Some Shots from Saturday

Saturday’s trip to Theler Wetlands in Belfair had a touch of everything. Although we left under bright blue skies, we ended up driving through rain, sleet, and even a little snow before we got there. As we walked down the long hill to the Wetlands, it started raining hard, and I figured we’d end up walking the half mile trail. But by the time we’d gotten to the creek the rain had slowed to a cold drizzle. Looking back, though, I could see clear skies to the south. By the time we returned, there was nothing but blue skies.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see many birds and certainly no new birds. In fact, the only notable shot I got was this one of a Varied Thrush,

Varied Thrush

and I wondered if this was the same bird that has started visiting my backyard lately. Is it pure coincidence that I’ve started seeing Varied Thrushes everywhere? Are there just a lot more of them in the Puget Sound Area this year? Or is it similar to when you buy a new car and suddenly notice them everywhere? Do you seem them simply because you’ve seen them before?

In fact,I only saw one new bird Saturday, this Pelagic Cormorant in breeding colors at Port Orchard,

Pelagic Cormorant

and to tell you the truth I didn’t recognize it as a Pelagic Cormorant until I put it up on the screen on my computer. I’ve never seen a cormorant this small, and at first I wondered if it wasn’t some kind of duck, particularly since the colors seemed much more muted than this when I first saw it.

Although I prefer this shot of a pair of Barrow’s Goldeneyes at full-screen size because the backlight almost gives it a glowing effect, it still might be my favorite shot of the day, even at this reduced size.

Barrow's Goldeneye

3 thoughts on “Some Shots from Saturday”

  1. It’s been way too cold for me to spend much time outdoors, so I really do appreciate that you are out there taking these beautiful photos. Yesterday I was outside briefly at Sudden Valley, not far from Bellingham, and a friend pointed out a flock (!) of robins on an expanse of grass. I’ve never seen so many robins at one time. Seemed like a good sign. Looking forward to warmer weather. I’d be happy with warm rain!

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