Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
When trees are stripped of their leaves in winter you can see birds hunkered down. I once thought if I had a choice that I’d love to be a bird and be able to fly. Then I thought about living in a tree, in winter, in the rain, in the snow. It can’t be an easy life.
Here’s one last shot from my visit with the trumpeter swans last week. There were younger swans mixed in with the flock; here’s one for comparison.
A flock of swans grazed last week about 30-40 feet from the side of the road along the edge of a field as I drove by last week. They occasionally murmured to one another as they pecked away, and there were immature birds with grayish brown plumage alongside the pure white adults. I’ve guessed that these are trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator). If they are, they are birds that were hunted nearly to extinction in the early 1900s. It wasn’t until the 1970s that these swans began to return to western Washington.
Trumpeter swans are more common in the Samish and Skagit flatlands of Washington and in the Snohomish River area. I was really thrilled to see them. One more picture tomorrow and then I’ll get on to other views of life around Sequim.
When Florida blogger Lowell posted an enviably beautiful shot of a swan a month or two ago I had one of those moments of ignited curiousity. Mainly: “Hey! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a swan. I wonder if we have swans here.” Then I noticed some very big white birds – at quite a distance – in a field. I couldn’t figure out how to get closer and soon they disappeared.
Last week I passed another field and bingo! There they were, closer to the road. It’s possible they’re common here but I admit to getting really excited. They didn’t glide serenely across a glittering pond, but a swan’s a swan. I’m think they were trumpeter swans. They could be tundra swans but their heads and all black bills look a little more like what I see in my book. I’ll post another couple shots tomorrow.
Though most of my photos qualify for a “why I love it here” title, this pair of soaring eagles recently reminded me of one of the things I love about where I live. Driving along, on my way into town, I looked up to see this pair gliding in lazy circles. They were up high enough that this shot with my 200 mm. lens isn’t applause worthy, but at least it managed to capture birds that I find very exciting.
And, as a bonus, I got this shot of the rare four-winged bald eagle (grin). You can see that the pair didn’t mind soaring close to each other.
I caught sight of this American robin (Turdus migratorius) the other day in a tree, hanging out with the flock. They were chowing down on some berries in bushes nearby, but I couldn’t get a clear shot of their “cafeteria.”
Butchart Gardens makes the best of the winter season by swapping flower blossoms for twinkling nighttime lighting for. There’s an ice skating rink for the agile or brave. And as visitors walk through the gardens there are lit displays illustrating the twelve days of Christmas. My favorite – and the only one close enough for my pocket camera to capture – was the “three French hens,” vignette shown above. That’s a miniature Eiffel Tower in the background, and on the plate? A croissant, of course!
The rendering of “four calling birds” included a parrot with a cell phone.
The gardens are spectacular, beautifully lit with lights that convey motion, magic, and color.