Birds - Skies - Ships - Fall Edition

Daylight Time ends tonight.
(My SHIP being Washington State, USA)
When you're on a cruise, you get one of these
cards on your pillow the night you change
time zones.  😊

Birds

Anna's Hummingbird
as seen from my deck.

[Click on images for larger view.]

Hummingbird Fountain Pen

You know that I love hummingbirds. But did you know I also love fountain pens? And have you seen the new limited edition hummer pen from Palisades?

Big Bear Eagles Update

Image captured on October 19, 2026 by
Friends of Big Bear Valley FOBBV.

The first half of 2026 my favorite story to follow concerned two Bald Eagles, Jackie and Shadow, as they raised two Eaglets in a nest near Big Bear Lake, California. A camera above the nest allowed a 24/7 nest watch streaming on YouTube. (If you've been following this blog you'll know the story. Check out several previous posts.) 

The two young Eaglets fledged the nest and have left the area to find their own new territory. Sadly, Jackie, the mother bird, developed a severe illness, and, although being taken into a Raptor Care Center, passed away. The last couple of months we have been watching to see if Shadow would find a new partner. That now appears to have happened ... an approximately 4-year-old female Bald Eagle, named Kaydee, has arrived, and appears to be pairing up with Shadow. The picture above shows Shadow, and Kaydee, together in the nest on October 19th about 6:24PM. Kaydee is a banded Eagle and one of her bands, purple color, can be seen in the photo. Of course, online speculation abounds regarding whether these two Eagles may start a new family for us to watch going forward.

 Friends of Big Bear Valley’s guidance puts the region’s egg-laying season at January through April. It explains that increasing daylight stimulates reproductive readiness, while Big Bear’s high elevation makes the weather especially challenging. So the birds’ breeding calendar does not necessarily wait for mild spring conditions.

If they mate soon, that would not necessarily mean eggs are coming soon. Courtship, forming a partnership, and producing eggs are related but separate steps. An apparent mating attempt does not establish that Kaydee is ready to produce eggs or that an egg would be fertile. The local monitors say nesting activity usually begins gradually in October or November and increases in December; they have also cautioned that Shadow’s situation after losing Jackie makes this season difficult to predict.

According to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Kaydee’s youth adds uncertainty. Bald eagles can breed at four or five years old, but many begin later. At approximately four years old, she could breed this coming season, but spending the winter with Shadow without laying eggs would also be unsurprising. There is no sound basis for assigning a percentage to her chances.

As for eggs surviving harsh winter weather: yes, they can. The parents’ incubation keeps the eggs warm; freezing outdoor temperatures do not mean the eggs themselves are freezing. Jackie and Shadow repeatedly incubated through snowstorms, including Jackie’s nearly 62-hour uninterrupted stretch in February 2024. However, prolonged storms can make incubation, feeding, and later keeping small chicks warm much harder. Winter nesting is possible, but success is never assured. Their companionship is encouraging. I will be watching for sustained cooperation around the nest over the next couple of months, while keeping hopes for eggs flexible.

More Critter Fun Here

Skies

Puget Sound Sunset
Interbay Marina near bottom ...
Olympic Mountains in the distance.

Cloudy day sunset.
October 27, 2026

Layers of water and mountains
on a hazy morning.
Bainbridge Island, WA
Olympic Mountains in the distance.

Seattle Skyline on a Sunny Day

Seattle Skyline from Kerry Park
on an early October morning.

Full Moon over Puget Sound
September 26, 2026    5:24AM

Where to put this image?
Yes, looking toward the sky.
The leaves were so amazing.

Ships and Such

Coast Guard Seattle
Vessel 755 (white) and 20 (red)

Norwegian Encore departing Seattle
October 4 ... one of the last cruise ships
to depart for the 2026 season.

Early morning Ferry ride as the fog lifts.

Seattle waterfront centered on the Smith Tower
Smith Tower = tallest building on West Coast
1914 to 1962

Travel worth Remembering

In early October I took a water voyage from Seattle via the outside passage to Alaska, and return via inside passage with the primary objective being to see some of the less frequented places on the west coast of British Columbia. Primary stops were Prince Rupert, Nanaimo, and a delightful day spent in Victoria.

Entering the Port of Nanaimo, British Columbia

If you enjoy shipping activities like I do you'll enjoy the following series of photos. Loading large logs onto a ship is a fascinating watch.  I couldn't get over the humans walking around all over the logs and the process of loading them onto the ship. By knowing the name of the Shipping Company and the name of the ship, the Olive Bay, I was able to research this load of logs, identified as 49,000 cubic meters of Canadian logs, is destined to Lanshan, China, and scheduled to arrive on November 12, 2026.

Ship name is Olive Bay
Shipping Line is Pacific Basin

The floating groups of logs are called 
log booms

Log booms allow logs to be collected, stored, and moved by
tug before being lifted aboard a ship.

This little vessel is sometimes called a boom boat,
or dozer boat, or log bronc. Those names sound 
like something a pickup truck designer 
would come up with.  😊

Notice the workers are wearing life vests.
(Just in case 😂)

To most of you ...
Never say you didn't learn something
on John's Island  👍👍😊

Last stop on my voyage was Victoria, BC. This was my first opportunity to see the Maritime Museum of British Columbia which is located at the Pier where my ship was docked. A very interesting display featuring the gun used in the Whale Hunt. Don't jump to the conclusion that I am in favor of hunting whales. I'm not! But let's face the truth ... humans hunted whales quite a bit in the past and it's probably still going on somewhere.  😢

Closing thoughts …

On October 27^th, the Washington Post published an article: “At 80, he’s a top dementia expert. Here’s how he keeps his brain healthy.”

As one who is getting close to the Big-Eight-OH, I'm interested in articles like this. The article quotes Ron Peterson, an 80-year-old neuropsychologist, who has studied dementia and aging for 50 years. 

Here are his 5 recommendations:

1. Exercise at least 3 times a week for a total of 150 minutes. Yes, aerobic is best, but just fast walking will do.

2. Stay intellectually active.

3. Eat a heart-healthy diet.

4. Get regular, quality sleep.

5. Stay connected.

From the Cleveland Clinic:  “A neuropsychologist is a licensed, doctoral-level psychologist who studies and treats how biological conditions and injuries in the brain affect a person’s thinking, memory, emotions, and behavior.”

Read the article for the details. 

Here is a free link to the article.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island and a Happy Fall season to you.

Recent Favorites

UPDATE - October 3, 2026

Not ready to publish a full new post. After many years blogging, I'm slowing down. This post, Recent Favorites, was originally published on September 8, 2026. I'm adding a few new things via this update, October 3, 2026.

The world's largest single mast sailing yacht, originally known as Mirabella V, now known as M5, was in my view the last week of September. A photo seemed necessary for the blog.  😊

I'll include an especially nice sunset on October 2nd in honor of Fall and the new month of October.

I'm happy summer has gone with its heat and smoky skies. Fall is definitely here with cooler days and trees turning to autumn colors. I'll close this update with a photo of downtown taken early in the morning from Kerry Park, a popular Seattle overlook.

Now on to the post as published on September 8th. Thank you to all who have left me kind comments on the post. No need for new comments unless you just want to. Happy Fall!

Hummer

These images are all of one of my hummers, a male Anna's Hummingbird. Most photos of hummingbirds are taken when they are at a feeder. I felt lucky to catch this little bird perching in a tree right next to my deck. Of course, he was keeping an eye on the feeder on the deck. Hummers are very territorial and will try to chase other hummers away from a feeder they consider to be thier own. More interesting info from the Cornell Lab Bird Academy:  “At first glance the male Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) is solidly green. Then with a twist of his head, he reveals a flash of shiny red brilliance. This color show is made possible by the way the feather microstructure reflects light differently as the viewing angle changes. During his spectacular aerial courtship displays, he advertises this red badge to female spectators by orienting toward the sun. This colorful element of surprise is key to his mating success.”

Linking to Saturday's Critters

Skies

Looking across Puget Sound,
to the west, I see Bainbridge Island.
It's unusual to see clouds forming at ground level.
Weather conditions must be just perfect ... and they
were on September 2nd.

The clouds to the west seemed unusual on 
September 5th. I was so tempted to take this image
and add some arrows to point out the face of
a dog. Do you see it in the right side of the image?

I miss a lot of sunsets around here in the summer.
Well, with Daylight time they are so late ... around 8 - 9PM.
By that time I'm done with snapping pictures for the day. 😊
Going forward, I hope to see more, like this one on Sept. 5th.

Flowers

On a recent sunny afternoon, I visited a nearby community garden. It's one of those gardens where community members have a small patch of land where they can grow plants of their choice. I was impressed with the work my neighbors have done and snapped several pictures. Thought these flowers worth sharing. Nature creates beauty so easily.

On the water ...

September 5th
Want to sail around Elliott Bay?
Check out Seattle's Tall Ship Sailing Tours

State Ferry.
Probably Seattle - Bremerton
Alki Beach/West Seattle in background.

Evergreen Container Ship departing, July 25th.
Evergreen Line Shipping

ONE Container Ship departing, July 30th
One Network Express

MSC Bianca Silvia arriving, August 22nd
MSC Shipping

Oceania Riviera arriving, July 20th
Oceania Cruises

Seattle today ...

Tuesday morning, September 8, 2026
from Kerry Park viewpoint.
On the right ... Mt Rainier, about 50 miles away.

Reflections ...

Blog wise, the first half of this year was focused on the Bald Eagle nest near Big Bear Lake, California. I was totally fascinated with Eagle parents Jackie and Shadow and the new eaglets they brought into the world, Luna and Sandy. The story did not end perfectly, as Jackie passed away due to illness. The Ojai Raptor Center tried to revive her, but was not able to do so. As far as we know, Luna and Sandy have successfully departed their birth area and are now in the process of establishing new home territories. More good news ... Papa Shadow may have a new partner.  Bald Eagle Kaydee, a banded Bald Eagle, about 4 years old has been visiting the nest area for a couple of weeks now, and appears to be interested in Shadow, and he, it seems, has welcomed her.

Shadow and Kaydee, September 3rd
Thanks to Friends of Big Bear Valley.org FOBBV

Thank you for stopping by John’s Island.