Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
At the Dungeness County Landing Park
A bald eagle making impressive landing, or conducting an orchestra? I can’t decide. But regardless, seeing more eagles at the Landing means that spring can’t be too far off.
Fortunately, I don’t have photos of ground hogs, who are less predictable forecasters.
Finally…the bald eagle is now OFFICIALLY the national bird of the US! Although it’s been on the Great Seal of our country since 1782 and has signified strength, courage, freedom and immortality for generations, it is not always on its best behavior. Benjamin Franklin actually objected to it being chosen to represent the country, saying:
‘I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our
country; he is a bird of bad moral character; like those among men who
live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy.
The turkey is a much more respectable bird and withal a true, original
native of America’.
…but we eat turkeys and glorify eagles! Yes, because aside from their faults they are still incredibly fascinating, as was this one…although eating something very unmentionable.
Tonight, a dozen Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society member photographers will be presenting a collection of their photos along with narrative about where, when and how they recorded them.
I will be among them, and the above is a sampling of the local photos I’ll be presenting. I’ll also be displaying several of the ones I’ve photographed in Argentina, California, and Florida, while the other photographers will have varying collections as well, all of which are impressive.
If you’re a member, great, but if not, please consider signing up. I hate to leave anyone out! So here’s a link to their website: https://olympicpeninsulaaudubon.org/membership
The presentation will also be presented on Zoom for those members who would rather attend in their jammies.
WARNING! Bird photography can be addictive but also challenging.
My addiction started while peering out the window eyeballing hummingbirds on a feeder everyday. It then progressed to herons, then eagles…and from there, there was no stopping me.
The www.wildlife informer.com states, ‘The Washington Fish & Wildlife Office estimates that up to 80% of the eagles found in the state during the mid-winter months are migrants with the largest winter concentrations occur in the lower Columbia River, Skagit River, Nooksack River, and Banks Lake.’ But from my observation, Sequim has one the largest numbers in the state (I once photographed 30 of them at the Landing). ‘As for the total population of breeding pairs, the WFWO states there are about 900 current nest sites.’ I’ve personally located over 6 active ones in our area.
So with that said, the Landing is another spot on my typical 25 miles daily drive through Sequim and the surrounding area watching for birds. This particular day, I was blessed with the graces of a baldy transporting a fish to the treetops and was able to capture this image.
So if you too are up for a challenge…consider donning a pair of binoculars, or grabbing a camera. Just beware, you may not be able to escape the addiction!
My hubby just cleaned out the bird house. They’ll be back next year for another round of fun.
Here is Mr. Red Tail moving down two trees…
Several Red Tailed Hawks live off of Brown rd. I ride my bike there often. But every time I got close enough with my phone to take a photo he would move two trees down. So I had to take this from a long ways away.