Thanks to an entirely unexpected “fly-by” as we were sitting on the front porch, followed by subsequent sky sightings and finally, Chris’ good fortune to be in the right place at the right time, we now know that the ravenous raptors are a pair of Peregrine falcons! In deference to those who may feel squeamish about birds like I do about snakes, I am posting only this one example of their talon-work, giving a new, singular meaning to the tern (term) “head shot.” This was taken “on location” where found on the ground by the tower. Multiply this single example tenfold plus and you can imagine what the tower catwalk, where they dine al fresco, looks like.
Warning: bird head up ahead
Some of you may not like spiders either, but I still hope you can enjoy the beauty of their fog-accented, water-droplet-laden weaving in the “web-cam” shots below:
This water weighted web fell away right after I took the photo.
We experience a horizon-wide range of weather here, often in the same day: hot sun; cool, damp, and enveloping fog; wind gusts up to 25mph and sometimes higher; and you-could-drop-a-pin stillness, as if nature has gone on pause. Each of these conditions, individually or in combination, brings their own beauty to the island.
For those of you who haven’t made it out to the island yet this summer, here are some photos of the new, off-grid, 14K solar array. A BIG THANK YOU to everyone whose contributions made it possible! As I write this post, we have had ten straight days of sun-sublimating fog, and we still have all the power we need, and then some!
Speaking of solar arrays, the USCG will be here mid-July to install a solar array to power the lighthouse; specifically, the 163-year-old First Order Fresnel lens that has been dark for 20 months! Watch for the long-awaited return of the illuminated lens!
