Capturing the Perfect Harlequin Duck Photo at Fort Flagler

I was easy to spot Black-bellied Plovers and Sanderlings at Fort Flagler, but I might not have noticed the Turnstones if Leslie hadn’t spotted them first with her binoculars. I started looking for them, and a few minutes later I spotted this one foraging right next to a Sanderling.

Two shorebirds foraging along a rocky beach near the shoreline, with water in the background.

This one stood out more than the others I spotted because the water provided a background, but several of the shots I took were blurry because my Canon EOS R5 focused on the rocks instead of the bird.

I managed to focus on another one as it ran across the wet sand before reaching the rocky stretch of beach where it finds food.

A small bird foraging on a wet rocky shore, with a mix of brown and white plumage.

I enjoyed seeing all these different varieties of seabirds, but I began to worry that we hadn’t seen a single Harlequin duck until we reached the very end of the spit.

I’ve noted before that I don’t chase rare sightings, that I prefer to visit refuges or special places where you can see all kinds of wildlife, but a skeptic could argue that I do chase Harlequin ducks, and the only place I can count on seeing them is Fort Flagler. I’ve been going there for years, trying to capture the perfect Harlequin shot.

I’m afraid I’m going to have to go back again next year because these shots aren’t even as good as some I have taken in past years, because they were as long ways off shore. These shots have all been heavily cropped, even though I shot them with a 200mm-800mm zoom lens.

Two harlequin ducks swimming in blue water, with one male displaying bright orange and black plumage and one female with a more subdued brown coloration.

Even worse, I continue to struggle to avoid blown-out highlights and am forced to tone down the whites and highlights to show some of the detail in the white feathers.

Two ducks swimming in water, one with distinct black and white markings and the other a darker brown with a light patch on its head.

These might be considered better than some shots I’ve taken in the past. If so, it is probably because my equipment has gotten better and better (and more and more expensive) over time. Not to mention that photographic software allows more precise adjustments than when I started birding.

A Sunny Day at Fort Flagler

A week of sunshine and temperatures in the low 50’s almost convinced me that Spring was near, especially since it got me out birding again, but none of the birds we saw at Ft. Flagler were in breeding plumage yet.

In fact, most of them were definitely still in non-breeding plumage, like this Black-bellied Plover

A shorebird walking along the sandy beach near the ocean waves.

which definitely lacked the black belly that the species is named after.

There were a few, though, that seemed to be gradually transitioning to breeding plumage

A shorebird standing on a rocky beach, surrounded by various colored pebbles, with water in the background.

though they still weren’t recognizable as Black-bellied Plovers.

Most of the Sanderlings were still in non-breeding plumage, too.

A small bird foraging among wet rocks and pebbles by the water's edge.

None displayed the Rufus color I associate with Sanderling in breeding colors, but a few of them were definitely darker than the ones in winter plumage.

Two shorebirds searching for food among rocky shorelines and shallow water.

It turned out that the birds had a much better sense of what season it is after we ended up with a late snow day about a week after these pictures were taken.

I guess we’ll have to wait until Friday for Spring to arrive. Hopefully Mother Nature will remember to glance at her calendar.

Seabirds at Port Orchard

I am a creature of habit, especially when it’s a habit I enjoy, like following a visit to Theler Wetlands with a visit to Port Orchard to check out seabirds I find there but not at Theler. I’ve been somewhat remiss about visiting Port Orchard in the last few years because they have been doing extensive repairs to the marina, which has chased most of the seabirds away.  Luckily, they seemed to have completed repairs, and the birds have started coming back, even if not yet in the numbers they used to be seen there.

The marina used to be my go-to place to get shots of Horned Grebes in breeding colors because there were lots of them hanging around, but on this visit I only saw two in non-breeding plumage. 

Two ducks swimming on a calm water surface.


There were more Barrow’s Goldeneye than any other species, and I took lots of shots, but I like this little guy who was off on his own best.

A male goldeneye duck swimming on the surface of a rippling water body, showcasing its distinctive black and white plumage and bright yellow eye.


I also got a shot of a female Hooded Merganser, one of Leslie’s favorite birds.

A small duck swimming on a reflective pond, showcasing its distinctive hairstyle and subtle coloration.


Probably the best shot of the day was this one of a Pelagic Cormorant drying off its wings.

A cormorant spreading its wings while perched on a wooden platform near water.



You can do a lot with underexposed shots with modern photography apps, but nothing quite matches bright sunshine. It’s only in bright sunshine that you see that iridescent green on them.

Birdwatching in the Pacific Northwest: A Sunny Day Adventure

It’s been a long, wet Winter here in the Pacific Northwest, and it doesn’t look like the rain is ready to leave quite yet.  As you may have noticed, that’s meant a lack of bird pictures. Hopefully, that’s about to change, though, as we’ve had a couple of sunny days, allowing us to bird Belfair, and, more recently, the Port Townsend area.

Just because it’s sunny here in Tacoma doesn’t mean that it is necessarily going to be sunny where the birds are, though, as we found at our visit to Theler where we were greeted by fog

A misty walking path surrounded by trees, creating a serene and tranquil atmosphere.


 and a general lack of birds.  Most of the birds we did see seemed more interested in finding food than in posing for pictures,

A bird perched upside down on a branch, reaching for small berries.


at least until we encountered this Pheasant

A pheasant standing in dry grass, with droplets of water on the grass and a blurred background.

Along the trail. I assume he was probably raised locally since pheasants are uncommon here in Western Washington, and he seemed largely indifferent to the cameras pointed at his face.

My favorite picture from our morning walk at Belfair was this shot of a Spotted Towhee swallowing a berry.

A close-up of a bird with dark feathers and an orange belly, perched on a branch, holding a berry in its beak.

It didn’t hurt that the sun had finally burned most of the fog off.

At other times, I might have been disappointed by how few birds we saw, but it felt great to walk four miles without getting rained on.