Belfair and Beyond

Wednesday was the best day weather-wise we’ve had in weeks, and rain is in the forecast for the next six days. So I was determined to get out as much as I could. I wanted to start by exploroing Penrose Point Park, a place I’ve been hearing about for over a year but have never been to before.

The night before I plugged it into my Garmin GPS and headed out immediately after I took Skye on his morning walk. It turned out to be much closer than I suspected. It’s a relatively large park and, with the exception of one other gentleman, I had it to myself.

I should’ve taken my wide-angle lens to capture some scenics but I had to settle for this shot of a piling slowly being reclaimed by the forest:

Piling with Plants Growing Out of Top

I really went to see if there were Harlequin Ducks here as reported in previous years, but didn’t see any myself — though it turns out they were reported as being seen two days before. My favorite sighting of the day was of this Common Loon, the first time I’ve seen them this far south in the Puget Sound:

Common Loon in Non-breeding plumage

Next time I go back, I’ll take my 500mm lens and tripod, since most of the birds I saw were considerably off shore as this guy was.

I finished the day at Theler Wetlands in Belfair, after a buffet lunch at El Sombrero in Belfair. There were probably more students than birds there, though this was the first time I’ve seen a Goldeneye this year,

Female Goldeneye

and it’s always enjoyable to watch the Great Blue Heron keeping an eye on intruders.

Great Blue Heron on Fence

Heck, the highlight of the day might have been my extended conversation with John, a fellow birder who was also out enjoying the sunshine. He suggested more places to get photos and and suggested I might enjoy author Michael Pyle, whose book I’ve just ordered from Amazon.

It must have been a good day because I was actually a little sore this morning while practicing Tai Chi. Judging from the rain outside, though, I should have plenty of time to rest up while reading in the next few days.

4 thoughts on “Belfair and Beyond”

  1. “Slowly being reclaimed by the forest.”

    That’s the essence of the Pacific Northwest. Your photo of the piling is my favorite of this series. On days when I don’t get to spend time outside, your photos give me an alternative. Thanks so much!

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