We managed to sneak in three days of sunshine last week, and I took advantage of every one of them to get outside. Leslie worked with her daughter one day, so I decided to drop her off and go to Theler. I’m glad I did because It was the brightest day of the week, the perfect light to capture this shot of a Spotted Towhee with a red berry in its beak.
Unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of birds on the refuge, perhaps because the tide was way out and the birds that feed on the mudflats were taking advantage of newly exposed food.
The best sighting of the day were these two Bald Eagles who seemed to be pairing off and preparing to nest.
Luckily, the birding was better at the Port Orchard Marina, which isn’t unusual this time of year. I was greeted by this Great Blue Heron that appeared to be floating above the roof as I walked down into the marina.
I wasn’t surprised to see it wrapped in its winter coat; cold weather invariably seems to accompany sunshine this time of year.
I was also greeted by a Pelagic Cormorant.
I was pleased to see that several winter residents had returned to the marina, though it didn’t seem like as many as in past years.