Tag Archives: Cattle point

Are Eagles Compensation for Foxes

My visit to Cattle Point in search of foxes had me trekking along the cliff tops hoping to spot some creatures on the prowl.  I met a local couple that suggested they normally saw foxes further along the coast and so I headed that way.  As I kept moving, I did get some wildlife encounters but it was with bald eagles rather than foxes.  They were soaring along the cliff tops using the updrafts.  At one point, one popped up over the edge close to me and stared at me briefly before gliding on.  I was too slow to pick up the camera and instead watched it fly by.  I did catch some of its compatriots later in my walk, though.  If I’m not getting foxes, eagles are okay but I can get them at home!

Cattle Point and the Forecast Wasn’t Even Good!

We took a day trip to San Juan Island.  I was interested in trying to get some pictures of the foxes that live in that area.  The forecast for the day was not that great but, with nothing else planned, a trip to the Islands seemed like it would be fun even if it proved to be damp.  However, it didn’t prove to be damp.  Instead, the weather was gorgeous.  It really couldn’t have been nicer for a Sunday out.

I was wandering along the edge of the bluffs on the lookout for foxes.  The results of my wildlife photography efforts will be in other posts.  For these, I shall just show the views I got of the coastline.  Some of these are long range shots taken with the 500mm I was carrying for the wildlife.  Others are wider shots taken with the phone.  Cattle Point is a really lovely part of the island and I would struggle to be bored with being in this place.

What Spooked All Of The Gulls?

Just off Cattle Point on San Juan Island, there is a small island which, on the day we were visiting, was very popular with a load of gulls.  While we were standing, looking in that direction, all of the gulls took off at once and were circling for a few minutes before they settled down again.  I had assumed that a bird of prey was nearby to cause them to get airborne.  There are plenty of eagles in the area.  However, I couldn’t make out anything specific that had caused them to be startled.  Maybe just one of them decided to take off and the rest followed just in case!

Cattle Point

We made a couple of visits to Cattle Point on San Juan Island during our visit there.  It is a lovely spot for a stroll along the cliff tops.  The lighthouse is not quite what you might hope for.  It is functional but not elegant.  However, the rest of the area is just lovely.  Not only is it a great place to walk but the road running down to the point provides a beautiful overlook of the point with the water around it and the mountains in the background including Mt Baker looking imposing covered in snow.  We had great weather both times were were there on this trip.