This year, it will be held April 10-13th, and if you haven’t participated, or you’re new to birding and not sure where to go or how to start, now’s your chance to get started and to discover what you’ve been missing.
Classes are offered (mostly at the Dungeness River Center), boat and field trips are available, and as always, an eager and helpful staff of professionals is there to help guide your way.
And If you’re a seasoned birder, then you already know the benefits of attending, so I expect to see you out there, along with this old baldy, who by the way, looked as if he was diving straight into my lens (and I couldn’t have been happier)!
It seems that on any given day one can drive through Sequim and/or the surrounding area and see calves being born.
This particular Jersey was born in February, 2023, at the Dungeness Creamery, and I suspect that by now, she’s providing milk and cream to our local population, or perhaps she traveled to another farm with a new owner or family.
Regardless, spotting her nursing, after hobbling and shaking to reach her mama after emerging into the cold was just the kind of visual motivation I needed to press on with my day, undeterred by any fears of failure, or reservations of acceptance.
And knowing that mama’s there to assist along the way, either in spirit or in the flesh, is often the ultimate motivation.
Spotted on a neighbor’s property a few years ago, this handsome young buck was dressed to the nines in what else but…velvet!
And as he munched away on vegetation, in my head, I was hearing ‘she wore blue velvet…’, which of course was a tribute to Bobby Vinton (and Bernie Wayne, the author), as well as to my age.
But aside from that, I was able to snag a few photos that at the time, I thoroughly enjoyed, but since then, they’ve taken up space on my hard drive – at least until now.
And since I’m finally posting it here, I found his “velvet” interesting enough to at least Google ‘antler velvet’ and AI was kind enough to offer the following:
“As the antlers develop they’re covered by a nourishing coat of blood vessels, skin and short hair known as velvet—this supplies nutrients and minerals to the growing bone. When antlers reach their full size in late August or September, the velvet is no longer needed.”
Surprisingly, I also learned that although controversial, some athletes have used the velvet to increase their performance, and that others use it for medicinal and/or cosmetic purposes: ‘Laboratory and animals studies have shown that pilose, a protein found in antler velvet, has an anti-inflammatory effect. Antler velvet is also rich in chondroitin sulphate, collagen and glucosamine sulphate. The properties and make-up of the compound could make it a useful treatment in a variety of types of arthritis.’
But, don’t take my word for it; if it doesn’t work, I suspect you’d be singing Blue Velvet as well…
Although photographed in December, I stumbled over this photo today and couldn’t help but feel the need to post it.
I think most bird lovers are attracted to Varied Thrush, and this male couldn’t have been more attractive while perched on these bright red apples. And was he ever hangry! After taking a bite out of all three, he still wasn’t about to share with any others – and I felt quite privileged that he chose to pose for this shot!
As the Cornell Lab’s All About Birds site states, ‘Varied Thrushes are often aggressive toward each other and other bird species. At feeders, males sometimes defend small feeding territories, where they dominate sparrows, blackbirds, cowbirds, towhees and juncos. They usually defer to California Quails, Northern Flickers, Western Scrub-Jays, and American Robins. The only time Varied Thrushes flock with other species is when they occasionally forage for berries or earthworms on lawns with American Robins.’
So while rather self-centered, thrushes do have their strong points, and we are very lucky to have them here in Sequim. But sadly, they are on the ‘list of Common Birds in Steep Decline, for species that are still too numerous or widely distributed to warrant Watch-List status but have been experiencing troubling long-term declines’, so if you have the means to provide seed, fruit, and/or water, please do so, and they may be around to pose for you too!
We just returned from the drone show tonight at Carrie Blake Park in celebration of the Sequim Sunshine Festival this weekend, and I must say, it was WONDERFUL!
This was our first year seeing the show, but it certainly won’t be our last – and if you haven’t seen it, you’re really missing out.
Little did I realize that our city offered such delightful entertainment, not just this evening, but during the festival activities today as well. The list of bands and the music we heard as we strolled by the booths and refreshment stands earlier in the day was GREAT, and had me tapping my foot and wishing there was a dance floor.
And although we had a few sprinkles of rain, it didn’t dampen the atmosphere or the spirited crowd. Sequimites know how lucky they are!
Before I get back to my collection of Sequim photos, I don’t want to miss the opportunity to post one more of these remarkable creatures, which I found at Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale, AZ.
Since its Greek name is a true tongue twister, I prefer to use the more common and descriptive name, Crimson-Banded Red Rim, for this one, which was perched on a flower that I find difficult to identify. Aside from that, it attracted more butterflies than most plants in the garden, and photographically speaking, if became one of favorite images from the trip.
Do not fear though…tomorrow I’ll be back with more locally based images, that is until April, when I plan to ask more of my photography friends to provide images during the two weeks that I plan to be in Florida. There I’ll be photographing my favorite subjects, BIRDS!
Apparently, this is the time of year when butterflies seek their mates and put on a display like no other. Although we didn’t witness much of their encounters, what we did see was quite entertaining, and educational as well. Never did I dream I’d be Googling, “butterfly sex”, in order to learn about what I’ve been missing all these years, and to share it with you. Nonetheless, if you’re interested, here’s the drill, according to www.kidsbutterfly.org/faq/behavior/4:
“Male butterflies find females by sight, and use chemicals called pheromones at close range. If the female accepts the male, they couple end to end and may go on a short courtship flight. They may remain coupled for an hour or more, sometimes overnight. The male passes a sperm packet called a spermatorphore to the female. The sperm then fertilize each egg as it passes down the female’s egg-laying tube.” And…according to this website, “Male butterflies mark their mates with a stench to ‘turn off’ rival suitors”….go figure!
And why didn’t I learn about this in the 50s and 60’s? Probably because it wasn’t taught!
But aside from that, I want to apologize for the hiccups on the blog yesterday. I can only blame evil digital demons, since I did my part, but somehow, my post was truncated and I wound up reposting. Thank you, loyal readers, for hanging in there, and as always, for your kind comments.
