Author: Peggy Hanson

I am a nature photographer and digital artist living and loving life in Sequim, WA.

Dinner on the Fly

Like many Americans, my spirit animal is the bald eagle, our national symbol. And at this time of year, local nest watching is often at the top of my list.

But when I can’t get out, like many others, I watch Jackie and Shadow, a nesting pairs of baldies in Big Bear, CA via a webcam on YouTube. This remarkable pair has a long history and considering the daily struggles they face, one wonders how they, or their offspring survive.

The camera is hosted by The Friends of Big Bear Valley, and as I write this, there are 38,405 viewers watching! But because of the site’s restrictions on reposting, I won’t go into more detail, but I do invite you to visit the site and to witness this amazing pair for yourselves.

And if you can get out and about here at home, be sure to swing by and view any of the nests we have in Sequim, but please do so respectfully, and quietly; we want to keep them active as long as possible.

And as this image displays, fish are a mainstay of the eagles’ diet, for both the parents and their chicks, and here in Sequim we are very fortunate have a good supply to accommodate them but unfortunately, we don’t have a webcam!

FAKE NEWS ALERT – Not Gone After all!

Sooo, I’m not sure how to say this but, my post this morning is totally inaccurate – so fear not dear readers, the building is STILL THERE, at least for now, as is the other smaller shed.

And although there is a bulldozer and other heavy equipment on the property (see below) as well as a lot of debris (aside from the blue bins), I’m blaming my mistake on the recent time change, but please forgive me nonetheless!

And…best wishes for a great day!

Incoming Eagle!

Every Spring, Sequim’s Olympic Audubon Society hosts the Olympic Bird Festival.

This year, it will be held April 10-13th, and if you haven’t participated, or you’re new to birding and not sure where to go or how to start, now’s your chance to get started and to discover what you’ve been missing.

Classes are offered (mostly at the Dungeness River Center), boat and field trips are available, and as always, an eager and helpful staff of professionals is there to help guide your way.

And If you’re a seasoned birder, then you already know the benefits of attending, so I expect to see you out there, along with this old baldy, who by the way, looked as if he was diving straight into my lens (and I couldn’t have been happier)!

In the Neighborhood

It seems that on any given day one can drive through Sequim and/or the surrounding area and see calves being born.

This particular Jersey was born in February, 2023, at the Dungeness Creamery, and I suspect that by now, she’s providing milk and cream to our local population, or perhaps she traveled to another farm with a new owner or family.

Regardless, spotting her nursing, after hobbling and shaking to reach her mama after emerging into the cold was just the kind of visual motivation I needed to press on with my day, undeterred by any fears of failure, or reservations of acceptance. 

And knowing that mama’s there to assist along the way, either in spirit or in the flesh, is often the ultimate motivation.

She Wore Blue but He Wore Brown…

Spotted on a neighbor’s property a few years ago, this handsome young buck was dressed to the nines in what else but…velvet!

And as he munched away on vegetation, in my head, I was hearing ‘she wore blue velvet…’, which of course was a tribute to Bobby Vinton (and Bernie Wayne, the author), as well as to my age.

But aside from that, I was able to snag a few photos that at the time, I thoroughly enjoyed, but since then, they’ve taken up space on my hard drive – at least until now.

And since I’m finally posting it here, I found his “velvet” interesting enough to at least Google ‘antler velvet’ and AI was kind enough to offer the following:

“As the antlers develop they’re covered by a nourishing coat of blood vessels, skin and short hair known as velvet—this supplies nutrients and minerals to the growing bone. When antlers reach their full size in late August or September, the velvet is no longer needed.”

Surprisingly, I also learned that although controversial, some athletes have used the velvet to increase their performance, and that others use it for medicinal and/or cosmetic purposes: ‘Laboratory and animals studies have shown that pilose, a protein found in antler velvet, has an anti-inflammatory effect. Antler velvet is also rich in chondroitin sulphate, collagen and glucosamine sulphate. The properties and make-up of the compound could make it a useful treatment in a variety of types of arthritis.’

But, don’t take my word for it; if it doesn’t work, I suspect you’d be singing Blue Velvet as well…

Back to Nature

Although photographed in December, I stumbled over this photo today and couldn’t help but feel the need to post it.

I think most bird lovers are attracted to Varied Thrush, and this male couldn’t have been more attractive while perched on these bright red apples. And was he ever hangry! After taking a bite out of all three, he still wasn’t about to share with any others – and I felt quite privileged that he chose to pose for this shot!

As the Cornell Lab’s All About Birds site states, ‘Varied Thrushes are often aggressive toward each other and other bird species. At feeders, males sometimes defend small feeding territories, where they dominate sparrows, blackbirds, cowbirds, towhees and juncos. They usually defer to California Quails, Northern Flickers, Western Scrub-Jays, and American Robins. The only time Varied Thrushes flock with other species is when they occasionally forage for berries or earthworms on lawns with American Robins.’

So while rather self-centered, thrushes do have their strong points, and we are very lucky to have them here in Sequim. But sadly, they are on the ‘list of Common Birds in Steep Decline, for species that are still too numerous or widely distributed to warrant Watch-List status but have been experiencing troubling long-term declines’, so if you have the means to provide seed, fruit, and/or water, please do so, and they may be around to pose for you too!