Wildlife of Edmonds, WA. 2018

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Bill Anderson

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Thursday afternoon (11-15-18) I found the hawk perched in the same tree. I took some shots with the super telephoto package from the #2 viewing platform.

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I relocated to the #3 viewing platform for closer shots. The hawk took off east toward City Park before I could get the super telephoto package set up, but I got some grab shots with the 1Dx + 100-400L II telephoto zoom.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
I went to the fishing pier from the marsh. It was our typical seasonal "gloom & doom" lighting which pushed the ISO settings quite high.

Rhinocerous auklet and common murre.

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Rhinocerous auklet.

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Bonaparte's gull. The spot behind the eye looks like an air intake scoop of a high speed sports car or jet fighter.

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Katy the resident kingfisher.

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A group of sea lions.

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Update: I received an e-mail from a friend who said the sea lion in the middle is a Steller's sea lion and those on each side of it are California sea lions.
 
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
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Friday afternoon (11-16-18) I photographed one of the Pt. Edwards eagles chasing a bird from the waterfront east across the railroad tracks over the old Unocal grounds.

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The bird took evasive action and flew into the trees.

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The eagle gave up and flew towards City Park. I have a query out as to the ID of the bird the eagle was chasing. It looked like a raptor of some sort.

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Update: a local raptor expert has ID-ed the bird being chased by the eagle as a merlin. Local birders have recently reported seeing a merlin in the vicinity of the marina.
 
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Bill Anderson

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Wesley is back and was putting on quite a show Saturday afternoon (11-17-18) around the #1 viewing platform of the marsh.

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Hunting for bugs.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Even the evil minions of the Dark Lord can be photogenic when they want to be. This is one of a quartet that was playing around and chasing each other at the marsh Friday afternoon (11-23-18). It kept spreading its tail feathers while perched on the old martin gourd holder.

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Mooning me?

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
It rained all night Monday, which brought back Lake Edmonds on Tuesday (11-27-18).

A heron was on an "island" in the "lake."

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What looked like geysers in Willow Creek were actually ducks washing themselves.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
A song sparrow looking for larvae in the cattail heads at the marsh. I have photographed many species hunting the larvae including red-winged blackbirds, bushtits, black-capped chickadees, and marsh wrens. Taken Wednesday (11-28-18) from the #3 viewing platform.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Thursday (11-29-18) started out with Dexter II, my backyard hummingbird, feeding at one of my hummer feeders about an arm's length from me. I had just hung up the feeder after refilling it and he could not wait unit I left. I would have needed my 16-35L wide angle zoom to get a photo.

Later that morning a Bewick's wren was poking around my suet feeder. I believe the suet cakes are currently of the peanut variety for the woodpeckers. I'll have to get some of the insect variety to attract more LBB's like the Bewick's wren.

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Two or three flickers were in the backyard including this one taking advantage of one of my habitat trees.

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A flock of band-tailed pigeons continues to perch in my neighbor's tree.

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I went to the marsh later that afternoon, where my quest for a Eurasian green-winged teal came up short once again.

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I did help a student from Edmonds Community college complete an assignment. She had to spot and report on two species she saw at the marsh. Things were very quiet without even the herons present, but I did point out some ducks and the Pt. Edwards eagles to her.
 
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Jazz fans in the audience may be familiar with Miles Davis' seminal album Kind of Blue. One of the lesser known numbers in this album is Flamenco Sketches. Flamenco is is often mispronounced flamingo, which can lead to the number being called Flamingo Sketches.

On that note (pun intended), I give you Heron Sketches from the marsh Friday afternoon, the last day of November. I invite you to listen to the music while viewing the photos.

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I will have to learn how to make "slideshows" with music in the background.
 

Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Tuesday afternoon (12-04-18) was another bright, sunny day, so my son and I headed down to the fishing pier. I decided to keep the 7DII attached to the 500L telephoto lens + 2x III teleconverter to get maximum reach for any birds that may be far out in the Sound. I regretted that decision once we got on the fishing peer, but more about that later.

Cormorants were sunning themselves where the Pt. Edwards eagles usually perch.

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Pigeon guillemot in non-breeding plumage.

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Horned grebe.

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Red-necked grebe.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
A baby seal and an adult sea lion were swimming just off the fishing pier. They were both extremely hard to track with the super telephoto package as they surfaced and dove due to the limited field of view. I wished I had attached the 5DIII instead as it would have given me a larger field of view. As close as they were to the pier, a 1.4x TC would probably have been more suitable as well.

7DII + 500L telephoto + 2x III TC, uncropped.

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I felt my son had the much better set up for photographing anything close to the pier with the 1Dx + 100-400L II telephoto zoom. I think he is getting to be a very good photographer once I set the camera up for him. This is one of his photos of the sea lion.

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7DII + 500L telephoto + 2x III TC, uncropped.

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1Dx + 100-400L II telephoto zoom

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dexter returns?
In past years a male Anna's hummingbird I named Dexter laid claim to the feeders on my back deck. I have not seen Dexter this year, but I have recently seen at least one female feeding there. Wednesday (12-12-18) I photographed a mature male back at the feeder. The return of Dexter?

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Tuesday afternoon (12-18-18) I took the opportunity to run down to the marsh during a brief sunbreak, a term I had never heard until I moved to the Seattle area back in 1991. The annual winter closure of the tidal gate and several days of rain has transformed the marsh into "Lake Edmonds."

Several great blue herons were resting on the "islands."

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
The last day of autumn (12-20-18) at the marsh. Recent rains have created Lake Edmonds with the water reaching the boardwalk in some places.

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The resident great blue herons continue to roost on "islands", which serve as protection from prowling coyotes.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Flocks of dunlin stop along the Edmonds water front on their annual fall/winter migration. I received word that a flock was at the marina, so my son and I went down Sunday (12-30-18) to look for them. We found them inside the marina near Marina Beach Park, the same spot where we photographed them last winter.

My son took photos of the flock with the 1Dx + 100-400L II telephoto zoom.

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I set up the 5DIII + 500L telephoto lens+ 2x III teleconverter for closer shots of individual birds.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
From the waterfront we went to the marsh where my son took shots of Wesley posing near the #2 viewing platform.

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