Parks – Page 25 – Sequim Daily Photo

Duck hunting

I went to Carrie Blake Park recently to see what kinds of ducks I might find there. A previous visit yielded only mallards. This time I was pleased to find wigeons – lots of them. Most of them were American Wigeons. These are the ones with the greenish heads (males) and brown and grey mottling (females). But there were a few Eurasian Wigeons mingling with the group. You can see a male with the ginger colored head.

According to my bird book, “More Eurasian Wigeons overwinter in Washington than anywhere else in the other lower 48 states.” And apparently they tend to hang out with other Wigeons.

There generally are lots of ducks at Carrie Blake Park this time of year. Wigeons make a sort of whistling sound. The air was full of whistles at the park.

Erin go bragh

Here’s a burst of green in honor St. Patrick’s Day. This is a trail at Railroad Bridge Park during leafier days last September.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you of the Irish persuasion. Eirinn go Brach!

Details

I like some of the details on the newly reopened Railroad Bridge.

This panel looks to me almost like something by Frank Lloyd Wright or an Arts and Crafts designer.

Sunday traffic

We visited the newly repaired Railroad Bridge last Sunday morning. There was lots of traffic on the new trestle.

There were plenty of walkers and furry buds.

Runners blew past.

And lots of bicyclists, too. It was a wintry morning but plenty of people were enjoying the bridge again.

The new Railroad Bridge trestle

The new trestle on the Railroad Bridge has been completed, opened, and dedicated. After nearly a year since the old trestle was damaged in flooding, I can humbly say it was well worth the wait. Thank you, Jamestown S’Klallam!

The Jamestown S’Klallam tribe, which owns the property, led the $1.53 million replacement project and solicited grant funding to contribute to the work. The new steel span has fewer piers in the Dungeness River and was designed to help restore the river’s salmon habitat. Railings are high on the new deck but there are plans for an observation section.

S’Klallam tribal elders performed a blessing ceremony last week at the formal opening of the bridge. Cedar boughs were blessed and used as a ceremonial “ribbon” to cut and visitors at the ceremony brushed the sides of the bridge with boughs as they traversed. We are blessed to have this beautiful span which is also a link in the Olympic Discovery Trail.

Bridge and trees

Here’s another shot from the historic Railroad Bridge trestle. I’ll move on to other subjects tomorrow but plan to come back again once the new bridge is opened.

Joining the crowd

The historic Railroad Bridge is arguably one of the more photographed sights in Sequim and it’s not hard to see why. The lines, colors, and location of the bridge are all eye candy. Lots of cameras have been trained on this structure. Mine is no exception.