Posted Jan 31, 2012 from Seattle. Delia and I started the month off and running with our year- bird list (see last post) but immediately fell off of our last-year’s pace. We did however see this gorgeous Pileated Woodpecker at the Nisqually. You should see the poses that got away, though—it was pretty dark in … Continue reading
Posted Jan.9, 2012 from Seattle Delia’s and my BigYear is off to a great start—We passed 100 species for the country in the quickest time ever for us. On New Year’s Day we left Di Ann’s Mountain Valley Resort in Rodeo (We stayed there so we wouldn’t have to go back up the Canyon after … Continue reading
Posted October 27 2011 from Seattle, WA Delia and I went to Sequim for a long weekend Oct 21-23. We were somewhat sequimish about going when we saw the weather forecast, but whenever we got out of the car and started hiking, the rain let up and the sun came out. This was a … Continue reading
Posted October 3, 2011 from Seattle, WA. Some birds are engaged in a rapid expansion of their range Northward into Western Washington. The Anna’s Hummingbird exploded northward and the Western Scrub Jay is marching quickly north. Other bird species seem to be taking two steps forward, one step back. In the case of the gorgeous … Continue reading
Posted from Seattle Sept. 21, 2011 I went down Monday with my friend Brian to the Tacoma tide flats. It always surprises me how big and close Mt. Rainier is from Tacoma since I’m used to the distant view Seattle gets. We were looking for this Asian vagrant Gull, the Black-tailed Gull, which is very rare in … Continue reading
Posted September 6, 2011 from Seattle WA. Bird expert Andy Stepniewski has written to say yesterday’s Nisqually Plover was an American Golden-Plover rather than a Pacific Golden-Plover. Here are the points he kindly made to help us with our Plover ID: 1-the number of primaries extending beyond the tertials is 4+, not 2-3 as in Pacific. … Continue reading
Posted Labor Day Sept 5, 2011 from Seattle WA. Delia and I . went down early to the Nisqually to look for Baird’s Sandpipers that had been reported from there and dipped on those but found this Pacific Golden-Plover. This shot was taken practically from the on-ramp to I-5 at the entrance gate. The bird … Continue reading
posted August 1, 2011 from Seattle, WA. We just got back from the Bootheel of New Mexico, where my parents-in-law live. There were 3 or 4 hundred Hummingbirds holed up at the Ranch apparently waiting for a few flowers to bloom in the outback, including this Broad-billed Hummingbird. And this Lucifer Hummingbird, which is a regular summer resident … Continue reading
Posted June 26, 2011 from Seattle, WA. Lake Sammamish State Park was teeming with birds and reproductive activity today, although Delia and I dipped on both our target birds. (an American Redstart has been reported there and Red-eyed Vireos are always likely, plus we missed Green Heron). When birds reproduce, Vulnerability is a key word. … Continue reading
Posted May 25, 2011 updated May 26 with Lazuli Bunting, et al sightings It’s a paradox of photography and Photoshop software that a gloomy spring can result in some very bright shots. Delia and I have been birding around Washington state lately and we’ve had to retreat at times to the car or the house to get … Continue reading
