Sunday May 11, 2014 Jenner CA.
I always see lots of birds kayaking around Jenner
I decided I wasn’t going to do any more digging today, or mow any grass either as my body is saying I did enough yesterday, so that meant I better get out of here today.
I headed on down to Jenner around ten thirty this morning. There were lots of kayaks on the water today and the wind was picking up a bit, but not too bad yet.
Headed up the river
Since I saw so many kayakers down near the mouth area, I headed up the river towards Paddy’s rock. Before I got to Paddy’s rock, I could see something white on the gravel by Paddy’s rock, but I was across the river and couldn’t quite make out what it was.
I paddled across the river to check it out and this is what I saw. A White Pelican sitting on the gravel beach by Paddy’s rock.
What’s on it’s bill
I didn’t notice it right away, but eventually, I realized this pelican had some kind of thing on it’s bill. I haven’t seen anything quite like this, but maybe they sometimes have these things and I just haven’t paid close enough attention? At any rate, this is the first time I’ve noticed something like this on a pelican’s bill.
While I was watching the Pelican, the Wild Turkeys grazed by just above me in the meadow. They were being fairly quiet and I bet they had little ones in the grasses that I couldn’t see?
Eventually, the pelican flew off a short distance.
Goose families
I paddled down the river a bit on the north side and ran into these geese with their little ones sitting on the shoreline taking it easy, getting some sun.
There were several groups of them.
Some got up and moved off as I approached. The little guys sure are growing fast.
Went on a little walk
I left them and paddled back across the river and went ashore here for a little walk on Poison Oak Alley trail for about an hour.
The wind is up now
The wind was starting to pick up some more by now and most of the other kayakers had gone in for the day, except for a few of us.
I paddled across the river to the north side again and started on my way down the river trying to stay out of the wind as much as possible.
I passed this small group of cormorants sunning on this rock, just before I got to the visitor center.
Headed for the river’s mouth in the wind
I headed into the wind after I passed the visitor center and headed on down to the river’s mouth area. The wind was really up now so I had to work at paddling a bit, but I finally made it down to the mouth area. With wind like this, it’s hard to take pictures as I have a paddle in one hand that the wind is trying to take and so I have to shoot with one hand while trying to keep waves from coming over the side of the kayak and getting my camera wet.
The river’s mouth is open
This is a picture of the river’s mouth. It’s open and deep, looking out into the Pacific ocean. Some harbor seals beached on the right side.
With all that wind down there I didn’t stay down at the mouth very long. I turned up the river and let the wind carry me back to the visitor center, which it did rather quickly.
When I got home, a little nap was in order. Then I went out and did a little prepping on my van for a trip I’ll be taking in a couple days and just spent the rest of the day sitting around in my yard enjoying.