Rusty and Ray--- You've both done a great job of illustrating what to my wife and I is one of the real pleasures and advantages that boaters have that nobody else does. And that's the opportunity, or privilege really, in my view, of seeing some of the unique forms of life on this planet close-up and personal.
When you see these animals and birds and even jellyfish in their natural environment as opposed to a zoo or aquarium or nature book or YouTube video, I think that-- for someone who cares about this stuff-- it gives us a much better understanding of how everything on this planet is related and connected.
While my wife and I have had and continue to have wonderful opportunities and experiences in the floatplane and the two boats to see and watch the amazing variety of life that calls this whole inside waters environment home, I envy people like Scott and Murray and Northern Spy the even greater opportunities they must have because they live up there year round. And from their posts I get the impression they are as attuned to the life around them as those of us who've participated so far in this thread.
Kind of preachy, I know, but I've been writing a script the last few days for a video I've been asked (well, told) to produce to try to keep pilots the world over from running their planes off the runway when they land. So I'm in a sort of "preachy" mode anyway.
Thanks for putting up your photos and helping remind us, or at least me, of how great it is to be on the water.