Wildlife of Edmonds, WA. 2015
- Thread starter Bill Anderson
- Start date
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Monday (10/5) my son and I made a quick lunch time stop at Brackett's Landing in search of a merlin. We had been eating lunch in our car parked on the bluff on Sunset Ave. when I saw a merlin make two quick passes just below the bluff. After finishing lunch we drove down to Brackett's Landing, but failed to find the merlin.
The usual suspects were perched on a tethered log in the underwater dive park.
The bushes along the beach north of Brackett's Landing are a good place to look for the photogenic Savannah sparrow.
Three horned grebes were floating just off the beach. They are coming into their blood-red, zombie-eyed phase in time for Hallowe'en.
The usual suspects were perched on a tethered log in the underwater dive park.
The bushes along the beach north of Brackett's Landing are a good place to look for the photogenic Savannah sparrow.
Three horned grebes were floating just off the beach. They are coming into their blood-red, zombie-eyed phase in time for Hallowe'en.
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Wednesday morning (10/7) my wife told me some odd looking birds were on our backyard storage shed. The "odd birds" were four band-tailed pigeons, part of a small flock that has taken up residence in our neighborhood. I told her they were the birds whose soft "coos" she had mistaken for the hooting of an owl.
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The pigeons flew off one-by-one. The last one to leave flew towards the house.
I was shooting through the sliding glass door that leads to the back deck. I knew that I would flush the birds if I opened the door. The photos were all taken with the 7DII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom. While the 7DII does not handle high ISO settings as well as the 5DIII, it handles them much better than the 7D. These shots were all all cropped and taken on a rainy, overcast day with ISO settings ranging from 1600-4000. The 7D gets very noisy at settings higher than 800.
I was shooting through the sliding glass door that leads to the back deck. I knew that I would flush the birds if I opened the door. The photos were all taken with the 7DII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom. While the 7DII does not handle high ISO settings as well as the 5DIII, it handles them much better than the 7D. These shots were all all cropped and taken on a rainy, overcast day with ISO settings ranging from 1600-4000. The 7D gets very noisy at settings higher than 800.
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Thursday (10/8) Daren, Young Dave, and I walked to the retention pond at the end of of the Pt. Edwards walkway. A great blue heron was on the old light stand above us.
Dave found what I believe was a roof rat in the grass near the pond. We have photographed a heron hunting rodents at the pond.
The rat had a hitch hiker.
Dave found what I believe was a roof rat in the grass near the pond. We have photographed a heron hunting rodents at the pond.
The rat had a hitch hiker.
Later on down at the marsh, a merlin put on a show buzzing killdeer. These small birds are so fast that it is nearly impossible to photograph them in flight at close range with a telephoto lens.
The water level of the marsh was high and some killdeer had flown to dry land near the railroad tracks. The killdeer buzzed and scattered them. The killdeer are on the left side of the photo and the merlin is on the right side.
It may have been the same merlin I saw on Sunset Ave. a day or two before.
The water level of the marsh was high and some killdeer had flown to dry land near the railroad tracks. The killdeer buzzed and scattered them. The killdeer are on the left side of the photo and the merlin is on the right side.
It may have been the same merlin I saw on Sunset Ave. a day or two before.
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In between squalls Saturday (10/10) afternoon I spotted a kingfisher perched on the railroad signal below Sunset Ave.
The kingfisher took off after a crow landed on one of the signals.
The kingfisher took off after a crow landed on one of the signals.
Four Harlequin ducks in non-breeding plumage were in the Sound below Sunset Ave.
Some photos from an overcast Monday (10/12). Not in chronological order.
One of the Lake Ballinger eagles in the adjacent city of Mountlake Terrace has returned.
A merlin was perched in a tree about one block east of Pine Ridge Park in Edmonds. I photographed one in the same tree a year or two ago. Since then I have always checked the tree when I stop for the nearby stop sign. I hope it is one of the juvies we saw in our neighborhood this summer or one their parents, which would be indicative of a resident pair.
The tide gate at the Edmonds marsh is still open. The water level at the marsh changes quite rapidly with the changing of the tide. During low tide I was at the #1 viewing platform talking to a woman about snipes. Guess what tried to sneak past us?
Later in the day, four mystery sandpipers along with some American wigeons were at the marsh during high tide. It was getting dark, so I did not bother dragging out my 500L telephoto lens.
One of the Lake Ballinger eagles in the adjacent city of Mountlake Terrace has returned.
A merlin was perched in a tree about one block east of Pine Ridge Park in Edmonds. I photographed one in the same tree a year or two ago. Since then I have always checked the tree when I stop for the nearby stop sign. I hope it is one of the juvies we saw in our neighborhood this summer or one their parents, which would be indicative of a resident pair.
The tide gate at the Edmonds marsh is still open. The water level at the marsh changes quite rapidly with the changing of the tide. During low tide I was at the #1 viewing platform talking to a woman about snipes. Guess what tried to sneak past us?
Later in the day, four mystery sandpipers along with some American wigeons were at the marsh during high tide. It was getting dark, so I did not bother dragging out my 500L telephoto lens.
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Can anyone ID the mystery sandpipers?
Both the mystery sandpipers and I returned to the marsh Tuesday (10/13) afternoon. The light was better than the day before, so I dragged out my 500L telephoto lens to shoot from the #1 viewing platform using various combinations of the lens with different cameras + teleconverters mounted on a tripod. Three of us at the platform believed the shore birds were dunlin.
7DII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter
7DII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter
5DIII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter
5DIII + 500L + 2x teleconverter
5DIII + 500L + 2x teleconverter
The shots were taken about an hour before sunset using -1 exposure compensation to keep the bright, low sun form burning out the white and light brown colors of the birds. With the sun getting continually lower on the horizon, shooting from the south-facing #1 and #2 viewing platforms will be a challenge throughout the fall and winter. The light will still be good in the morning at the #3 viewing platform, which faces west.
7DII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter
7DII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter
5DIII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter
5DIII + 500L + 2x teleconverter
5DIII + 500L + 2x teleconverter
The shots were taken about an hour before sunset using -1 exposure compensation to keep the bright, low sun form burning out the white and light brown colors of the birds. With the sun getting continually lower on the horizon, shooting from the south-facing #1 and #2 viewing platforms will be a challenge throughout the fall and winter. The light will still be good in the morning at the #3 viewing platform, which faces west.
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More shots from Tuesday.
The return of Wesley?
5DIII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom
A flock of starlings took advantage of the high water level to take a bath. The low sun reflecting off the spray created some "artistic" shots.
5DIII + 500L + 2x teleconverter
American wigeons coming in for a landing.
7DII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom
The last four photos were taken looking into the sun using -1 exposure compensation.
The return of Wesley?
5DIII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom
A flock of starlings took advantage of the high water level to take a bath. The low sun reflecting off the spray created some "artistic" shots.
5DIII + 500L + 2x teleconverter
American wigeons coming in for a landing.
7DII + 100-400L II telephoto zoom
The last four photos were taken looking into the sun using -1 exposure compensation.
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A friend from California dropped by Wednesday (10/14) while he was in the area on a business trip. Although his primary photographic interest is astrophotography, he is a nature lover and dabbles in wildlife photography when he has the opportunity. He was traveling between appointments and did not have much time, so we arranged to meet at the marsh. He is familiar with the marsh as he is on an e-mailing list of people to whom I send links to the photos I post up here.
Like anyone entertaining visiting friends or relatives, you hope they will not be disappointed. We had a good time at the marsh as the avian visitors were quite accommodating.
A female kingfisher flew landed on a post off the #1 viewing platform.
A merlin swooped near her (photos of it to follow) and she took off to the former martin gourd tree off the #2 platform.
She then flew back to another post near the #1 platform.
Something attracted her attention.
Like anyone entertaining visiting friends or relatives, you hope they will not be disappointed. We had a good time at the marsh as the avian visitors were quite accommodating.
A female kingfisher flew landed on a post off the #1 viewing platform.
A merlin swooped near her (photos of it to follow) and she took off to the former martin gourd tree off the #2 platform.
She then flew back to another post near the #1 platform.
Something attracted her attention.
That "something" was a second female kingfisher that landed on the former martin gourd tree.
This second female and us heard the sounds of a third kingfisher flying across the marsh.
It was a male that tried to land on the martin gourd tree.
He was rebuffed by the female, who eventually took off after it.
This second female and us heard the sounds of a third kingfisher flying across the marsh.
It was a male that tried to land on the martin gourd tree.
He was rebuffed by the female, who eventually took off after it.
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I had mentioned a merlin swooping in. It came from the railroad tracks, made one low circle over the marsh, then headed back north. I suspected it was the same merlin I had seen earlier in the week on Sunset Ave. from the bluff above the tracks and at the marsh.
My closest shots were backlit and I had to tweek them heavily.
When doing "walk and stalk" photography with the 100-400L II telephoto zoom, I must choose between the better low light ability of the 5DIII or the better autofocus system of the 7DII. Due to the overcast and poor light, I choose the 5DIII.
My closest shots were backlit and I had to tweek them heavily.
When doing "walk and stalk" photography with the 100-400L II telephoto zoom, I must choose between the better low light ability of the 5DIII or the better autofocus system of the 7DII. Due to the overcast and poor light, I choose the 5DIII.
As the water receded during low tide, one snipe; then another; and then another appeared in the now muddy waterway off the #1 viewing platform.
After my friend left, I made one last trip to the marsh about an hour before sunset. The tide had some back in and the marsh was filling up with both water and ducks. Most of the ducks were American wigeons with a few green-winged teals. I mounted the 5DIII + 500L telephoto + 1.4x teleconverter to a tripod and scanned the flocks for any Eurasian wigeons. I took a lot of photos that I could enlarge and view at home on the computer.
A green-winged teal was by itself at the far side of the marsh. After enlarging and studying the photos, I noticed that it did not have the vertical white strip near its shoulder and appeared to have prononced yellow "pinstriping" outlining the green stripe on its head. From my photos, it resembled a Eurasian (common) teal like the one that visited the marsh last winter. I won't go so far as to ID it as a Eurasian teal due to the distance, angle, and lighting of the shots; but it bears keeping a lookout during future visits.
After my friend left, I made one last trip to the marsh about an hour before sunset. The tide had some back in and the marsh was filling up with both water and ducks. Most of the ducks were American wigeons with a few green-winged teals. I mounted the 5DIII + 500L telephoto + 1.4x teleconverter to a tripod and scanned the flocks for any Eurasian wigeons. I took a lot of photos that I could enlarge and view at home on the computer.
A green-winged teal was by itself at the far side of the marsh. After enlarging and studying the photos, I noticed that it did not have the vertical white strip near its shoulder and appeared to have prononced yellow "pinstriping" outlining the green stripe on its head. From my photos, it resembled a Eurasian (common) teal like the one that visited the marsh last winter. I won't go so far as to ID it as a Eurasian teal due to the distance, angle, and lighting of the shots; but it bears keeping a lookout during future visits.
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