Skagit Valley on February 10I made my first trip of the year up to the Skagit Valley yesterday. It was our first really sunny day of the month, so I had to take full advantage. One purpose of the trip was to check to see if the Tree Swallows have returned. They are just now arriving, so I will check back in a few weeks to see if their nest building has begun. I arrived at sunrise to try to capture the good light:
This big one did not get awayI went to the Edmond's Pier today despite the impending rain. I ended up getting over an hour there before the rain started. By far the most amusing catch of the day was a Double-crested Cormorant who caught a Sculpin that was WAY too big for him to get down easily. It took a full three minutes for him to get it down, but not without a fight. This was my first view of the scene. There is no way this is going down easily.
If you want to see more pictures from the day, click here: February 1, 2018 A day of sunshine!!I knew they had predicted light showers for today and some sunbreaks, but we got a far better day than promised. I brought my camera with me to work, then headed down to the Arboretum as soon as I could. My goal was to photograph the Townsend's Warbler and hummingbirds. Our winter garden has a rare form of Mahonia. The "Arthur Menzies" variety is one of the first to bloom, and it attracts the warblers and hummingbirds. The sun got stronger and stronger as the day went on. I got some pretty good shots of the male hummingbird's iridescence.
Birder Babes do BlaineI belong to this wonderful group of women called the "Birder Babes". It is a group of some of the finest women I know; bright, inquisitive and hard working. The best possible combination of attributes. We band together to make trips happen to some awesome birding locations. Most recently we went to the Semiahmoo Spit in Blaine, WA. It was a beautiful sunny day, which, as it turned out, was about the only sunny day of the entire month. We totally scored. Here are some of my favorite images from the day.
To see more pictures from the day, click here: Semiahmoo The Good, the Bad and the UglyI had a very interesting day kayaking around Elkhorn Slough. It is a beautiful estuary south of Santa Cruz. There were all sorts of interesting birds to see, but in addition, they have a rebounding population of Sea Otters. There is never a dull moment watching these critters, but I have since learned that there is a dark side to these cuddly creatures. But, first the fun stuff. The Harbor Seals are always a joy to watch:
Sea otter males pursue the females relentlessly during mating season. Even after they are caught, female sea otters vigorously resist mating. So vigorously, that the males hold the female’s head underwater to subdue her. Sometimes females drown during mating. Because the male bites the female on the head to subdue her, females suffer serious wounds during mating – often biting the nose off of her face. In one survey, 4% of female sea otter deaths came from these wounds. And males will continue attempting to mate with dead females. As if this was not depressing enough, I observed another upsetting thing in the slough as well. At first I noticed Honey Bees landing on my boat. No big deal. Then I noticed them landing in the water (salt water).
So, the good, the bad and the ugly. It was an interesting day, but sometimes nature can be harsh. To see more pictures from the day, click here: Elkhorn Slough Pictures
|
