Saturday, November 29, 2008

Here's 52 seconds of life

...as I saw it yesterday.



We saw these ptarmigan along the West Arm Road, just a few km from here. I spotted them up in the rocks as we were heading home. I rolled down my window and H leaned across and shot some video. Just two birds, wandering along. Just trying to get by.

11 comments:

SMSteele said...

o how I would love to see them, the ptarmigans... are they enroute to colder or warmer? are you the halfway house or the destination?

this morning, going to fetch my paper at the end of the drive at 6 a.m., two owls, one with dark voice, one with light, hooting it up in the giant cedars across the street... I've never heard them so close, so loud, so late in the night (morning), and never across the road... a magnificent wake to the day...

it's grey again, the fog horns out on the strait, have taken over from the owls

Brenda Schmidt said...

This is their Hawaii. They'll hang around until March or so and then head back north.

Owls! What a magical start to a day! Lucky you! It sounds so lovely there. I love fog. Whenever I encounter fog, which is not too often, I think of a book I read when I was a kid. And it bugs me because I can't remember the title or the author. I just remember how perfectly the book captured the foggy landscape and the way I feel when I walk through fog.

Anonymous said...

I love the way the ptarmigans walk. I imagine, as I grow older, and my butt grows larger, my scrawny neck and large head will bob and weave just like that.

Brenda Schmidt said...

Ha! And there I'll be, right beside you. I can see it! :)

Ariel Gordon said...

I can see the pair of you!

Unknown said...

I'm planning on being more like our California Quail... ptarmigan shape (I think), but with Phyllis Diller hats!

as for the fog... it gets a little blahhhgy after 3 days...

Brenda Schmidt said...

Ha! They do look Phyllis Diller-ish!

Three days of fog. Wow. I can't imagine.

Unknown said...

blaghhhgg lifted for a few hours, now blaghhhggy again... never envy the city of lost dreams (Victoria)

Brenda Schmidt said...

Ha! I hope it lifts soon.

It snowed yesterday and was windy all night. I have such neat dreams when it's windy.

Unknown said...

we have big blows off the ocean in winter... we pull our bedclothes off the beds and camp out in the front room by the woodstove... this is where our roof is strongest and where one of the 100 ft. Douglas firs out back, will make the least damage should they fall... very exitin... in '06 we had a hurricane that blew our hot tub lid off and it smashed my office window... how's that for quintessential West Coast?

Brenda Schmidt said...

Wow. Ok, that's a bit too windy for me. :)