Category: Photos by Peg

On the Watch

A Juvenile Sharp-Shinned Hawk

During the height of the pandemic, I found myself indulging in bird photography more than ever.

During that time I had an unexpected close encounter with this beautiful juvenile sharp-shinned hawk perched atop a tree located on the Dungeness levee trail, prior to the river rerouting.

As I kept my focus on her, she scanned back and forth over the field below her, as I held my breath and somehow, she failed to see or hear me approach.

And though it wasn’t pleasant to witness the end results of her hunting behavior, watching the process was truly incredible, and within minutes I was doing just that.

Sensing movement in the field below her, her eyes immediately locked on a target as if guided by radar, then instantly, she took off, swept down, flipped her prey in the air, and landed her meal of the day…all within seconds.

And I congratulated her; I’m sure she’ll be feeding her young the same way someday.

For the Love of Boats

Aging in Place

On a short road-trip from Sequim, south through the Hood Canal, you may have noticed this relic sitting off the roadside as if beached by some cruel and massive wave decades ago.

As far as boats go, it’s in pretty bad shape, although this photo makes it appear better than it is, since I captured it several years ago. 

Seaworthy it is not, but photo-worthy…yes! Many photographers in our area had it on their checklist, just as I did, and now that it appears to be disappearing rapidly, here’s my chance to celebrate its beautiful shapes, lines, tones and textures.

Although no longer functional for it’s intended purpose, for me, seeing it is like a long sip on a latte on a cold day and dreary day, and I hope you would agree.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

A White Crab Spider Walks Crablike atop a Lacy Phacelia

The Woodcock Demonstration Garden located at 2711 Woodcock Road, Sequim, offers a nice number of plants, flowers, bees, bugs and yes, spiders.

Crab spiders are ones with long front legs, moving with crablike sideways motions and typically hiding in plants and flowers waiting for prey, e.g., aphids, and unfortunately honey bees, bumblebees and butterflies – and of course, they’re white, versus brown, green, or yellow. 

Luckily for us, they’re not harmful or poisonous to humans, although some of us may still not appreciate their presence. But not to worry if you find one in your house, it was probably misguided and it would actually be happier if you were to put it outside. 

Crab spiders are also unique in that they don’t spin webs; they walk on top of plants and flowers until they drop a silk line to hunt, like a fishermen. So there’s no need to fear that you may run into a web on your way out the door either.

And if you’re like me and you enjoy photographing nature, stop by the Garden to enjoy not only the plants and beautiful flowers, but all the living creatures, notably the crab spiders.

Wildlife Wednesday

Sometimes we could all use a chuckle or two!

In June 2022, my hubby and I loaded up the car and headed for a two week trip to Montana, Alberta, and British Colombia.

Our bucket list along the way not only included seeing family, the Big Sky and mountainous landscapes, but to also witness the stellar beauty and dignity of Big Horned Sheep!

And this magnificent creature was one of our first encounters, as well as one of the funniest.

Yes, this mighty and manly creature made us chuckle but he sort of spoke to me as if to say, “don’t take life to seriously girlfriend, it’s really not worth it!”, and ya know, he was right.

Now whenever I get stressed and need a chuckle, his sweet and unassuming face has a way of turning things around, and if not, I just follow his lead, stick out my tongue, and carry on.

And with that said, I must apologize for my website hiccup the other day and if you missed seeing my Rufous Hummingbird post, please click this link to the full site where you will find it there.

And thank you for your patience! Life is a work in progress.

Skate Sighting on Pt. Williams Beach

A beached skate appears to be happy now that he’s free of life’s burdens

If you’re among the many who walk Pt. Williams Beach often, or if you did, then you may have seen this creature lying lifeless on the beach in March 2024. 

As I understand, 2024 wasn’t a good for year for skates in our waters, and as of yet, I’ve not found an explanation. When we spotted this one, I was convinced that due to its flat, kite-shaped body it must be a stingray; but later found that one of the quickest ways to tell them apart is by their tails. Stingrays typically have long, whip-like tails while skates’ tails, tend to be short, thick and fleshy, and stingrays bodies are noticeably larger…who knew?

Both are elasmobranchs, meaning they are cartilaginous fish (made up of cartilage instead of bone) and many have openings called spiracles on the tops of their heads which allow animals like them to sit on the ocean floor and take in oxygenated water from above, which allows them to live in the sand or mud without breathing. So if you happen to do a face plant in the sand anytime soon, you very well may still be able to breathe!

Considering the adorable face on this one, it was tough to accept that it would no longer be swimming near our shores, but also comforting in that its remains could very well serve as food for other marine life, birds, and wildlife.

And so the cycle of life continues.

Attitude is Everything

One step closer and I’ll dive-bomb you!

While I really don’t want to make this a blog all about birds, as I’ve mentioned before, birds are truly my favorite subjects to photograph and they constitute my largest collection of photos, many of which were captured here in Sequim.

This one is an adult male Rufous Hummingbird, and as you may be able to tell, he was a bit perturbed by my presence and apparently questioned my motives while I was pointing a camera in his face. But Rufous Hummingbirds are notoriously territorial and may drive off other species of hummers as well as persistent photographers.

And like most males of his species, he’s high energy and ready for confrontation at the drop of a hat; and as I’m sure he was either protecting his nest, or food source, I got out of there promptly, but not without grabbing this shot and a few others.

If you’re walking the main trail at the Dungeness Refuge, you may see him too. But keep it in mind, we’re on his migration route and since he’s only a visitor he’ll likely move on after just a week or two. So watch (and listen) for him on the south side of the first trail off of Voice of America Road, before the trees and before you begin your ascent up the hill – but beware, he means business!

The Race is On!

On your mark get set…go!

As far as elk are concerned, it’s not very often we get the chance to view or photograph them at this range, especially the bulls. So on this particular day, I was happy to have my longest lens handy while they trotted off in unison, as if beginning a race.

And although it may appear like they’re all bulls, there is one cow in the far back, and apparently she’s winning the race – which politically speaking, doesn’t happen very often either…