Constant Companions

Constant Companions

There are birds everywhere ranging in size from wee things hardly bigger than a sparrow to the Albatrosses All are engaged in the same pursuit.

The Albatrosses, however, seem never to be in some sort of hunger-fuelled frenzy. They laze about the sky, flicking their wing tips now and then for flight control. They also like the boat.

It is easy now to understand how sailors came to think of an Albatross as the reincarnation of a mate gone overboard. They hang about, plunking down alongside or scrutinizing the wake from above and behind. When I say, plunk, I mean it. Their elegant flying has been balanced by their ungainly landings. It’s a cross between a crash and a toboggan ride gone wrong.

Although I have looked, I’ve yet to see anybody catch anything. Its certainly not for lack of trying and, surprisingly, their doesn’t seem to be the fierce competition amongst these fellow that there might be amongst a flock of seagulls seeking the same morsel.

How in the world they get a moment’s rest parked on the sea surface is beyond me. Imagine yourself trying to sleep while going down a water slide on an inner- tube.

The weather in the photo is similarly going to be a constant companion for the next while. Standard BC winter fare: Cold, wet, and windy save that it’s summer here now. It’s cold enough on the cabin to see your breath and any bare skin outside begins to hurt as if I was back in Saskatchewan caught without gloves or mitts in the cross-fire of an impromptu snowball fight.

Follow my tracks in real-time:
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