I spent most of this week at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, partially to get a “sunshine fix,” but, as often turns out, it was great weather here in the Puget Sound area while I was gone. When I got up Friday morning the skies were blue, and I knew it would be a sin to go to the YMCA and get some much needed exercise. Instead, I headed to Belfair to see what had changed in the last week. The birding wasn’t exactly great, but the Spring flowers were an entirely different matter.
One of the trilliums at the Wetlands’ entrance was beginning to turn purple.
The Oregon Grape was in bloom.
The Shooting Star lit up shady areas in the garden
even brighter than these bell-like purple flowers.
The highlight of the walk, though, had to be the Cherry and Apple trees that line much of the trail.
The flowers were so impressive that I was hardly aware that the best bird of the day was a Stellar Jay,
which I could probably have gotten a better shot of in my backyard.