Category: Birds

Fish and Chicks

A Snowy Egret Delivering a Mouthful of Fish to her Hatchlings

Down South, if you order fish and chips, you may be surprised to wind up with hushpuppies, or grits. But apparently these baby egrets knew they wouldn’t need any sides when mama delivered this “mother-load” of fish for them.

And you should have heard the noise when she approached! We could relate after ordering Alligator Tail (no kidding) at a local restaurant though. As we yelled for more we heard nothing but applause from the locals who when told we lived in a place called “Sequim” knew we could handle just about anything!

Florida is for the Birds!

A Great Blue Heron Nestled in the Swamp Grass

Some say Florida is a place you either love or hate. So what’s to love, and what’s to hate?

Well let’s see…the highest natural point in Florida is Britton Hill, on the Panhandle region of Florida, close to the Alabama border. It has an elevation of 345 feet, so if you want mountainsides on the horizon, a causeway is your best bet.

And if you like solitude, but despise crowds and traffic – Florida has the third highest population in the U.S., trailing only California and Texas. So if you decide to visit the zoo for a nature fix, consider going mid-week when the kids are in school, otherwise, you could be confronted with 5 busloads of screaming children, like we were.

And if you hate crawling bugs, flying insects, snakes, fire ants, and overwhelming heat and the heavy humidity…well, you may as well stay home!

But if you go for the birds, then all of the above will be more than tolerable simply because you’ll come home with treasures that money just can’t buy…and you’ll dream about when you can go back to do it all over again! Believe me, it’s truly for the birds!

Nature’s Camouflage

An Anna’s Hummingbird Incubating Eggs

Tucked in among tree leaves and lichen, it was easy to miss this dedicated mom but luckily, I had a great advantage – my friend Mary.

Mary spotted her flying into the nest and although a wonderful photographer herself, she was happy to move aside so I could capture this image and more.

Photography can become very competitive, and while we have many gifted photographers in Sequim and throughout the peninsula, I don’t know of any of them who would take exception to allowing another to capture a shared moment.

Because of this, photography is not only a great profession and hobby, but also a way to connect with friends and to make new ones as well.

Green on Green

A Female Anna’s Hummingbird, Jamestown Beach

Typically, one goes to the beach to walk the shore, pick rocks or shells, or to see and listen to the waves crashing on the shore. But Jamestown Beach offers the best of the beach, as well as the woods, and this young female built her nest there.

Holding on to a branch she kept steady as I moved closer to her and surprisingly she didn’t blink an eye as I lifted my camera to focus to get this image. Those are times when I feel at one with nature and so eternally grateful for the solitude it provides.

Man in the Moon?

A Bald Eagle Makes a Statement in Front of the Moon

Our national symbol is often seen in many locations but until I discovered this one posing in front of the moon, did I really appreciate it as such.

Although not draped in the flag or singing the national anthem, his presence in this spot, in front of where mankind still chooses to travel, speaks to me about the importance of preserving nature here on earth as well as reaching for the stars.

Yippee!

A Juvenile Eagle Appearing to Leap for Joy

One never knows what to expect when visiting the Dungeness Landing, and so it was on this particular day.

We had friends visiting from Tacoma, and while showing them the local birding sites, we counted over 30 eagles at the Landing that day…yes! And because that was and is such a rarity, I think I captured over 3,000 pictures of them with this one being one of my favorites.

To me it signals the joy of spring, warm weather, and new life, and I couldn’t have said it any better than this delightful creature.

Pretty as a Peacock

A Male Peafowl (Peacock) in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, BC

Victoria is fabulous city and Beacon Hill Park, located in the center of the city, is one of its crown jewels.

In this park you will find any number of peafowl. Yes…male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are referred to as peahens, but aside from that, these beautiful and people-friendly birds frequent the park, and as you might guess, visitors feed them, which undoubtedly brings them in.

The park is also a haven for herons, eagles, songbirds, waterfowl, human adults needing a break from city traffic and noise, and children seeking a petty zoo experience.

In addition to the above, you’ll find beautiful plants, flowers, trees, and fountains all in close proximity to downtown, Parliament and the BC Museum.

But the big draw for me is the birds. And I’m grateful that this particular one posed for me so beautifully. It’s a BC souvenir that brings me joy whenever I see and share it and I hope you enjoy it as well.