Month: March 2015

And Oystercatchers, Too

Even though I go to Fort Flagler mainly to see the beautiful Harlequin Ducks, it’s also the only place I’ve ever seen the Black Oystercatcher, which is widespread but “uncommon” in our region. Since I rarely see it even at Ft. Flagler, it was a rare treat when a pair of them flew directly in front of me and landed while I was photographing the Harlequin ducks.

At first I wasn’t even sure what I had seen, particularly since they did a disappearing act right in front. It took considerable searching to see this Oystercatcher lying in the rocks.

BlkOystercatcher2

It was, however, easier to see its mate walking toward me while calling loudly and distinctly.

BlkOystercatcher

When I didn’t leave as ordered, the pair flew off,

BlkOystercatcher3

giving me a chance to get the only shot I’ve ever gotten of one actually flying.

When we stopped on the other side of the spit to check on the Harlequin, I also found where the Oystercatchers had flown to. This is the only time I’ve ever seen them actually eating something,

BlkOystercatcher4

even though I’m not actually sure what it is it is eating. If it is an oyster, I didn’t see it pry open the shell as I would have expected to see.

Harlequin Watching

Although I actually visited Theler once or twice between my trip to Ocean Shores and last week’s trip to Fort Flagler, I didn’t get a single picture I felt a need to share, so, as far as this blog, this journal, is concerned I took two trips to the ocean in a row, though I went looking for very different birds.

Fort Flagler has become my to-to-place to get my Harlequin fix. It’s the only place where I can count on seeing Harlequins, even if it’s only at a distance, any time during winter. They can sometimes be found nearby, but it’s much more of a hit-or-miss situation. Of course, seeing isn’t the same as photographing, but that’s part of the challenge that keeps me taking photographs.

I saw an awful lot of birds before I spotted a Harlequin, and it was a long ways offshore.

15Hrlqn.1

Luckily it was another beautiful, sunny day so I was able to capture some detail even though this shot is heavily cropped. Of course, when it’s dark and gray I tend to see them closer to the shore.

Although we walked back the same way we came, we saw more Harlequins than we’d seen earlier, though they were all considerably offshore, like this pair.

15Hrlqn.2

Apparently emboldened by the Brandt, this guy came closer than any of the others had, though that still wasn’t very close.

15Hrlqn.3

On the way home we stopped at another spot where I often see Harlequins and found this pair sitting quite close.

15Hrlqn.4

These shots needed very little cropping, but unfortunately the sun was behind them, meaning you can’t see the brilliant reddish colors that set the male apart.

Nope, you couldn’t see that until the male, upset by the camera, slowly paddled away, turning into the sun as it did so,

15Hrlqn.5

reminding me of Theler’s Belted Kingfisher which revels in sounding a resounding alarm when I approach with a camera.

A Sunny Day at the Beach

Although the calendar and records indicate it’s far too early for the Spring Shorebird Migration, after seeing small flocks of shorebirds at both Theler and the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge I wanted to check out Ocean Shores and Westport to see if the shorebirds are actually beginning to show up on the beaches and whether the Loons had changed into breeding colors. When I saw that temperatures in the 60’s were forecast for the beach, I knew it was the perfect day to check the beach out.

As it turned out, it might have been one of the most beautiful days, weather wise, I’ve ever spent at Ocean Shores and Westport. It was beautifully clear, no fog in sight, and little or no wind. Usually sunny days begin with fog, a typical late summer day on the Washington coast. Often times it’s the high winds that clear the clouds out. This day would have been a salesmen’s dream. On this day you could almost imagine you were on a beach in Southern California.

Unfortunately, the birding wasn’t nearly as good. My best sighting of the day was probably this one:

CGrdPrctc

Apparently the Coast Guard was taking advantage of the beautiful weather to practice rescue operations.

There were no shore birds in sight all day, though there was a considerable number of ducks. The best shot of this day was of these Blue-Winged Teal,

BluWngdTl

a bird I rarely see in the western half of the Pacific Northwest but have photographed several times in Southern California.

I did see several Common Loons at Westport, but all of them were still wearing their drab winter coats,

2015Loon

though this one seemed to be starting to change.

This might be the best shot I’ve ever gotten of a Red-Necked Grebe

2015RedNeckdGrb

though, like all the shots I’ve ever gotten, it was taken at a considerable distance and the bird lacks the Red Neck because it’s in its winter coat, not its breeding colors.

Birds or no birds, it was a marvelous day.

A Very Quick Trip to Vancouver, Washington

A few weeks ago Elaine Frankonis posted a recipe for caramels made in the microwave and I commented I would have to try the recipe since I love caramels. Before I could do so, Dave Rogers warned to beware of crowns. Although I replied I didn’t think it would bother my crowns, it wasn’t more than a few days later that a crown came off as I was flossing my teeth. It might have been more coincidence, but since I haven’t lost a crown in over 15 years, I have some doubts on whether Dave jinxed me or not.

Luckily, when I called my dentist in Vancouver the next day, they said that they had an afternoon cancellation due to the flu that was going around. They also managed to move another patient’s appointment and I ended up not only getting a crown but getting my teeth cleaned the same day. It was totally unexpected, but really I appreciated their efforts to accommodate me since it’s nearly a 150 mile drive one way.

I got there at noon and was in the dentist’s chair until nearly 4:30 PM, too late to make it home for dinner, so I decided to make a quick trip through the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. Although I didn’t see anything I haven’t seen several times before, it was a nice way to end a stressful day. It’s been a while since I’ve spotted a Ring-Necked Duck,

ParRngNkdDks

and even longer since I’ve seen a pair of them together. If it hadn’t been for the black and white male, I doubt I would have spotted the female.

I think these are the first Dowitchers I have seen since the Fall migration.

DwtclhrsWadng

If I hadn’t been in California a few weeks before, I would probably have been thrilled to see this Great Egret right beside the road,

RidgeEgret

and right after pointing out how thrilled I was to see Swans in Santa Rosa because I never get to see them, there was a small flock of Swans obviously beginning to migrate northward.

SwnsTakingOff

At the end of the day I felt blessed to have a dentist like Dr. Angell, and even more blessed to be able to visit a magical place like The Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge every time I have a dental appointment.