Ed Newbold - Wildlife Artist: Ed's Sightings

(This was earlier during the holiday season at the folks-in-laws in New Mexico. Sorry I

Nov. 17, 2009 (Photo taken circa Nov. 12). This shot was taken in Seattle at Pier 91 by a photographer friend, Elliot Stoller, whom I've known since the late 70's. Since I haven't gotten any good shots despite lately wasting alot of what used to be film, I thought I'd put these two spectacular shots up, with Elliot's kind permission. Great wildlife shots not only entertain, they also educate: While my appreciation of Coyotes has been in an upward trend, I was still very surprised at how regal this critter looks.

Stoller, who is not a wildlife photographer but rather a photo-journalist asked, "The coyote looked very healthy. Do you think it's from eating people's pets or what?" I'd say, possibly, but there is an abundance of two perfectly-sized Coyote prey-items in the city: Eastern Gray Squirrels and Norway Rats, not to mention lots of things to scavenge. That said, we are virtually certain our late beloved cat Sam was taken by a Coyote on Beacon Hill. This raises different issues for different people, such as why would bird lovers allow their cat to go outdoors in the first place, (he was retired at that point), but we take away one great comfort. It must have been a quick death for Sam, since Coyotes are pure professionals who kill with a classic canid shake to the neck that immediately breaks the spinal column. Since Coyotoes are also good solitary stalkers, Sam likely wouldn't have known what was coming for more than a split second beforehand. Indeed, Coyotes are nature's answer to the over-abundance of cats which, as subsidized predators, "unfairly" take birds and other critters from the environment. Cats in Seattle are the obvious prime suspects in the urban extirpation of Chipmunks and the ongoing almost completed local exptirpation of the California Quail, and likely take a terrible toll on migrating birds and ground-nesting Dark-eyed Juncos and Song Sparrows and other species that might nest here if cats weren't here in such abundance.

We had a lot to do last weekend but cabin fever finally drove us out on Sunday afternoon to the Nisqually Nat'l. Wildlife Refuge. Mobility is painfully restricted down there these days due to the restoration work. This is October 18, 2009.

We didn't see anything especially out of the ordinary but October-light scenes were everywhere, the Maples were turning and the air smelled wonderful.

The Great Blue is swallowing a fish. We had Townsend's Warbler, many Yellow-rumped Warblers, Yellowthroats, a Coopers Hawk, a Peregrine and a flock of American Pipits.

Delia & I went over to Juanita Beach in Kirkland, WA, 9/30/9 to see the juvenile Franklin's Gull that's hanging out there. Franklin's Gulls nest in wetlands on the Great Plains, and they show up only unpredictably here on migration. Franklin's are smaller than most gulls, and are AAIs, Avian Aerial Insectivores: They hunt insects on the wing like big swallows. They are also gorgeous, in my opinion. Breeding adults sport a black head, blue-gray wings and back, white body and trim and black wing-tips, and the finishing touch is a blood-red bill.

We wanted to feed this bird, but we had only a small amount of remaining Sweet Potato chips in a used bag, and when we threw the chips on the ground, the larger Ring-billed Gulls, Mallards and Crows got to them first. Then we remembered: This bird has AAI skills! So instead of throwing the chip pieces down toward where the bird was standing, we threw them up into the air. Few ever hit the ground, as it leapt instantly into action leaving no doubt that at catching things in mid-air, this bird is a pro.

(Did we do the bird a real favor by rewarding panhandling behavior? who knows? Speculation on this subject would be so easy, and fraught with human cultural bias, factual information must be rare or nil. Always feel free to comment on this page or point out errors to ednewbold1@yahoo.com )

Brown Pelicans seem to symbolize Westport in late summer. They're all vacationers from California and points south as far as I know.

Seals and Sea Lions used to be classed by taxonomists in the same order as dogs and cats. This young bull California Sea Lion seemed to be wanting us come up and pet him.

We guessed that this dog on this boat headed out to sea was happy. Just a wild guess.

These were three of hundreds of Marbled Godwits that seem to seek out the protection of human activity when not working. These big Sandpipers like to rest in or right near the Tokeland marina.

Two Whimbrels (striped crown), were with the Godwits. Whimbrels are curlews with down-curved beaks, while all the many Godwits have slightly up-curved beaks. These birds are phenomenal long-distance speed flyers--one Godwit, I believe the Bar-tailed, flies nonstop from the Arctic to Australia--and does it very quickly, I'll try to get the stats.

It's Sat am, just getting light, and we're headed for the Gray's Harbor bar, one of the toughest bars in the world for those of us who weren't meant to be sailors.

Our first Pink-footed Shearwater. We got acceptable looks at two rarer Shearwaters (Lifebirds for us), the Manx and Flesh-footed.

The White-sided Dolphins are working a ball of fish, the leaders tell us, here's the telltale two-tone dorsal fin. Someone saw 2 Northern Right-whale Dolphins. The Shearwaters are working the same ball from the air.

It was a good Cetacean day. Although this was the only one I photographed, we also saw Humpback Whale, Gray Whale and three Orcas.

Shark Attack! Well, this Blue Shark kept going up to the Albatross and seemingly nipping them, at which they would jump back a foot or so, seemingly surprised but not fearful.

These Sabine's Gulls should be represented by a better photo, they have a beautiful striking wing pattern that really shows up in the featureless expanse of ocean: We went about 40 miles out to the Continental Shelf. It was rough crossing the bar, and some of the passengers contributed to the ocean food chain.

Ocean terror--or Photo-editor's terror? This is a lousy shot, but on the trips I've been on, these birds have never let the boat get close. This is a South Polar Skua, the top avian predator of the oceans, a fast-flying heavily built bird with striking white patches at the elbows. It breeds in the Antarctic, so it's a long way from "home."

This is a Buller's Shearwater. Identify this bird by the black M pattern on its wings, plus the black cap.

We're headed back into the harbor. Notice how flat the water is here, I sure did.

The Pigeon Guillemots were in the harbor. For an Alcid, this bird is something of a land-lover.

Part of the extensive Welcome-Back Committee that greeted us on the way back in. The bird on the right is an adult in nonbreeding plumage. There's one Double-crested Cormorant in with the Pelicans and two Heerman's Gulls.

A welcome for me was this Life-bird, a juvenile Glaucous Gull, in the harbor. A friend just back from ANWR tells us the adults look really beautiful doing their thing on the Arctic plane north of the Brooks Range.

I'll have to take her word for it. I've had enough excitement for quite a while doing the Westport Seabird Boat trip.

August 10, 2009. I took this shot of a baby in our back box in the morning. When I got back to the house in the afternoon, the box had been vacated. Normally Violet-green Swallow parents bring the kids back to the box at night for about a week, but this was an odd situaton. These parents got a very late start and this is the latest we've ever had Violet-greens fledge (we don't know how many kids there were, it's possible only one). What with the late date and the drought, we're thinking the family is already somewhere south of town on the way to Mexico.

Aug. 9, 2009, I'll put more shots from this series up after we go swim in the Lake, but what's going on here is this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk has lost his or her nerve while trying to catch a very small Garter Snake. With all the traffic on the road, it was dangerous to prolong the job. The poor little snake here has just reared his head in self-defense, apparently scaring the Red, which took a step back and opened its wings menacingly.

When we first came upon the scene we were baffled about what was going on. This was in Everett on the surge plane of the Snohomish on the way back from Spencer Island which had been our destination today.

Traffic kept coming along and the bird had to retreat to a perch in the tree a couple times.

However, when it got back it became a standoff again. The bird seemed clearly to be a bit afraid of the little snake. The pure white on the chest shows that the bird is a young kid. Adults are a nice tawny-buff, and wouldn't be the slightest bit intimidated by a small snake (I've seen them carrying what appeared to be a 3 ft. snake).

The young Red flew up to its perch to let a lot of traffic go by. The poor put-upon snake made it through traffic to the shoulder, but the Red kept track of it and came back to get it after the last truck had passed. I'm not 100% sure, however, that the bird got the snake, so readers should feel free to make up whatever ending they would most prefer.

Last time Delia and I were in the bootheel, mid-July, I really didn't get many good shots, unless you count these tame Gray Fox shots. As you can see, the Gray Foxes at my parents-in-laws place are pampered.

This male Gambel's Quail wasn't bashful about letting the canyon know he owned some of it.

This is big sky country... or is it skittish Oriole country? That's the best I could do of the resident Hooded Oriole

We stayed in Republic for three days. What a great town for swallows! Cliff, Tree, Barn, Violet-green, Bank and Rough-winged in town or right by. Also Calliope Hummingbirds. One was usually at the feeder at the Klondike Hotel.

This Cougar levitated itself up a 20 foot bank by the road, then got curious to get a better look at Delia's Prius. (Forget the mileage, photography is the reason to get a Prius. When the driver stops, the car is immediately still. With a hand-held 300 mm lense at dusk, this is imperative. This shot would have been even more out-of-focus in any other car. Moreover, in a Prius the driver never has to make a decision if any given photo-op is "worth" turning the engine off for). I'm guessing this is a young Tom (?) just old enough to be on it's own (?). (Cougar experts are welcome to set me straight).

We thought this was a statue decorating the driveway of a Ranch, and we even were starting to get critical of the sculptor--Curt and Bobby thought the antlers didn't look right. I said the sides were too shiny. Mary Anne said "I think it just stuck it's tongue out." I said, "They probably rigged it up to do that." At that point the "statue" which had been very still, suddenly turned and galloped away. You never see "The Thinker" doing that.

And this Bald Eagle looked dapper on the San Poil. We also saw a Golden. Delia took this.

OK, that's the end of the charismatic megafauna. Note the dusky under tail coverts and slight vest, this is a Western Wood Pewee, which is an Avian Aerial Insectivore (AAI). (For a lot about AAIs, see View Point 5, currently under construction).

Here's another AAI, the Eastern Kingbird. This was in the lower San Poil valley.

We had 115 fantastic species of birds, but I had a difficult time getting any good-enough-to-put-up shots of the the other birds this time. Trip: May 25-28, 2009. Here are the birds we added to our 2009 WA State list, to 208:

April 17, 2009. Our two Barn Swallows are beginning construction of their new home on the front porch. They are at the mud-bath in front of our house that is kept wet for them during swallow nesting season. This was taken with a point-and-shoot, as I broke my lense again, so no shots on this page till it's fixed.

Today, April 22, there was a modest, small fallout on the creek. Here a Lincoln's Sparrow and an Orange-crowned Warbler bathe.

Here five Yellow-rumped Warblers are bathing at close quarters. There wasn't too much fighting. One is above, and the one in the creek looking left is a female.

This is an Orange-crowned Warbler. There was also a Hermit Thrush, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Golden-crowned Sparrows as well as the local resident birds such as Bushtits, Black-capped Chickadees and Robins.

Well, there's no mistake, but when I first saw the shot, it looked like the bird had been incorrectly inserted into the picture. It's a Caspian Tern in a full dive from Herrings House Park on the Duwamish River in Seattle. The bird caught a fish and that began a major nonstop flight in which a Glaucous-winged Gull and two other Caspians tried to steal her, or his catch. They failed. I thought it was optimistic of the Gull to think it could catch a Caspian Tern. Maybe if it were a Parasitic Jaeger...

Here's the same bird in normal flight. April 19, 2009 There was also a Clark's Grebe in the Duwamish with a flock of Western Grebes, and a Lincoln's Sparrow at T-105.

These two Red-breasted Sapsuckers were at Lake Sammamish State Park on April 19, 2009

And then lands on this Alder (?) which also was hosting a Downy Woodpecker that I couldn't get into the shot.

March 31, 2009. This Painted Redstart, which is either a male or a female as both are plumaged the same, was foraging actively at Cave Creek near Portal Arizona. Not only is this bird striking and gorgeous, it also has the winsome habit of constantly fanning it's black and white tail as it flits about.

These birds move fast and autofocus doesn't work in the tangled vegetation, which is beautiful in it's own right.

This is Cave Creek, with a Mexican Jay posing in front of it. We had only one hour extra on our way to the Tucson Airport, but lucked into a flock of insectivorous birds which was mainly Ruby-crowned Kinglets, but also included Painted Redstarts, a Warbling Vireo, Hermit Thrushes, Bridled Titmice and White-breasted Nuthatches and Hutton's Vireos.

This Bridled Titmouse was actually on my folks-in-law's land over in New Mexico.

White-crowned Sparrows love the city for it's "bad habitat." They can't help it, they just like pavement and blacktop, as long as there's a little bit of greenery around it somewhere, and no speeding traffic. (In the subalpine zone, they favor areas with open rock surfaces, so they're looking for essentially the same thing down here.) We don't see them until April at the creek, This one on tax day. Their beautiful song can be heard throughout the city, beginning about now and running through their breeding season.

One thing's for sure: I'm not going to get a call from National Geographic for this shot (Well, I wasn't worried). But it was pretty dramatic to see this big bird come in for a landing at it's nest site in Seward Park, so I thought I'd put up the shot.

April, 6, 2009 . Here's the male Violet-green Swallow, female is here also. We have 3 boxes in front and I think I'll put a box up in back in case they want to try a West-facing exposure. April 15--they disappeared through the cold spell and I'm hoping they are surviving it.

March 22, 2009. This sleeping Great Horned Owl was found by leaders Mike and Marylynn Denny on a Lower Crab Creek Tour at the Othello Crane Festival. I spent Saturday selling at the Othello, WA Festival and Sunday was a bit too overcast to do much photography.

But what the heck I'll put up this unremarkable photo of two teals, a Cinnamon Teal and a Green-winged Teal, in a marsh on Dodson Road. With the help of Crane Festival leaders and festival-goers, we did get some birding done. Here is what we added to our WA state 2009 list from the Crane Festival:

112. Golden Eagle (this was soaring in the rain over I-90 east of North Bend--our first Golden Eagle in 33 years in lowland Western King Co.

115. Sandhill Crane (great bird, great sound, some were going as far as Sakhalin Island, many were dancing)

The Goose survived. My lense didn't though. The photo was from the Green River Natural Area in Kent, WA from a trip we took back in February, 2009. I was sans camera for a month which is why nothing's been posted here.. Got a new lense today, March 19, 2009

Well, maybe it wasn't what was getting the attention of these two bathing Robins, but a...

Townsend's Solitaire showed up to bathe today (Feb 5, 2009) at Butyl Creek, which is the 8 ft. recirculating creek in our back yard.

Here he or she is at the top of the waterfall. These shots are through a glass window and very mediocre, but you can see the gold spot in the corner of the wing. In flight, which I wasn't able to get in a photo, they have a gold wingbar and white outers on their long elegant tails and are quite the sight. In 22 years, we've never seen one in the yard before. (They breed in the Mountain Hemlock forests in the high Cascades).

It was an amazing day at the creek with 16 species taking a bath, involving countless individuals, with water constantly splashing for about an hour. The birds along with the "solitary" Solitaire were American Robins in huge numbers, Dark-eyed Juncos, European Starlings, Song Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Black-capped Chickadee, Steller's Jays ( 1 shown), Spotted Towhees, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Anna's Hummingbirds, House Sparrows, House Finch, and some American Goldfinch, which looked beautiful in their winter plumage.

Delia and I were back in the New Mexico bootheel country visiting her folks. This is the Southwestern version of the Red-tailed Hawk which is a tad smaller and much whiter on the front than the ones in Puget Sound Country. Here one perches on some of the tall old-growth timber in the area.

The White-tailed Deer in western Illinois are the biggest in the country. The White-tails in the bootheel are the handsomest in the country. This one has some growing to do.

Phainopeplas are a signature bird of the area. The male is satin-black with a crest and white wing patches. The Phainopeplas were down in population, and we witnessed one being harassed incessantly by a stronger Northern Mockingbird, which is increasing in population lately. Biologist CD Littlefield told me not to worry about Mockingbird predation, but as a professional worrier myself I accused him of unscientific cheerfulness.

The Cardinals are brighter and bigger-crested than back East (the Puget Sound is sadly devoid of these charismatic birds). This shot is from Dave Jasper's feeders, near Portal AZ. Dave wants to sell his small house and 5 acres for $175,000. My interest here (aside from our friendhip with Dave) is hoping the ecotourism business Jasper has invented survives. Dave makes his living on donations from tourists who come by and watch the birds at his feeding station, plus doing bird guiding.

Delia and I went up the other side of the canyon to look for Grasshopper Sparrows, which wildlife-biologist CD Littlefield had reported. We didn't see those there (we found one this trip in the San Simon valley) but the wind whipped up and the resident male Northern Harrier floated down the grasslands around and by us, flapping hardly at all thanks to the wind.

Harriers usually fly very low and slow, all the better to listen and surprise prey.

In the process he rousted up a Kestrel and then a pair of Golden Eagles appeared high overhead, with (presumably) the male doing many consecutive dives to impress his larger mate.

I'm just an old rain-lover from Pennsylvania via Seattle, and most of the time I'm in the SW desert, all I'm thinking is how appreciated a little moisture would be. But there's always those moments, especially in in the hours around sunset and sunrise when the light from the sun is low and red, that these "sun-flooded-lands" as botanist Will Moir calls them, become truly enchanting.

The Pike Place Market is all decked out these days with great holiday decorations (today is Dec. 19, 2008). And it's not as if there's no one around to appreciate them. These two American Crows, for instance...

The title here is only an effort at humor, but a picture like this does raise many questions, most of which can't be answered to everyone's satisfaction. There's no question Hummingbirds and other birds are physically at risk in these snow storms that come with long cold spells. Our friend's neighbor found two Anna's Hummingbirds frozen to death in their alcove the night before this shot was taken, Dec. 21, 2008. Some might see a shot like this and say that nature should be allowed to take it's course, but that horse is already out of the barn, and the phrase is meaningless to anyone who thinks about it. A more credible objection to going to great lengths to help Anna's Hummingbirds is that it could be helping to tip the balance against the Rufous Hummingbird.. That argument would point out that the Anna's is a relative newcomer to the Northwest, and is one of the few nonmigratory Hummingbirds anywhere in the US. It pioneered the area from lowland CA and OR in the late 60s. It is theorized to have been helped by the cutting of the forest and the planting of vast numbers of exotic winter-blooming flowers in the urban zone. Though it is certainly possible, it is not known by me--and perhaps not known by the experts--whether the presence of Anna's Hummingbirds has a negative effect on the population of Rufous Hummingbirds. Rufous is the traditional hummer of the lowland NW whose arrival is famously timed with the blooming of the native Salmonberry and Currant plants. It is known, I'm fairly certain, that the Rufous has shown serious declines in population in lowland Western Washington, As with any long distance migrant, the problems Rufous Hummingbirds are having could be here, on the wintering grounds, anywhere in between, or all of the above. By the way, I got the idea for the shop lamp, which keeps the sugar water from freezing, from tweeters, a WA state bird sightings hotline I subscribe to (anyone can subscribe and it's free, google tweeters).

Good News Update: Seemingly by all accounts the spring of 2009 has been a good, even a great one for Rufous Hummingbirds in the Northwest.-June 5, 2009

This scene is from a trip we made to the peninsula this Nov or Dec. It's at Fort Flagler and the bird is a Merlin with it's characteristic teardrop profile. The volcano in the distance is Mt. Baker. The elegantly shaped driftwood is better suited for photography than painting as it does not look realistic enough for use in a painting.

This was from a trip to Fidalgo Island sometime this fall. I didn't notice the shot at the time, but it struck my fancy as I was looking for possible new reference shots to paint at my parents-in-law over the holidays. I couldn't make it work in gouache, but somebody could do a great job with this shot in oil or pastel or watercolor. (It's looking south toward Deception Pass).

I always heard that it was males that overwinter around Seattle, but here is a female that was hanging out at the locks when we visited in December. Female Belted Kingfishers are more brightly colored than males, with the orange band and flanks.

This is a male Belted Kingfisher was on an idle ferry at at Winslow, Bainbridge Island Nov. 16, 2008.

Oct. 5, 2008 A much-smaller Cedar Waxwing apparently wanted the good bathing area in the pond that a Robin had been hogging and, despite it's size disadvantage, decided to use a little intimidation to get its way. The Waxwing abruptly flew to within a centimeter of the Robin's face and began a determined stare-down.

The only problem is, the Robin was just as in to it. This went on for a while--well, time seems to slow down during a confrontation like this, and we didn't time it--but neither bird was easily intimidated.

Eventually, both birds turned in opposite directions at the same moment and allowed each other to bathe in peace with dignity intact. Another Robin watches from the bottom right.

Yesterday had rain and a wind storm and there's a good stand of Blackberries nearby, so today was a busy day for while on the creek. We had 17 species including Black-headed Grosbeak (shown, the bird is a juvenile probably, perhaps a young male), Yellow Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Varied Thrush, Hermit Thrush, American Goldfinch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Cedar Waxwing, Anna's Hummingbird, many Robins, Black-capped Chickadee and Song Sparrow.

Sept.18, 2008 For a couple days we've been hearing a Red-tailed Hawk in our neighbor's yard. A couple times I went out to see where it was but couldn't find it. I didn't want to trespass on my neighbor's yard to keep looking, so I left scratching my head. Then this handsome Steller's Jay came in to take a bath in the creek. When it finished taking it's bath, it was pretty satisfied with itself, did a couple of Red-tailed Hawk screams, and left.

There were lots of Flickers at Union Bay Natural Area on Sunday afternoon, 9/21/08. This one posed in a way similar to how I'm painting a Flicker for the map, so that will be helpful. Flickers can be so handsome!

Sept. 14, 2008 Three Greater Yellowlegs and a Lesser Yellowlegs (closest, hard to tell from this photo) at Port Susan preserve near Stanwood.

The ame birds, the Lesser is now on the left. We also had Western Sandpipers, Dowitchers, Red-necked and Wilson's Phalaropes.

Then three Peregrine Falcons came in and strafed the marsh until at least two were successful, driving many of the Pipers under cover. This one is a juvenile--and was close enough to be big enough in the frame to kick in the autofocus.

July 26, 2008 Here the three baby Barn Swallows have been parked on the screen door, which we leave permanently ajar during Barn Swallow nesting season. They must have had their first-flights yesterday, which we missed for some reason, because they all had rudimentary flying skills today and were taken out for a short practice flight over the street this morning, before being parked for the time being back in the nest..

Where they are now waiting patiently for their next meal or instructions, whichever come first.

Our Violet-green Swallows, which are harder to photograph, have fledged four despite the spring's cold weather, and they still come back to the house as of last night to spend the night in the nest box, a full 2 weeks after first flight. Swallows get much more formal education than many birds, such as European Starlings, which are raised and then told to scram by the parents.

Early July. This is a male Common Yellowthroat, which is not only a great looking bird but has a great singing voice as well.

May 20, 2008. There's four Tanagers visible in this shot, although the bathing female at the left part of the lower creek is hard to make out--it was shot through glass in low evening light. There were at least 3 males and at least 3 females in the group.

Our first ever Black-throated Gray Warbler at Butyl Creek, circa May 18, 2008. This is a female, without a black throat. A Townsend's Warbler showed up the next day but didn't pose very well for pictures.

It looks like a shot of one warbler, an adult male Yellow-rumped Warbler. But there's also an Orange-crowned Warbler on the log looking down at him and another Yellow Rumped downstream that only shows a spot of yellow. That's the way it was all day on Butyl Creek, our 8 ft. artificial creek on Beacon Hill, Seattle.

Can you find all four Yellow-rumped Warblers? We had up to 9 bathing at one time in the creek, and it was busy all day, with occasional slowdowns.

A Nashville Warbler is staging. Nashvilles bathed about 5 times during the day, but it's not clear how many individuals that represents. The fallout consisted of 5 Warbler species, and a record of 17 species of birds bathed in one day.

A MacGillivray's Warbler gets ready for the plunge. The warbler not shown was the Wilson's Warblers, and although there were plenty of them, I didn't get any decent shots of them today.

Least Sandpipers--they could barely bring themselves to care we were 10 feet away (We weren't pursuing them btw, I try not to do that).

This Solitary Sandpiper might have looked great had it been digiscoped--it was out of range of my measly 300.

This Painted Turtle is an introduced, I suppose an invasive species--but at least it's a heck of alot cuter than English Ivy.

This is a Chestnut-backed Chickadee at Two Rivers Wildlife Area, owned by the Dept of Fish and Wildlife, south of Monroe, WA, about 30 miles NE of Seattle.

The White-throated Sparrow is the most common winter sparrow where I grew up in Pennsylvania, but is not so common out here. There were about 10 at the very least at Two Rivers, along with many Savannah Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Lincoln's Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows and Golden-crowned Sparrows.

Big-leaf Maples are common in the Two Rivers unit and they have lots of moss and Licorice Fern growing on them.

A field erupts in mist after a few minutes of a much-needed sun break. It's been very cold and a bit wet lately, so much so I'm worried about the swallows that have arrived and the Rufous Hummingbirds. The swallows have been off-territory lately, congregating in flocks in low areas where they can have a better chance of surviving. One field hosted a large flock of Violet-green Swallows flying low to the ground. (Swallows would rather be up high were they are safer from bird-hunting raptors.)

Two Yellow-rumped Warblers bathing in Butyl Creek, the recirculating 8 foot creek in our backyard

Here an Orange-crowned Warbler and a Yellow-rumped Warbler square off for the top of the waterfall, a favorite place to bathe.

Red-winged Blackbird at Union Bay, which is on the UW campus on the Lake Washington shoreline.

It's not a great photo, but it's the first I ever got of a this handsome, colorful species, the Virginia Rail. Virginia Rails aren't particularly skittish, but they spend a lot of time in the inner parts of cattail marshes, so they can be extremely difficult to see, unless they decide to come out in the open in front of you. Notice the long red bill.

This species is a little easier to shoot--they only reluctantly move out of your way. I liked the background and the lighting here--this is stuff you could never get to work in a painting.

This is back home at Butyl Creek--a Golden-crowned Sparrow takes a bath on April 13, 2008. Golden-crowned Kinglets and Orange-crowned Warblers are also bathing lately. The warbler took a five minute bath.

A male (shown above) and female Violet-green Swallow were cheerfully chattering this morning in front of the house. The female spent a lot of time checking out the nestbox. Now they have left--and this is only speculation--but they either could be going to a lower, wetter area to forage since it's quite cold, or they could be checking out other real estate options. If the latter, we'll add a rebate, lower the interest rate, and void all fees: We love our Violet-green Swallows! March 22, 2008

This was a group of turtles sunbathing at the Union Bay Natural Area near the UW in Seattle. I don't know turtles but I suppose they are mainly Red-eared Sliders with a Painted Turtle on the lowest left. March 22, 2008

Every time we go somewhere, there are more Great Blue Heron shots on the computer. This one is maybe better than usual for me--and it doesn't hurt that this is one good-looking heron.

These two male Red-winged Blackbirds were in the middle of a marsh, each surveying their half.

The sight of Trumpeter Swans in flight never fails to inspire awe, even if they're too far away to get a good shot.

Another truly mediocre shot, but the Snow Geese spectacle up there has to be included--the whole scene is so entertaining.

Swallows aren't considered to be too hard to identify, especially when they sit on a wire overhead. These were in a large flock of Violet-green and Tree Swallows. The top bird is a Violet-green. We were seriously confused about the lower bird, which has the forked tail of a Barn Swallow but the coloration of a Rough-winged Swallow. We settled on Barn, but I'm still wondering if it wasn't a juvenile Tree Swallow that had been playing in the mud.

Here's a great reason to plant flowering currant, AKA Ribes sanguinium, in your yard. This is a male Rufous Hummingbird that just arrived from Mexico: this shot is taken on March 15, 2008, so this individual is in the first wave of migrants, and he only showed interest in the flowering current, which is a native rose family bush that blooms early. Rufous Hummingbird migration is timed to take advantage of the blooms of this species and of Salmonberry. We've planted Salmonberry in the yard, but the plants have yet to thrive.

This shot is way off-focus but it does make a point about how colorful a male Anna's Hummingbird (on the same Ribes) can look.--a day later March 16

I'll try to get better shots of this guy so the kind visitors to my website don't get rewarded with headaches.

This female Pileated Woodpecker was working on an oldgrowth Maple complete with moss and Licoric Ferns at Stillwater Wildlife Management Unit, which is north of Carnation in the Snoqualmie River valley in Western Washington. March 2, 2008.

The more noticeable signs you encounter on entering (immediately north of the hamlet of Stillwater, which is a few miles north of Carnation on the main road) have negative messages. They have to in a way, given the annoying system the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife uses to implement a user fee, which is a Stewardship Pass that costs $12 and must me purchased on April 1 each year at designated locations not near the land you want to visit. The permit always expires on March 31st regardless of when you buy it, which means that if you suddenly decide to visit WDFW lands one time in the last week of March you must pay for the whole year.

This system completely bars impulse visits by anyone who does not have a stewardship pass.

I support user fees and I'd like to see hiking and wildlife watching help pay for land and land management. However, the current system combines the worst aspects of any possible system, not raising much money at all for the WDFW, yet at the same time maximizing inconvenience and discouraging use of the land by all but those who are willing to engage in a two-step process to get on to the land. Private sector purveyors of goods don't make it hard for customers to purchase them, but this is a bureaucracy controlled by legislators and a Commission, all with their own agendas, and the desire to please or facilitate the buying experience for their customer base is obviously low on the totem pole of concerns here.

I suspect a warm and welcoming sign coupled with a feebox based on voluntary donations and an honor system would actually raise more money for the WDFW.

These Pintails were in the pond on the first leg of the hike to McAleister Creek at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in early Feb.

This breeding plumage Great Blue Heron was resting in one of the ponds at the Union Bay Natural Area, which is on the Univ. of Washington campus in Seattle. It used to be called the Montlake Fill.

Two Bald Eagles flew over, this one came closer. In my opinion, it can sometimes be easy to gender-identify Bald Eagles in the air. This I'd call a male, because it's wings are rather narrow--short fore-to-aft that is, and the bird just looks small, for an Eagle I mean. I'll try to get a similar shot of a female for comparison if I can.

Even the Ducks were walking, it was cold and there wasn't too much open water. This is a male Northern Shoveler.

Sunbathing Coyote

This Coyote was at Discovery Park on Jan 21, 2008. It appeared to be totally content, scratching and yawning and clearly enjoying the sunshine on a cold day. It kept one eye on me as I clicked it's picture, but did not get alarmed. I could have gotten a much closer shot if I had stalked it, but it would have turned me into a real annoyance in an otherwise good day for this critter.

This is the Coyote that the Navy wanted the Wildlife Services agency to kill--this was in the Seattle Times Jan 27 and 28 and in letters the 29th I believe. A public outcry prevented its execution, and he or she may live to sunbathe again. Thanks, public!

Last ferry to Port Townsend!

Delia & I caught the last scheduled foot ferry to Port Townsend on January 6, 2008.

As we waited to leave we saw this Horned Grebe which was still in pretty good breeding plumage:

It was feeling pretty good, preening and shaking for a while:

before getting back to regular swimming:

These Barrow's Goldeneye were hanging around the dock in the fog and rain:

The trip was cold, darkly cloudy and windy but when we got to Port Townsend, the sun came out and lit up the town:

Here's another shot of this:

The trip back was cold, dark and windy with leaden seas--we never did see our target bird, the Ancient Murrlet and never did see any Marbled Murrelets although other birders on the boat with sharper eyes did spot several squadrons of Ancients.

But when we got back to Seattle, the same sort of thing happened, and an old friend of anyone's who lives in this area made an appearance:

This little guy jumped early and was on a ledge, not sure exactly what to do.

His (or her) two siblings found the episode interesting. The parents got upset and ushered him back up quickly. The birds are baby Barn Swallows on our front stoop, and we're hoping they'll fledge in the next couple of days, along with the Violet-green Swallow babies above them in a nest-box.- July-2-2007

Benefit for Pressnall family in Kent

June 9, 2007. This Harris Hawk was there for the big event down in Kent.

Of course we all walk around knowing it could happen to us. Dale Pressnall got a bad case of cancer the other year and after some strong therapy, he couldn't swallow for about 12 months. But he's bouncing back and was able to attend a benefit for him and his family. Denise his wife and Ariel his daughter were also there.

I sold prints in the corner. Since Dale is a falconer, a lot of falconers came out with their birds and equipment, which was all for sale the cause, and showed their support. I think we did ok. Thanks to Linda Kellogg for thinking this up and putting it together.

This Killdeer was up at Spencer Island in early June. On a nest on the road, so almost fearless.

It's party-time again on

Butyl Creek!

The migration is in full swing, and these travelers are looking for a place to bathe. Here an Orange-crowned Warbler, a Yellow-rumped Warbler and a Western Tanager are in various stages of bathing on Butyl Creek, our 10ft. artificial creek in our backyard on Beacon Hill in Seattle.

This is a Nashville Warbler on May 5. The Nashville is not too common in Seattle.

Here's another shot of the Nashville, which hung out three days, unless there were 10 or 12 that all bathed just once!

Orange-crowned Warblers are frequent bathers, and bathing is about the only time you see the orange on their heads.

Here's a Yellow Warbler on the right, an Orange-crowned on the left

another Western Tanager which...

gets chased away by a Robin

Here's a Swainson's Thrush

The Nashville again

This Townsend's Warbler female was really skittish, hence the one out-of-focus shot. May 5, 2007

A Western Tanager heads for the water, April 30 2007.

Here two Bushtits and two Yellow-rumped Warblers share the water nicely.

A young Yellow-rumped Warbler and a male Wilson's Warbler. These shots are from April 30-May 12, when a constant stream of songbirds came in for baths all day long. There is very little running water in the city, and that may be a factor in why this creek gets so much use.

After the bath foraging, here and next shot are Yellow rumps

And this is an Orange-crowned Warbler foraging 5/5/2007

May 16 2007: no neotropical migrants on the creek so far, is the migration over or is it just a lull?

False Alarm, Since then the creek has had Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Tanager, Yellow Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Red Crossbill and this next bird which is very beautiful--Take my word for it:

Hammond's Flycatcher. It has many look-alike relatives. Note the long "primary projection" the yellow tinged underside, the dainty bill, the slight crest. I may run this by some better birders to make sure I'm right. May 18, 2007

What's Up?-

Get your mud here!

We have a mud basin in our median strip (see Viewpoint #5) and it being such a dry May, the Robins and Barn Swallows are in competition for the mud.

Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival

The 2007 Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival is now history. Here are some shorebirds at the Bowerman Basin during the festival. Put it on the calendar for next year!

That means no Tree Swallow-hunting!

Do Pedestrians who get killed in Vegas get to stay in Vegas?

Delia & I were visiting my mom in PA. On the trip home our flight was late, we missed a connecting flight, and we ended up spending the night in Vegas, the city that wants to suck the water out of the ground from under the innocent folks who live in the rest of the state. Take a look at this situation we found. That's looking from our hotel to the Casino accross the street. Notice that despite the fact that this is a big Casino and a pretty big hotel, there are no provisions made for the safety of anyone who wants to walk between the two. Here's a close-up shot of the intersection:

While I was shooting the photos, I ran into a friendly (everyone we met there was friendly, that was nice) person walking here, trying to cross the street, and she co-incidentally brought up the difficulty of the pedestrian situation. Perhaps more amazingly, she informed me that a woman pedestrian had been killed there about six months ago. March, 2007

WDFW's idea of a Welcome mat:

Here's the kiosk at the parking lot of the Two Rivers Wildlife Management Unit just south of Monroe WA. The land is owned and managed by the Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife. I'm calling this new sign "not very welcoming." I like the idea of the user helping to pay for the acquisition and maintenance of natural land by paying-to-hike, but I believe we aren't doing a good job promoting this industry (See the Viewpoints home page, this website, then click on Pay-to-hike if you want to read more along these lines (!)).

Here are my new "high art" photos First is called Red on Gray:

the second one is called Yellow on white:

The top one is a Northern Cardinal--Easterners might notice it's awfully big-crested and bright: it's from southern Arizona. Second is a Lesser Goldfinch in the snow at my parents-in-laws Bob & Katie Scholes in New Mexico.

The Buck Stops Here!

This buck Mule Deer stopped to let us admire it in New Mexico's bootheel country.

Big Difference between these two:

These two birds were working the same Cottonwood tree at the same time in the Portal AZ backyard of Jeanne Williams & Bob Morse. The top bird has two white wingbars and no black wingbar. The bottom bird has one white wingbar and one black wingbar. These two notorious birding look-alikes are a Hutton's Vireo, above and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, below.

This Gambel's Quail also put in an appearance.

This is a shot of the Chiricahua Mountains I took while we were doing the Portal AZ Christmas Bird Count

circa New Year's day 2007

Stanwood trip Sept. 30 2006

Barn near Stanwood

Stilt Sandpiper near Stanwood. This bird is less common in the West than the East

It's hard to see that it's legs are yellow (although muddy), this shot is an impromptu digiscope, but the classic sandpiper shape of this species shows pretty well.

This Spotted Towhee was moderately willing to pose.

A Northern Harrier is putting on the brakes, it may have just heard a vole.

Bathtime on Butyl Creek

As mentioned below, we have an 8 foot recirculating creek in the backyard, and birds, especially in the city where the all the creeks have been piped, buried & forgotten, tend to get overjoyed with it. Here two Robins wait while one monopolizes a really good bath pool. Sept. 29, 2006

Here a winter plumage Goldfinch, a Golden-crowned Sparrow and a Yellow-rumped Warbler take turns

Here a tiny female Golden-crowned Kinglet bathes while another works up the nerve to jump in. Kinglets appear to worry about the safety of it all.

Bushtits must be among the most sociable of Northwest birds, they all jump in together. Oct. 1, 2006

Morning to Night Skinny

New Skinny!

I didn't plan it, but look at how the motion in these paintings is a downward continuing S curve. If I'd tried to plan it, it wouldn't have worked, it was just luck. This skinny, the Morning to Night Skinny, & will be available at the store beginning about Sept. 16, 2006.

Above, part of the Labor Day Parade in the small town of Nauvoo, in western Illinois.

Ed dies (not really) and goes to Illinois!

Of course Ed always loyally loves the Northwest, but if you are a birder, there's nothing like getting out into the woods and fields in a natural area in the midwest during the fall bird migration.When the warblers are moving, it's a bit like being in heaven.

Monarch Butterfly on a composite flower (Queen Ann's Lace?) in Illinois

Here's one bird list Ed put together birding from 3 pm to 6 at the Oak Grove Ranch near Bushnell, Illinois on Sept. 2. The ranch has huge Burr Oaks & a restored farmhouse, and is rented to hunting parties in the fall interested in, among other things, the White-tail Deer in that area that can be the biggest in the U.S:

Eastern Wood Pewee (still "singing")
Eastern Phoebee
Black-throated Green Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
American Redstart, including a couple together
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Black & White Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat (heard only)
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Baltimore Oriole
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Barred Owl
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Green Heron
Eastern Towhee (heard only)
House Wren
Indigo Bunting
Crow (heard only)
White-breasted Nutchatch
Northern Cardinal
Cedar Waxwing
Blue Jay
Chipping Sparrow
House Sparrow
Red-tailed Hawk
Chimney Swift
Willow Flycatcher
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
American Goldfinch
Common Nighthawk (we saw them every day in IL, but never enough!)
Cliff Swallow
Mourning Dove
Gray Catbird
Black-capped Chickadee

A Caspian Tern over Banner Marsh near Peoria in Illinois

Illinois should have a National Park (not created with eminant domain!) in it that would show that you don't need big canyons or white capped mountains to have a National Park. Midwestern woods, prairies & wetlands are as underestimated as anything in this country. The prairie grasses are so tall there, at one point I was trying to look at Warblers in a tree, and had to focus through 7ft. tall grass to see them. We stopped at the Banner Marsh outside Peoria before heading for the airport, and among our last memories was an Ovenbird and a Tenessee Warbler in a successional field full of young Indigo Buntings. We were visiting Delia's 98 year-old aunt Jessamine Shafer in Bushnell & we wish her well.

The young & the restless. A crew of Barn swallow babies (4) from last year. I didn't have the heart to put the shots up from this year's second batch, as a maximum of only 1 survived. Who knows exactly why. Rocket Science is easy, Wildlife Biology is difficult, even when the birds are 5 ft. from your kitchen window. posted 8/30/2006

San Juan islands trip

Aa shot of a Mink that isn't going to win any photo contests:

The beach is by the Lopez Island ferry dock in the San Juans.

She was moving quick and this is a very blown-up shot.

This subject was willing to stand still at least. That's Mt. Baker & Mt. Erie, part-bald, in foreground, from the ferry.

Here's a shot of a store at the Doe Bay Resort on Orcas Island that shows how great these folks are. How? See what's on top of the light fixture?

Here's a closer look. One baby had already fledged, and these are getting ready to go. With the very serious declines Barn Swallows are showing in Washington on the Breeding Bird Survey and in England & Europe, those who steward Barn Swallow reproduction in public places deserve special credit. Patronize Doe Bay--and any other place that lets Barn Swallows nest--if you can!

There's the Orcas ferry landing. This was the subject of a really nice (I'd say inspired) Alex Young painting that has been quite successful & is still sold quite a few places, I think by the GDC Co. It might be time for a new version of this scene that includes a cameo appearance by one of the wildlife species that lives in the San Juans.

trip: July 23-25 2006 photos placed on page July 26, 2006

Back in New Mex!

We were back in the bootheel of New Mexico visiting Delia's parents.

This is a Lucifer Hummingbird

This shot of a Lucifer shows how long the gorget is, how long the curved bill is, and how short the wings are.

and here's a Black-chinned Hummingbird. I cropped the feeder out of the picture.

Here's a Broad-billed Hummingbird, but without the sun on the blue feathers, it doesn't do the bird justice.

Black-headed Grosbeak were quite tame

But I had trouble getting anywhere near the Blue Grosbeaks and I couldn't even get a shot of the bright red Summer Tanager

Getting closer wasn't my highest priority here. This 2 or 3 ft. Black-tailed Ratttlesnake was quite courteous in giving me lots of early warning--she just didn't want to get stepped on.

This Road Runner was also trying to get closer to get a good shot at the birds

The Scott's Orioles were skittish but really wanted the hummingbird water. They can belt out a nice tune.

ditto for the Hooded Orioles

trip end of June beginning July 2006 shots posted Independence Day 2006

East side, Stanwood trips June 2006:

Would a bird ever

give this box a second look ?

Here's a bird box that on superficial review, you might think wouldn't work. It's 3 ft off the ground, by a busy highway & heavy equipment, about where you'd expect a mailbox, but not a bird box--and that's not to even mention the Jackson Pollack-style paint job on it. It's near Thorp, WA.

Answer:

I guess so!

This house obviously passed inspection by a mom & dad Tree Swallow and that's one of the babies already looking out at the world (June 11, 2006). Being close to human activity and may have been a plus--Swallows are hoping to avoid nest predation, and human activity can help in that cause. June 12, 2006

Stanwood Waxwing

Here's a Cedar Waxwing near Stanwood, WA taken June 3, 2006.

This is a Bank Swallow, one of Washignton state's least common swallows and the smallest, taken near Thorp, WA Jun 11, 2006.

Here is a distant Common Nighthawk over Robinson Canyon near Ellensberg, WA June 11, 2006. This is my favorite critter, and anyone who has ever watched one fly would understand. I worry for this bird and my belief-- admittedly not supported by data--is that corvid (Crow & Magpie especially) population increases are putting them at risk more or less everywhere. Don't create large expanses of lawn for Crows, and if you have a big lawn, let most of it go to meadow or shrubs. June 12, 2006

Let's Get to Work!

Now pretend you don't see the lawn in this shot. Here our male & female Barn Swallow are at the artificial mudflat in front of our house (see Viewpoint 5) and are starting to build their nest--May 14, 2006. The late start indicates they aren't going to go for 2 broods this year. One bird wanted to start early, it seemed, but the other kept disappearing until it warmed up. May 14, 2006.

July 26 Update: I was wrong about that, they are going for brood two (they raised all three in brood 1 despite one attack by some mammalian predator) and are sitting on eggs right now.

Sunday Afternoon (May 21, 2006) trip to the Montlake Fill

The Red-winged Blackbirds were showing off

The Gadwalls were in love

The Herons were pretending to be Bitterns

while others were striking more dynamic poses, this pose won 1st prize, a fish, just a minute later

And the Tree Swallows were being poorly photographed

The Cleanliness of the long-distance flier

The spring bird migration is on, so there's a lot of birds out there that need to find a place to take a bath. We have an 8ft. recirculating creek, which Delia has named "Butyl Creek" in our tiny city back yard. These are photographs I took today, April 30, 2006, on Butyl Creek.

This is a male Yellow-Rumped Warbler getting ready to take a bath.

Here are two male Yellow-Rumped Warblers with a female, I think, "Myrtle" form Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Here is a Nashville Warbler. Because he has taken a bath, it's easy to see the chestnut on the top of his head even though it's a marginal photo.

Here is a male American Goldfinch that has been doing a lot of singing around the homestead lately. Not quite as much of a long-distance flier as the Warblers, but still a migratory bird.

This is an Orange-Crowned Warbler. Some of these fly to breeding grounds north of Denali. This one may breed somewhere in the Pac. Northwest, however.

You could look at an Orange-Crowned Warbler that's foraging and never know why it's called an Orange Crowned Warbler. When they take a bath, however, the orange crown can be very obvious.

These male Wilson's Warblers are from the next day, May 1 2006. Wilson's Warblers aren't going much further. Like the other birds shown, it has a great song.

It's still going on May 10. Delia took this shot of birds queing up for the best pool (American Goldfinch male on left, Wilson's Warbler on right).

Jack Block Park trip, West Seattle

Also on May 10 Delia & I went over to Jack Block Park just before sundown (see Viewpoint 4 this website) and found this male Purple Martin looking for a mate before retiring in his chosen gourd.

Besides a nice view of Seattle there were also seabirds at Jack Block. At left is a beautiful Red-necked Grebe, next picture it's near an elegant Western Grebe, and the last is a spiffy Pigeon Guillemot.

Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival

We Just got back from the Gray's Harbor Shorebird Festival in Hoquiam, Washington. This is a poster I did for the festival. I try to have a new poster every year for this fantastic festival. Seeing 20,000 or so shorebirds in Bowerman Basin, even when you don't get there when the tide is right because you were set up at the Festival, is truly awe-inspiring.

I didn't get any photos of shorebirds, but I did get this shot of a male Osprey that is part of a pair nesting at the Bowerman Basin.

Delia & I were down at Discovery Park today (4-10-06) Too bad this shot is so obstructed. A Spotted Towhee had just taken a bath, and was puffing out and showing off. Check the tail on that bird. No one would believe it if you painted it. The Brant were still there: