waves washed in.  Every once in a while, he would catch a fish and then walk away from the water before dealing with his meal.  We talked to the staff about him and they told us he was a regular feature every evening.  They had even named him Roger.  Each night we came by to see if Roger was there and, sure enough, there he was.  Same spot each time, just standing and waiting for dinner to come to him.  On our first night he was joined by a manta ray that came in very close inshore but, sadly, he never showed up again while I was there with a camera.  Roger was far more reliable though.

Fishing the Surf

AE7I0066.jpgAt the end of Baker Beach there are some rocks.  One guy had set himself up here to do a bit of fishing.  He knew exactly where the waves would crash over and where they would miss – unlike some of the other people clambering across the rocks.  The image of him alone with the sea seemed rather compelling to me – certainly more so than the view in the opposite direction of a naked guy on the beach applying sunblock!