I got up ridiculously early this morning to canoe and kayak on the Columbia Slough with Mary, Susan, and Patrick. There were plenty of Great Blue Herons, as usual, and hundreds of Cliff and Tree Swallows feeding on insects and getting their nests in order. We also saw Mallards, Gadwalls, Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Song Sparrows, Bald Eagles, Ospreys, a Red-Tailed Hawk, and a Great Horned Owl that was perched on the shady branch of a tree. But the only decent picture I got was of this cute raccoon:

Close-up below the fold.


Aw.