The World

 

Anna's Hummingbird
July 5, 2026

Moving on from my previous post, Happy 4th, to share a happy capture of an Anna's Hummingbird just to the side of my front deck on Sunday, July 5. I believe she is one of my regular visitors, although that is truly difficult to say for sure.  Clear blue skies provided plenty of sunshine. Temps in the mid-70s, which seemed like a blessing considering the heat wave over most of the Eastern USA.

The World

In the image below you'll see 3 cruise ships here in Seattle on July 1st. The ship closest is the Virgin Brilliant Lady, then the Carnival Miracle, and further out, The World. Yes, that's the name of the ship. Turns out people on that ship own their staterooms/homes/apartments and, if they wish, they sail with the ship wherever it goes. (Excuse me for this, but, yes, it simply sails around the world.)   According to The World's website, they call the homes "residences".  There are 165 residences of various sizes. Each year, a very limited number of private residences priced from USD $3.5 million to USD $15 million become available for resale. According to the website, Residence 1106 is currently “accepting offers” above USD $4,750,000. Details are on the website. If you will be making an offer, please let me know about it in the comments. 😂

Cruise ships out front on July 1, 2026

Quick Eagle Update

If you've been with me since early this year you'll know I've been following Bald Eagles from hatch to fledge on the YouTube stream provided by Friends of Big Bear Valley.  The Eaglets, Sandy and Luna, fledged on June 28 and 29. I've continued to keep an eye on the stream and, yes, the birds have returned to the nest everyday so far. The parents are bringing food to the nest for them. Below is a brief video of food delivery to the two young Eagles on Sunday afternoon, July 5, at about 4:37PM ... this is about one week after fledge ...

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Happy 4th

 

I spotted the sailboat (in the image above) out in Elliott Bay a few days ago and thought it would be fitting for a Happy 4th of July post. America celebrates its 250th birthday today.

From my collection of old postcards, the card above seemed to be a good choice for year 250 which will certainly be celebrated with plenty of firecrackers. However, I don't recommend sitting on a firecracker like the young lady above.

I'm also a stamp collector and discovered the USPS has new stamps to celebrate birthday 250. The new stamps are called American Icons curated by Ralph Lauren. There are 12 new stamps and a special collectors edition includes 12 oversized postcards. See the images below.

USPS Forever Stamp
2026 - American Icons
The Faithful Dog

Back of the card

Enlarged Description
for
The Faithful Dog  😊

Thanks for stopping by John's Island.

I'm linking up with Saturday's Critters, the sharing site for those who love critters, like the Faithful Dog. 😊

Eagles Fly

 The Eagles have flown!

Here is the conclusion to the story I've been posting about since February, 2026.

Two Eagles have fledged from the Friends of Big Bear Valley nest near Big Bear Lake, California. The parent birds, Jackie (female) and Shadow (male), have been caring for the two Eaglets, Sandy (female) and Luna (male), since the eggs were laid on 2/24/26 and 2/27/26. Sandy hatched on April 4 and Luna hatched on April 5. At 84 days old, Sandy fludged (accidental fledge) at 11:24AM June 28, and Luna fledged at 9:24AM on June 29.  The entire time the nest has been streamed 24/7 by the Friends of Big Bear Valley. Here is the Cam 1 stream ... [click to enlarge videos for better viewing] ...

There have actually been two streams ... one on the nest and another on the surrounding area ...

On June 28th, Sunday, Sandy and Luna were both on a branch in front of the nest, Luna being on the outer part of the branch. When he decided to return to the nest bowl he accidentally gave Sandy a shove and she fell from the branch. She was spotted on a FOBBV security camera flying a few minutes later in the area around the nest tree.

Here is video showing Sandy dropping from the nest area on June 28th ...

Here is FOBBV's overview cam showing Sandy's fledge ...

Luna fledged this morning, June 29, 2026 at 9:24AM ...

This has been a fascinating story and I've enjoyed hours watching it unfold. Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Update - June 30

Luna returns to the nest for breakfast served by Shadow ...

Day 60 Update

Update June 13 - Day 71

Sharing with Saturday's Critters 652

Screenshot - FOBBV YouTube stream
June 13, 2026, Day 71 since hatch.
Sandy, Luna, & Jackie (Mom) on nest.
According to birding experts, Eaglets are
commonly capable of leaving the nest
between 10 and 14 weeks. 
Today, June 13, is WEEK 10.
Fly away ... any day! 😊

Posted on June 3 ...

Eagle Watch

Since February, I've been fascinated with the Bald Eagles raising two new eaglets in a nest near Big Bear Lake, California. The parent birds, Jackie (mom) and Shadow (dad) have been using this nest for several years. Jackie's first clutch of two eggs, in January, was unsuccessful. On February 24, she laid the first egg in her second clutch, and the second egg on February 27. The parents successfully incubated the eggs and the first hatch was on April 4th. The second hatched on April 5th. I've been watching a live streaming camera, on the nest, and counting up the days since the first egg hatched. Check out my posts in February, March, and April for earlier details of my Eagle Watch. Yesterday, June 2, 2026, was Day 60 and, as you can see in the image below, the eaglets, named Sandy and Luna, are well on their way to first flight from the nest. The average time from hatch to first flight for Bald Eagles is 90 days. I can't wait to see if first flight occurs right around July 4th ... wouldn't it be neat to see one of our National Birds take flight on our country's 250th Anniversary! However, today, June 3rd, something tells me first flight may even be before July. The eaglets are getting big and rowdy! 😊

Sandy, Luna, and mom, June 2, 2026.
Day 60 since first chick hatched in
the Big Bear Valley Eagle nest.
[Images are screenshots from FOBBV YouTube Stream]
Link to the FOBBV Eagle Cam

Close up of Sandy and Luna on May 28
Day 55

REMINDER ... Sandy and Luna with mom
on April 12 ... 
(Days 8 and 7 since hatch.)

Ship Watch

I love to watch ships coming and going here in Seattle, Washington. My view of Puget Sound allows me to see lots of marine activity. I keep the camera handy and snap photos of scenes I enjoy. Let me know if you have questions or comments about the ships below.

Cruise ship, Anthem of the Seas, 
arriving under the Full Moon ... June 2, 2026.

Carnival Cruise ship arriving June 1, 2026

Looking out over the Marina full of sailboats to a
bulk carrier vessel (red hull) and, in the distance, a container
ship departing the Port. Olympic Mountains in
the far distance.

U S Coast Guard vessel 751
arriving May 16, 2026.
Alki beach, Seattle, in background.
Info about USCGC Waesche

The LaunchPad seen at anchor in Elliott Bay
June 2nd ... story below.

The Seattle Times reported  that the 390-foot, $300M yacht "Launchpad" … widely linked to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg … arrived in Seattle’s Lake Union on May 27, 2026. On May 31 it moved close to Elliott Bay Marina and has been anchored there. As of June 2^nd, Zuckerberg has not been reported to be aboard. I do not know this, but suspect Zuckerberg will be in Seattle to see the World Cup games and figured the yacht would be a convenient place to stay.   Link to more info about LaunchPad

When the LaunchPad first arrived in Seattle it docked
on Lake Union. This image is from the Seattle Times.

Rhododendron Watch

Here in the Pacific Northwest, Rhododendron plants grow really well. I snapped the image below of a rhody near my home that is one of the prettiest I've ever seen. The color was just amazing. What are your thoughts?

Stamps

Those of you who have visited before know that I've been bitten with the "stamp collecting bug." Here's my latest stamp purchase ... the USPS new 2026 Forever Sunflower Stamp. To celebrate the new stamp, USPS is offering a Sunflowers Notecard Set and I ordered one. It arrived and here is how it looks ...

USPS new Sunflowers Notecard Set
includes 8 cards, 8 envelopes, and 
8 Forever Sunflower Stamps
(4 on each side of the little square)

This image is from the USPS Stamp Store
site and the envelopes are not part of the
notecard set.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island. My plan is to publish my next post when one of the Big Bear Eagle chicks takes flight ... hopefully, in early July, if not sooner!

More Good News

The average time from hatch to first flight for Bald Eagles is 90 days. In my last post, April 12, I gave you the details on the new Eagle chicks at the FOBBV nest near Big Bear Lake, California. The Eagle parents are known as Jackie (mom) and Shadow (dad). Friends of Big Bear Valley are streaming nest activities 24/7 on YouTube.

Jackie's first clutch of eggs, this year, was unsuccessful. The second clutch, 2 eggs, was successful, and chick 1 hatched on April 4. Chick 2 hatched on April 5. My primary use of the internet, since April 4, has been watching these little chicks grow up. It is SO MUCH more fun than watching all the dreadful political mess going on in the USA. 😊 

For all of you blog friends, I've been snapping screenshots from time to time to share interesting moments and those images are below. I'm organizing them by DAYS SINCE HATCH and using the hatch date of chick 1 as DAY 1 ... SO, April 4 is DAY 1. The images below begin with the same image I posted in my last post ... if you're curious about the day-of-the-month, it's always shown in the FOBBV ID bar at the bottom of the image, as well as the exact time of the screenshot.

DAY 9   

Jackie and her two chicks on April 12.
Suggestion: Click on the image to get the larger view.
The images are organized so that you are seeing
the oldest images first.  Screenshots taken today
are at the bottom.

DAY 14

The chicks spend most of their time under mom.
Both parents are usually not on the nest at the 
same time, but for short periods, as seen here.
[Note: Screenshots are with FOBBV permission.]

Afternoon snack.

DAY 16

Late breakfast.

Both parents feed the chicks.
Usually, fresh fish from Big Bear Lake is the entrée.

DAY 17

Both parents assessing the situation.

DAY 19

Another late breakfast.

DAY 23

What a surprise!
Snow started in the middle of the night,
April 26th.

I felt sorry for Jackie.
But breakfast is on the way ... next image!

Shadow arrives with a fresh fish.

A cold breakfast for all.

DAY 27

Excuse the camera's shadow.
This is a late-afternoon feeding.

DAY 28 (MAY 1)

Early morning, May 1, UV camera allows
us to watch the birds at night without disturbing
the birds. I'm noticing Jackie is not covering
the little ones as much as she did earlier.

Early morning breakfast, May 1, 2026.
Both chicks are doing well and growing fast.
FOBBV announces the names of the chicks: Sandy (chick 1)
 and Luna (chick 2)

The question now, is ... how to tell the difference between Sandy and Luna. 😊 According to updates from the FOBBV team, here are the key differences (so far) ...

Sandy (Chick 1)

Slightly larger overall (head and neck especially)

More submissive personality

Has a slight curve to the gape (corner of the beak) — sometimes described as a faint “smile”

Luna (Chick 2)

A bit smaller

More assertive / aggressive behavior

Straighter gape (no curve)

DAY 29 (May 2)

Early morning breakfast, May 2, Day 29
The zoomed in picture is a little fuzzy
but it makes a good record of Sandy and Luna
almost 1 month old. My guess is, that's
Sandy on the left.

Looking Forward

It fascinates me that DAY 90 ... possible first flight for chick 1 ... will be July 2nd. How perfect could it be that these chicks take flight on or around America's 250th birthday on July 4th!

Thanks for stopping by. More updates to come. AND, after the Eagles fly, I'll get back to ships, stamps, and skies.  😊

Some Good News

New Eagle Chicks at FOBBV nest
Screen shot April 12, 2026

Eagle Watch Streaming by FOBBV

Details on Jackie's second clutch, 2026 ... 

April 5 – Chick 2 Hatched - 38 days

April 4 – Chick 1 Hatched - 40 days

Feb 27 – Jackie laid egg #2

Feb 24 – Jackie laid egg #1 (Clutch #2 this year)

Favorite NASA photo from successful
Artemis II mission.

Artemis II Multimedia

I had to stop and reflect on the image above. I'm fascinted that all humans (except those few in space) are on that little circle called Earth. If only we could all understand how getting along could make everything better.

Out for a walk around the neighborhood on
Monday, April 6th.  Sometimes I've just got to
stop and snap some simple beauty along the street.
Good to see the color back!

Thank you for stopping by!

Moon Mountains and More

Moon slipping away ...

October 5, 2025

[Click on images for larger view]

Re the photos above:  On October 5, 2025, I spotted the Harvest Moon nearing the western horizon. The sky was perfectly clear and the moon was large and bright. I grabbed the camera to capture a few shots as the moon slipped behind Two Brothers, a part of the Olympic Mountain Range.

A couple of days later ...

On October 7th, the sunset provided a colorful
 sky and a chance to see the spot on Two Brothers
 where the moon set in the photos above.

Speaking of the Moon … the NASA Artemis II mission, with 4 astronauts, will soon embark on a 10-day journey traveling in NASA’s new spacecraft Orion out and around the moon. PBS Horizons featured this on tonight’s (March 21) broadcast. More info here.    

To My Blogging Friends - -

I want to say a big thank you to all of you who have left me kind comments on my recent posts after returning from an extended blog break from mid-September, last year, to February, 2026.

Dogs

In my last post I encouraged you to check out the 2026 Iditarod in Alaska. Jessie Holmes, Bib #7, crossed the finish line, in Nome, on March 17 at 9:32PM, to win the race.  Travis Beals, Bib #4, was second place winner, March 18 at 1:58AM.  Jeff Deeter, Bib #8, was third place winner, March 18 at 5:10AM.  Paige Drobny, Bib #10, first woman musher to cross the finish line, was fourth place winner, March 18 at 5:38AM ... 8 hours and 6 minutes after Jessie Holmes. If you would like to see lots of great photos of this year's race, check out the Official Race Photographer's websites ...

Siri Raitto Photography

AND

Dave Poyzer Photography

Birds

In all of my posts, since returning from blog break, I've been keeping an eye on Jackie and Shadow, the Bald Eagles, and their nest in the Big Bear Valley of California. The Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV) are providing a live stream on YouTube so we can watch as the parents incubate 2 eggs in the nest. Checking on the nest yesterday afternoon, March 20, 2026, here was the scene ...

Checking on the nest about 3:00PM PDT
The 2 eggs look to be in good condition but
no parents are on the nest. Scrolling back on
the stream shows Jackie flying away a few
minutes earlier ... taking a break.

A little after 3:01PM Jackie returned 

By about 3:02 she is back on DUTY!

Critter lovers be sure to check out Saturday's Critters

Closing thought ...

Thanks for stopping by and take care!