Trip to the Leavenworth Bird Fest

[Terry O]

My wife and I ventured over to Leavenworth this past weekend. We stayed at my sister-in-law's place next to the Wenatchee River. Saw by far more birds there than at Leavenworth, but still enjoyed the bird fest very much.

All of these shots were taken with the Canon 7D and 500mm f4L+1.4x extender

Needless to say, the white-headed woodpeckers were one of the main treats of the weekend.




female


I was hoping for a shot of the white-breasted nuthatch, but had to settle for the red-breasted


As luck would have it a nesting Western Bluebird pair showed up. This is the female.

 

[Terry O]

Trip to Leavenworth - continued

Male Western Bluebird - perched near their birdhouse nest


A pair of Mourning Doves perched just above the Wenatchee River


A Spotted Sandpiper on the Wenatchee - I was surprised to see them


Female Brown-headed Cowbird - not my favorite birds, the part of the scene anyway


Male Brown-headed Cowbird perched at the Wenatchee

 

[Bill Anderson]

Good photos. The birds east of the Cascades have not yet gotten the word to disappear when you show up.

 

[Terry O]

That's good news! Thanks, Bill....

 

[squirl033]

nice shots, Terry! never saw a white-headed woodpecker before! where were you in relation to the town itself? i know there's a lot of places on the south side of town, along the river there...

 

[Terry O]

Thanks, Rocky. For these shots, we were just a few miles south of the town of Plain. Our sister's place, where we were staying, is on about 20 acres fronting on the river.

I didn't get too many shots off during our bird walk in Leavenworth - birders seem perfectly happy just identifying birds by their call or by very long distance viewing. I did mange some shots of a tiny Calliope male perched in the top of a pine - he wasn't too much bigger than a large bumble bee. Even with the 700mm combination and 7D it was just a small image on a huge frame, if you know what I mean. I'll process a couple of shots and post them. With an early morning start, there is a great trail at the National Fish Hatchery on Icicle Creek at Leavenworth that's well worth walking - even has blinds along the creek. With more time I might have been able to get something, but our guided walk didn't allow much time.

 

[squirl033]

okay, so you took the cutoff toward Lake Wenatchee before you get to Leavenworth... gotcha... it's pretty over there, some nice scenery even if the birds don't cooperate!

 

[Joemeche]

Great shots, Terry!
Especially like the White-headed Woodpecker. I've always found them at the Sleeping Lady on past trips.

 

[Terry O]

Thanks very much, Joe. Yes, I understand the Sleeping Lady is a favorite spot for them.

 

[Terry O]

Calliope Hummingbird at the National Fish Hatchery, Leavenworth, WA

Although I was fairly close, this tiny bird was perched on the top of a pine tree obviously protecting his territory. Even with the 7D, 500mmf4L and 1.4x tele extender the bird image was really only a tiny bit of the overall frame.