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Monday (10-7) I made stops at the usual birding spots up north on the Samish and Skagit flats, but mostly struck out as it is still early in migratory season.
A tractor stirred up a large flock of snow geese on Fir Island.
A small group flew over me as it headed towards the large flock.
The best spot of the day was Eide Road, located along the Stillaguamish River south of Stanwood.
Past the parking lot at the end of the road are two ponds in which shore birds were wading.
I got in for a closer look, keeping a lookout for pheasant hunters all the time. I believe these are long-billed dowitchers.
A tree emptied of small birds quite quickly as this bird flew over. I suspected a raptor and a close look at my photos revealed it was a peregrine falcon.
Looks like Eide road was the hot spot for sure, Bill. I think your IDs are correct. I'm itching to get back up there. It would be fun to meet with Bob Stevens if we do.
On Wednesday (10/16) Daren and I along with Terry returned to our favorite birding sites up north. The forecast was for sunshine, but it didn't clear up until 3:00pm when we were ready to leave for home.
The view from Bayview State Park on Padilla Bay. Yes, this photo was taken in color.
A flock of snow geese flew south overhead.
A kestrel was perched on a telephone line over Rawlins Rd. on Fir Island. The bird was banded.
Meadlowlarks on the flats west of the levee at the end of Rawlins Rd. This was the first time I had seen a meadowlark.
All of the previous shots were taken with my 5D Mk III + 100-400L telephoto zoom. I dragged out the 7D + 1.4 teleconverter + 2.8/400L telephoto lens (tripod mounted) at one of the DFW sites on Fir Island. I took advantage of the large flocks of snow geese to practice shooting birds in flight with that setup, which is the 35mm equivalent of an 876mm telephoto lens.
The site has a resident pair of bald eagles the regular bird watchers have named George and Martha. The pair had an extremely large nest which blew over a year or two ago. They are constructing a new nest in the same tree. One is taking a break.
I also set up the big lens combo at the pond at the end of Eide Road to photograph the long-billed dowitchers.
The bird standing on the mud mound is not a dowitcher although it freely hung out with them. I am weak at identifying shorebirds and will have to research further.
Something spooked the birds (possibly the resident juvie peregrine falcon) and most of them took off. They returned a few minutes later and I got some shots of them landing.
The mystery shorebird from the top photo is standing in the center of this photo. To its left is another mystery shorebird for me to work at identifying. Both mystery birds were considerably smaller than the dowitchers. Edit: I am taking a guess that the mystery bird on the left is a western sandpiper and the one in the center is a dunlin.
I have learned to take a shot of a single bird standing alone to illustrate the species I am photographing. Long telephoto lenses have a very shallow depth of field and many of the birds in a group shot will be out of focus.
At Bill's request, here are a few additional shots from our trip to the Skagit Flats and Stanwood on the 16th of October.
On the road to the 'North Fork' on Fir Island, a cooperative Kestrel was waiting for us. Wish it had been turn a bit more toward me.....
Long-billed Dowitchers and a couple of other shorebird species were enjoying a dip in a pond on the flats of Eide Road at Stanwood.
They looked like ballet dancers. 500mm f4L with a 1.4x extender and Canon 7D
Another shot of the Dowitchers. I think there is at least one imposter in this shot.
Spotted by Bill Anderson - but he was driving, and was kind enough to stop. Turns out it was identified as a female Merlin - first I've ever seen. The ID was by a qualified ornithologist/biologist.
400 mm f5.6L and Canon 40D
Bill posted a couple of nice shots of the Meadowlarks on Fir Island (North Fork). This is the same bird but more or less head on showing the nice crest on its breast.
A few more from Bill and my trip on the 16th of October
I'm fairly certain the bird next to the brightly colored Meadowlark is juvenile Meadowlark.
These Snow Geese shots are not exactly ethereal, Bill. It would have been nicer if we had blue skies!! But I love to see these birds in any case. Tall taken with the 500mm f4L and 1.4x extender and Canon 7D
