Month: February 2018

Kite Flying

Although the Vermillion Flycatcher we saw earlier on our trip was the only “First” of the trip, I’ve only sighted a Kite very high in the sky before and my shots were marginal at best. So, I was thrilled when we sighted this bird at the beginning of our walk above Bodega Bay

.

Truthfully, I didn’t have a clue of what it was because the shots I’ve seen of Kites before focused on their underside, not their back.

Unfortunately, the clouds and dark sky necessitated a slow shutter speed so the shots I got weren’t as sharp as I like, particularly when the kite was flying like this.

Amazingly, instead of just flying away, as I would have suspected, the Kite circled back and landed where I had first seen it.

I’m pretty sure this shot

would have been my favorite shot of the day if I’d been able to shoot at a higher shutter speed because it’s really dramatic pose.

As it is, this

was my favorite shot because the Kite’s body, and eyes, are quite sharp even if the motion of the wings causes blur.

Truthfully, I would have been thrilled by the event even if I had managed a single photo. I’m sure I was able to get closer to the Kite because it was foggy and birds are more approachable when it is foggy.

Just North of Bodega Bay

I can’t remember visiting Santa Rosa without going out to the coast, and we weren’t going to let a little rain and clouds stop us this time, either. Jeff took us out to the coast via the Russian River, and we ended up walking a stretch of the coast I’ve never walked before.

Ideally I should have probably brought a different lens for scenics, but I was hoping to see birds, too, so I compromised with my 100-400mm Canon lens. Most of these shots were actually panorama shots consisting of 3 or more shots. I’m always amazed at how well Photoshop reconstructs these, especially when waves are involved.

It would have been nice if it had been a little sunnier, but, after living on the Washington coast for six month, I figure any day on the coast without rain is a great day. There’s definitely a reason one of my favorite Facebook groups is called “fogwalking.”

Not sure why arches like this are so appealing, but they are — perhaps they are doorways to magical kingdoms.

Most of the Washington coast is relatively flat — like Longbeach — so it’s a treat to see these kinds of headlands.

Heck, even the outhouse had a great view of the ocean,

and it’s not often that you get to look down on birds.

More from Santa Rosa

Strangely enough, I might have gotten my best bird shots from the Lake Ralphine parking lot. On our first visit I was greeted by the Acorn Woodpecker I always look for there. On our second visit, we spotted this Red-Shouldered Hawk sitting in the tree often occupied by the Acorn Woodpeckers.

It obviously wasn’t deterred by human visitors because it posed long enough for me to walk around and get another shot from a completely different angle (though I didn’t notice until I processed the shots that the hawk had actually moved to another branch, making it easier for me. I think it must have been posing.)

I suspect the hawk was the reason I didn’t see a single Acorn Woodpecker on our second visit.

I did see this California Scrub Jay holding an acorn in its beak,

but I didn’t notice until I processed the shot that it actually has TWO, not just one acorn in its mouth.