Decisions, Decisions

I've had a trip planned to kayak the Albion River for a couple of weeks now. My friend Joe called and told me he couldn't make it. Then I got a tip from the librarian that there were thousands of Western Grebes nesting over in Clearlake. Last night I debated back and forth . Still go to the Albion or risk it and go to Clearlake. The scenery and the seals of the Albion are always incredible. There was an incoming tide right at sunrise. The drive however is pretty twisty and windy. It's always a big deal to load and unload kayaks on the boat ramp there. The drive to Clearlake is about the same length but it's pretty smooth sailing. Then I checked the weather report online. Clearlake was going to be clear and the Albion was going to be cloudy in the morning and clearing in early afternoon. That settled it Clearlake it was. I got up at five had a quick breakfast and I was out the door. I got to the lake just a little before sunrise. By the time I launched my kayak the suns rays were just breaking the horizon. I had paddled only about fifty yards when a family of River Otters splashed into the water off of the bank. The lighting was pretty poor but I managed to get one useable documentary image. Paddling out to the entrance of the slough I was amazed by what I was seeing. There were hundreds of Western Grebe nests going off out of sight in both directions! It was unbelievable how many there were. Each nest was a mound of floating vegetation about three feet in diameter and about six inches high. Just incredible. I photographed a few nests and a few nesting parents and then I went back up the slough so as to not disturb them any further. God's love to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens,Bogen 3055 Ballhead with a custom camera support. Camera Settings- AV mode, ISO 400,F stop and a shutter speed varied. All photography was done from a Ultimate 14.5 Native Watercraft Kayak If you are interested in building a custom camera support for a canoe or a kayak please check out my blog on it at http://diyphotocheapodepot.blogspot.com/2011/04/kayak-camera-support.html