Month: March 2006

Another Nice Day

It was too nice of a day to sit inside reading, so I headed out again for The Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. Unfortunately, birding didn’t match the spectacular weather as I didn’t see a single new species today. I first thought this was the first time I’d photographed a Green-Winged Teal but it turned out I’d already gotten a distant shot of one near Port Townsend.

I also got another picture of an American Bittern, a relatively rare bird I just can’t avoid running into lately:

I also got another picture of a Bald Eagle, though, they, too, are becoming as common as Great Blue Herons

My favorite shot of the day, though, was this vastly improved shot of a Male American Kestrel, possible because the lighting conditions were great today :

It’s supposed to rain most of the this week, though, so I should have time to read Rexroth’s books on Chinese and Japanese poetry.

Serendipity

I’m always pleased when I get a picture I’ve been trying to get for awhile. Generally, I get a picture because I’ve read that certain birds are back at Nisqually or Belfair or because another birder suggests where a particular bird can be found.

Sometimes I spot birds while I’m out walking, and I return later with a camera, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. For instance, I’ve been noticing Northern Flickers oon my morning walks for the last week or so, but every time I go out with my camera they’re either not there or they fly away so quickly I can’t get a picture.

When the weather turned nice briefly yesterday, I thought I’d go down to the beach and see if any new ducks, or ducks newly-dressed in breeding colors, were to be found.

As I drove up, I noticed a Northern Flicker in the parking lot eating insects in the grass as cars drove by. I grabbed my camera, stepped out, and snapped several nice pictures because, miraculously, this flicker didn’t fly off:

The rest of the shoot was actually pretty dull, as I’ve already gotten plenty of shots of Red-Breasted Merganzers, Barrow’s Goldeneyes, cormorants, seagulls and crows.

Although I get a sense of satisfaction whenever I get any good picture, there’s something special about a serendipitous encounter like this one with the Northern Flicker. It made my day.

Political Blogs

I’m wondering if any of my regular readers have also been following political blogs that they particulalry like. I haven’t been following as closely as I probably should have, but my interest is rising as mid-term elections near.

Unfortunately, most of the blogs I linked to during the last election seem to have disappeared, as you can tell from the updated link section.

Though I obviously have a liberal bias, I’d like to read blogs that avoid name-calling and actually offer evidence and reasons to support their position. I’d appreciate if know of such blogs that you drop me a line in comments.