A Break in the Clouds

It would’ve been a great day Thursday even if I hadn’t seen the Belted Kingfisher I posted yesterday. The brilliant blue of the Sound reflected the bright skies. And the water was alive with seals and birds.

Harbor seals

Harbor Seal

seemed as fascinated with people as we were with them.

As usual, there were gulls everywhere but this Mew Gull’s particularly inspiring flight demonstration deserved a shot for sure.

Mew Gull

The most unusual bird of the day was this rather nondescript Rhinoceros Auklet.

Rhinoceros Auklet

Most of the species spends its winter at sea but a few frequent Pt Defiance in the winter.

If you spend enough time at the boathouse gazing out onto the Puget Sound you might also be lucky enough to witness a herring ball being attacked by seals and birds.

feeding on a herring ball

Though the gulls are the most visible because they dive from above, it’s really the seals, auklets, and mergansers that herd the herring to the surface. It’s a powerful reminder why Puget Sound attracts so many birds in winter and why it’s important that we somehow manage to maintain it’s bounty despite the growing pollution of millions of people living on its shores.

4 thoughts on “A Break in the Clouds”

  1. I am now going to look up Puget Sound in my Atlas Loren, so that I can see exactly where you were. Thank you for your kind comments.

  2. I love the seals. You do such a great job of capturing the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and you help me remember why I have stayed in Oregon for 30 years in spite of our long rainy winters.

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