Kodiak 9/24 - 01 Horses

9/24 was the only Saturday that nobody had a commitment so we decided to take a long trip out to Fossil Beach. It is about 45 miles and over an hour with all the twists and turns. The road crosses several rivers and streams with pullover opportunities. We had heard about the wild horses of Kodiak. L&J had seen them in the distance before but this was the first time they were close to the road so we stopped - along with quite a few other cars. You have to realize "quite a few cars" means 5 or 6! We walked out towards the horses (about a dozen) and they were anything but wild. After shooting the wild mustangs in Cody, WY, these guys were just pets loose on the range! You can see that they were VERY well fed and reasonably groomed. I wonder if they build up a fat supply to get through the winter also. Several of them walked right up to me. I let them sniff my hand but I did not pet them. Some of my partners were getting nervous with me so close the the horses but I don't find horses all that difficult to read. If I were betting, they were looking for handouts - maybe an apple or something - which is kind of funny given all the fruit on the island is imported and not cheap! Oh well, I took a few shots and moved on. I'm sure some of my horse-loving friends wished I had taken more shots but they would be very redundant to these three.

This shot surprised me this morning. I had not noticed the gull diving into the water. There is zero skill in this shot and it is totally luck - but what a cool shot! I was not shooting action so I was not rapid firing the shutter. The next shots were with the bird underwater and then sitting on the river with no obvious catch.

Thanks,

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