Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Celebrating Animals in the Air, on Land, and Sea
Hooray for animals!
Terri at #Sunday Stills reminded me that October 4th was World Animal Day.
“World Animal Day is an International Day of Action for animal rights and welfare celebrated annually on October 4th, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.” Wikipedia
Okay, honestly, I’d never heard of it before, though it was established in 1925!
Even so, I thought I’d share a sampling of some of my favorite animals, starting with the tiniest birds in my backyard, the Anna’s Hummingbird. I never get tired of watching these flying jewels, with their changing colors. I took these photos over the weekend.
Yes, I love birds of all kinds including those migrating snow geese and eagles along the Pacific Flyway in Washington’s Skagit Valley! Almost time to go look for them!
For the sea, I’ll show you a group of whales we spotted in Alaska’s Inside Passage. They were fishing in a cooperative effort known as, “bubble-net feeding.”
“To bubble-net feed, whales dive deep below schools of fish and use bubbles blown from their blowholes to stun and trap fish closer to the surface. One whale generally leads the effort followed by the rest of the group. The leader will usually be responsible for blowing the bubbles and the other members will surround the fish, following them to the surface by swimming in spiral patterns to keep the fish trapped.
Humpback whales are known as “gulpers”, which means they feed by leaving their mouths open, swallowing everything in their paths before closing their mouths, pushing water out through their baleen plates and swallowing the critters (usually fish and small crustaceans) they caught. During bubble net feeding, the whales swimming toward the surface will have their mouths open and gulp fish from the school they have corralled.” https://marinesanctuary.org/blog/bubble-net-feeding-what-is-it/
Back on land, I love seeing herds of Roosevelt Elk on the Olympic Peninsula; these were at Dosewallips State Park on Hood Canal.
Finally, I’ll close with a more formidable animal – a Grizzly Bear, captured from a safe distance in Glacier National Park, the only one I’ve seen in the wild.
I’m thankful that all these beautiful creatures still have a place on this earth to call home.
“Uh, um, excuse me, Sue, aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Oh, Benji! Sorry! I sometimes forget that you’re an animal!”
“How about me, Sue?”
“Of course, Tiger! Make no mistake about it, you two are my favorite animals!”
And that will do for World Animal Day.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
Lovely photos, Susanne! I have two hummer feeders in my backyard and boy do they fight over them! So fun!
Yes, I love hummingbirds!
tHEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL! Oops. When I am refreshing the birdbaths in the morning, they buzz by me very close, so wonderful!
Wonderful shots of our feathered friends and sweet cats, Susanne! You reminded me that I need to visit Glacier NP next year! That grizzly bear is an amazing catch. He looks big!
Thanks, Terri! I was thrilled to see the grizzly from our truck, a safe distance away! I love Glacier (you will, too) but the grizzly bears are the reason I wouldn’t hike alone there, instead choosing a small group, preferably, ranger led!
WONDERFUL!!!
Thank you!
Wonderful pictures ! Thanks for sharing them.
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed them!
Cats are the best animals. 🙂 Benji and Tiger are cuties.
Thank you! I sometimes forget they’re animals! 😻😻
Love all your birds this week. Those migrations are epic events.
Thanks, Graham. ☺️ Except for Tiger and Benji, I probably have more pictures of birds than anything else. And I love seeing those flocks of birds in the winter.
Those hummingbirds are gorgeous and I love your first bald eagle shot! But it’s easy to see why Benji and Tiger are your favourite animals 🙂
Thanks, Sarah. My two kitties are definitely my favorites, though I sometimes forget they’re animals!
That’s a great selection for the celebratory day, Susanne. You have been fortunate to see many amazing animals close-up.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks, Pete. ☺️ I love seeing animals in the wild!
🐾🐾🐾🐾😌💚🙌🏼 …Benji and Tiger are the best-est!
Aw, thank you! 😺😸
Love this post! Beautiful pictures, Susanne. I have seen a few hummers lately but none were colorful like yours. Think mine were females or juvies.
Thank you! I was happy to catch the hummingbirds, adorned in their finest colors!
Great encounters!
Yes indeed! Thank you!
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You always get amazing shots. Well done. Loved these.
Thank you so much! ☺️