Meanwhile, Back Home in the Puget Sound Area

I sometimes think that one of the reasons I love going to distant places like Malheur or The Canyonlands is that I see home in a new light when I return. Don’t get me wrong, I love visiting different places, but there’s no place like home, and by home I mean the Puget Sound area.

On returning to Theler Wetlands I was greeted by a Great Blue Heron,

Great Blue Heron

though I’m not sure it was actually welcoming me back.

I was surprised by a small flock of Black-Bellied Plovers,

Black-Bellied Plover

the first I’ve ever seen at Theler.

I managed to get my first decent shot of a Rufous Hummingbird,

Rufous Hummingbird

though they’ve been around for a while now.

I also saw my first American Goldfinch,

 American Goldfinch

and was repeatedly serenaded by Orange-Crowned Warblers.

 Orange-Crowned Warbler

It was enough to make me wonder why I would ever want to leave the area when there was so much beauty at hand.