We all gathered at on the side of samish way to load stubbs and began our journey out to Semiahmoo spit for a day of birding and exploration along the shoreline. We all loaded the bus, out excitement rising as Tim pulled out onto the freeway. As we moved North leaving the city limits of Bellingham we had clear views East toward Mt Baker and the Sisters, And north up into the Canadian peaks. Between the bright sunshine and our contagious energy it was already proving a great day.
We arrived at Semiahmoo spit under a dense fog layer that had not yet burned off the coast. We circled up on a patch of grass to talk about our plan for the day and play a short name game. It was really great in these Winter outings to see new friendships form between boys from different groups as well as boys reconnecting who have not seen each other all Winter. Down on the beach we spread out and began exploring what this new landscape had to offer. Groups of boys made their way through the fog; Exploring the fringe of trees along the beach, finding shells, throwing rocks, pushing logs, and letting our imaginations run wild. A few of us had a fun and difficult time trying to spot sea birds through our binoculars as the fog rolled in and out and the birds dove and resurfaced elsewhere. We identified a pair of Surf Scoters making their way slowly through the water and witnessed an immature bald eagle sore just above our heads. The fog began to lift slowly and then all of the sudden cleared, revealing a large city just across the water. We were all surprised to realize there was anything outside our little bubble of fog let along a giant city.
As the sun warmed our bodies we ate lunch and continued to spot birds or explore the shoreline. After a mild conflict over a stick we all circled up to discuss and resolve the misunderstanding. Conversations like this can take a while and I was really impressed with many of the boys insight and eloquence when talking about hard concepts like fairness, honesty, and respect. These are hard things for adults to talk about and this group did a great job resolving the issue and moving forward.
We arrived at Semiahmoo spit under a dense fog layer that had not yet burned off the coast. We circled up on a patch of grass to talk about our plan for the day and play a short name game. It was really great in these Winter outings to see new friendships form between boys from different groups as well as boys reconnecting who have not seen each other all Winter. Down on the beach we spread out and began exploring what this new landscape had to offer. Groups of boys made their way through the fog; Exploring the fringe of trees along the beach, finding shells, throwing rocks, pushing logs, and letting our imaginations run wild. A few of us had a fun and difficult time trying to spot sea birds through our binoculars as the fog rolled in and out and the birds dove and resurfaced elsewhere. We identified a pair of Surf Scoters making their way slowly through the water and witnessed an immature bald eagle sore just above our heads. The fog began to lift slowly and then all of the sudden cleared, revealing a large city just across the water. We were all surprised to realize there was anything outside our little bubble of fog let along a giant city.
As the sun warmed our bodies we ate lunch and continued to spot birds or explore the shoreline. After a mild conflict over a stick we all circled up to discuss and resolve the misunderstanding. Conversations like this can take a while and I was really impressed with many of the boys insight and eloquence when talking about hard concepts like fairness, honesty, and respect. These are hard things for adults to talk about and this group did a great job resolving the issue and moving forward.
We decided to make our way to the other side of the spit out of the wind and explore what the other side had to offer. This East side of the spit was much calmer and warmer providing us a relaxing place to spend the last part of our outing. We all began combing the beach finding interesting rocks, bones, mud, trash, shells and all kinds of other treasures washed up with the debri. handful of boys decided to make a raft. Watching them try to drift out into the calm bay aboard it i was almost convinced that this was a summer outing until my gaze lifted to the still snow covered peak of Mt Baker in the distance.
We finished our outing as we always do with a circle of thanks and made preparations to load back onto stubbs for the journey back. A few miles from the park the bus began to slow and finally ground to a halt on the side of the road. As Tim and I discussed the logistics of getting back to town the Explorers watched a several Bald eagles soared above and swept in to grab a fish. Thank you explorers for your patients while you waited on the bus and thank you parents for your flexibility to come out and pick up your boys. Despite the breakdown the outing was a great success with plenty of bird actions and great shoreline explorations.
We finished our outing as we always do with a circle of thanks and made preparations to load back onto stubbs for the journey back. A few miles from the park the bus began to slow and finally ground to a halt on the side of the road. As Tim and I discussed the logistics of getting back to town the Explorers watched a several Bald eagles soared above and swept in to grab a fish. Thank you explorers for your patients while you waited on the bus and thank you parents for your flexibility to come out and pick up your boys. Despite the breakdown the outing was a great success with plenty of bird actions and great shoreline explorations.
Click here for more pictures from our exploration.
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