Got to see this beautiful mandarin duck catch a fish.
Great blue heron
Not the biggest snack but a snack nonetheless.
Burrowing owl
Got this photo of a burrowing owl over the summer. They have so much personality.
Hummingbird
Spent a lot of time the other day watching Anna’s hummingbirds. The males have been very active establishing their territory. Haven’t seen any females. I assume they are busy building nests.
Hummingbird on a stick
Anna’s hummingbird, light as a feather can easily perch at the end of this twig.
Belted Kingfishers
Kingfishers aren’t the easiest to photograph. They have a pretty big attitude and like to let their presence known but if you take one step too close they fly off, cackling the whole way.
Juvenile Bald Eagle at the Beach
It’s usually a good bet to find bald eagles at the beach. This juvenile stayed on its perch long enough for me to get a nice photo.
Nice View
Here’s a marmot enjoying a nice view at Mount Rainier National Park.
Bald eagle at the pier
Always great to see bald eagles at the marina. This one gave me one last glance before taking off.
Oh crap... I mean carp
Just another great blue heron catching a fish photo.
Cape Disappointment
There were king tides on Sunday through Tuesday this week at Cape Disappointment so I drove down to see the big waves crashing around the lighthouse. Unfortunately Sunday was really calm. Unusually calm for a king tide. I heard Monday had some great waves so I went back down on Tuesday hoping see them. The waves were better than Sunday. Out of the three days of king tides I happen to miss the one day that was good. But at least the weather was nice.
Osprey with a perch
I spent the summer trying to get a shot of an osprey with a fish in its talons. Each time I moved to a spot to anticipate a dive it would dive somewhere farther away and I as unable to get the shot. Well, I was in Grayland, WA over Labor Day weekend and just by chance an osprey dove nearby and caught a good sized perch. I guess I'm better off not looking for the shot and just waiting for it to happen.
Smoky Sunset
Last week before the smoke got too bad I got this shot of sunset from Ruby Beach.
Changing of the guard
Pied-billed grebe parents share duties raising their young. For the first week or so one will search for food while the other sits on the nest. This one got up to stretch its wings, exposing their young ones underneath. If you look closely you should be able to count five of them.
Eating feathers
Baby pied-baby grebe being fed a feather.
Hitching a ride
Pied-billed grebe babies can swim as soon as they hatch but will choose to ride on their parent’s back whenever they can.
Mount Shuksan Sunset
Can’t always get a great sunset in the northwest but when the sun is out, at least there’s alpenglow. Just below the glacier you can see a couple campers with their tent set up.
Rhinoceros auklet
Rhinoceros auklet grabbing dinner before sunset on the Salish Sea.
Young Burrowing Owls
These two young burrowing owls popped out of their burrows to check out the sunny weather.
The Pacific Rhododendron
Rhododendrons can be found in the many neighborhoods and city parks but the Pacific rhododendron is native to forests of the Pacific northwest. Their flowers add a nice splash of color for springtime hikes.
