Category: Birds

The Grey Ghost

Often seen in open grasslands, this raptor, the Northern Harrier, is a local but a very evasive one.

Catching a glimpse of one is difficult enough, but getting a photograph, and especially a closeup, is uncommon; and catching one in flight a true challenge.

This is the male who while in flight has a more ghostly white appearance with a face resembling an owl although they’re not related. The female is a darker brown with more pronounced owl-like features and is somewhat larger.

Keep an eye out for them in grasslands, marshes, or fields in our area, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed in watching their acrobatics as they glide, tip and swirl, hunting for their prey: small mammals, small birds, rabbits and ducks.

If you know of a great spot to photograph them, let me know in the comments…please! 😁

Color? Color!

While on our route through Sequim this afternoon, I couldn’t help but think about how dreary things appeared today. So for those of you who are feeling a bit down about gray skies and chilly temperatures, know that I empathize!

And there is color out there, it’s just a bit harder to find this time of year. Fortunately for me, these trumpeters were swimming in the last remains of fall color at Kirner Pond, and close enough for me to capture them with my camera.

And, it appears that love may be in the air – just in time for Valentines’ Day!

Our National Symbol…

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.

Olympic Peninsula Audubon Members – Please join us for this FREE event this evening:

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.

Wildlife Wednesday at The Dungeness Landing County Park

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!