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.
Ahhh…the joys of winter on the Olympic Peninsula
The view of Helen’s Pond off of 3 Crabs Road, with Canada geese dotting the sky, offers a warmer approach to January than the snow on the ridge, at least for me.
And the return of the Trumpeters at Kirner Pond is the icing on the cake!
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!
A neighbor on NextDoor asked if I’d post this image of a cow elk wearing a tracker, and I’m happy to oblige.
Trackers are used to stop traffic on Hwy. 101 and to allow the herd to safely cross. Note that one ear also has a tag. Otherwise, her tracker serves as an attractive conversation starter, if nothing else. I’ve googled for more info but wasn’t able to TRACK down the reason for the tag.
If any of you have witnessed a crossing, please comment!
Couldn’t resist putting a Santa hat on this beautiful snow leopard that I was lucky to photograph in Montana. He looks like he thinks I was on the naughty list…
River otters are so cute. My first love was sea otters. But after following these guys around I think they are even more fun!