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I didn't get any good shots on New Year's Day. My first photogenic day of 2016 was Saturday afternoon (1-2-16).
I started off at the fish hatchery, where I got shots along Willow Creek of a song sparrow, a varied thrush and my nemesis bird, the ruby-crowned kinglet.
Next up was the Pt. Edwards walkway, where I was greeted by a robin.
Look closely and you can see an Anna's hummingbird sharing the tree with some house finches.
Later that afternoon my son Daren and I went down to the marsh, where we were joined my Stefan and Rocky. Rocky has already posted his photos of the ruby-crowned kinglet and Eurasian green-winged teal, which are much better than mine. My photos of the thirsty eagle can be seen at the bottom of page 4 of the eagle thread. http://www.pnwphotos.com/forum/showthread.php?12848-Edmonds-Eagles-2015-2016/page4
I did get some action shots of Wesley or his successor hunting bugs near the evergreens behind the walkway by the #1 viewing platform.
some really nice BIFs of Wesley, Bill! especially like #4 with the color showing so nicely... also a great shot of the varied thrush (which i have yet to get a good photo of!) and the kinglet!
Sunday's (1-3-16) NFL "Battle of the Birds" was decided by halftime as the Seattle Seahawks had an insurmountable lead over the Phoenix Cardinals. The previous day another flock of birds, the Oregon Ducks, blew a 31-0 halftime lead in the Alamo Bowl and lost in triple overtime to the TCU Horned Frogs, which are really lizards.
It was snowing at my house when I left at halftime in the hopes of getting some snow shots at the marsh. No such luck as the snow stopped almost as soon as I backed down the driveway.
The marsh was dark and quiet except for the chirping of a flock of red-winged blackbirds in one of the tall trees beside the walkway. I have a theory that our local red-wings don't migrate, they just hunker down for the winter and make cameo appearances to tease bird photographers.
Some herons were present, but they were not very active.
Although sunset was over a half hour away, it was getting darker and more quiet at the marsh.
A yellowlegs brightened up a rather gloomy Monday afternoon (1/4) at the marsh. I thought I saw it walking on the far side of the marsh before it took off heading north. I can never tell whether a given yellowlegs is a greater or lesser. The bird was nearly a silhouette in the original photo, which I lightened it up a bit using Picasa.
nice catch given the light! gloomy? that's an understatement! up here, it snowed mid-day, then rained, and then turned to a misty fog that cut visibility to about 1/4 mile!
The young seal continues to hang out inside the marina. Saturday (1/9) I talked with the lady who is in charge of the Seal Sitters, a group of volunteers that monitors young seals resting on the beach while their mothers are hunting. The lady said the seal looks fat and healthy. She believes it has found the ideal place to look cute and pose without being disturbed.
Wide angle showing the location of the seal, which is on the dock below the walkway that leads out to the fishing pier. It is the dock where the Sea Scout's boat Sea Wolf is moored.
After photographing the seal, I walked out to the fishing pier where I finally got shots of the surfbirds that have been hanging out on the marina breakwater for over a week. Local birders have been flocking to see the surfbirds as they are seldom seen on Edmonds. The secret to finding them is to get down to the marina during low tide while they are hunting for food along the rocks. The afternoon high tides cover up their food sources and they move elsewhere.
The only birds I watched Sunday were the Seahawks as I did the NFL post season TV couch potato thing. Here are some more from Saturday at the waterfront.
A female goldeneye was inside the marina. I got some nice closeups of her swimming and an underwater dive sequence.
Male red-breasted merganser.
Katy the resident kingfisher was making her rounds of the marina.
Later in the afternoon my son and I went to the marsh where we heard the sounds of crows and gulls that have spotted a raptor. The birds chased a red-tailed hawk from the vicinity of City Park towards the marsh. At one point the hawk let out a cry.
The hawk found its usual perch in the trees that border the SE side of the marsh. I have seen it several times while we were driving down Sunset Ave./Hwy 104.
The male Eurasian green-winged teal (second from the right) continues to hang out at the marsh. This shot was taken from the #3 viewing platform.
The Eurasian green-winged teal is the middle duck. The yellow pinstripes that separate the blue-green band from the red head are barely visible.
I later got some shots from the #1 viewing platform that show the horizontal stripe, but they did not turn out well due to the distance.
The juvie seal continues to sun itself on the dock below the walkway. I tried to capture the "steam" coming out of its mouth and nostrils as it exhaled. The low sun blew off the seal's white fur.
I used negative exposure compensation for these closeups.
This winter's super El Nino has really cut into my photography. I ventured out Monday afternoon (1/18) and got my first of the year shots of a pileated woodpecker. He was on the large spar at the fish hatchery where we have photographed other woodpeckers such as flickers and red-breasted sapsuckers.
I went to the marsh later that afternoon. Thirteen herons were there as well. I have yet to figure out the combination of water levels of the marsh and tide that causes the herons to congregate in the marsh or vacate it.
The juvie red-tailed hawk continues to spend afternoons perched on a tree on the east side of the marsh. It can be seen from Hwy 104/Sunset Ave. and the #4 viewing platform.
The juvie seal continues to sun itself on the dock below the walkway. I tried to capture the "steam" coming out of its mouth and nostrils as it exhaled. The low sun blew off the seal's white fur.
This winter's super El Nino has really cut into my photography. I ventured out Monday afternoon (1/18) and got my first of the year shots of a pileated woodpecker. He was on the large spar at the fish hatchery where we have photographed other woodpeckers such as flickers and red-breasted sapsuckers.
yeah, it's kinda messed up my winter season as well, though i was fortunately able to take advantage of the short stretch of nice weather we had at the start of the year to get some nice stuff up in Stanwood. the rain has pretty much kept me indoors since, i'm afraid. hopefully there will be another break in the lousy weather soon... i'm getting cabin fever!
I went to the marsh Tuesday (1/19) afternoon. It was starting to rain and I could not stay for long, so I did not bother dragging out the 500L telephoto and tripod.
The male Eurasian (common) green-winged teal continues to hang out at the marsh with its North American cousins. These photos show the horizontal white stripe and the broad yellow pinstripes that separate the blue-green band from the rufous head.
Teals are a very small duck, as demonstrated by comparing the teal with a nearby killdeer.
The Eurasian green-winged teal is on the left, an American teal is on the right. The difference in the white stripes is the easiest way to distinguish the two sub species.
Two female northern shovelers were at the marsh. I think these are the first shovelers I have seen this year.
I did see a Douglas's squirrel on my back fence, the first one I have seen since last fall. It probably came from Pine Ridge Park, which is a straight shot south along the backyard fences of the houses on my side of the court. I hope it will stick around for some photos.
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