Back to Theler Wetlands

With the weather still refusing to cooperate, we have been going to the YMCA regularly instead of birding, and there’s not much to photograph at the Y.  I think we’ve only gotten to Theler twice in the past month, and we heard a lot more birds than we saw because the ducks are gone and the songbirds, like this House Finch, have taken up residence.

male House Finch

The highlight of a recent visit was seeing a Bald Eagle attacking and killing a Great Blue Heron by holding it underwater until it drowned. I’ve seen a lot of Bald Eagles harass Great Blue Herons and steal their catch, but this was the first time I’ve ever seen an Eagle actually kill one.

Eagle drowning Great Blue Heron

The event took another turn when two other Bald Eagles came swooping in and attempted to steal the first Eagle’s catch, but he was having none of it.

Eagles sparring over catch

It was a dramatic moment in our visit, but I have to admit that I preferred the moment when this little Bewick Wren confronted us.

Bewick Wren

This Robin wasn’t quite as bold but definitely let us know it was there, too.

Robin on Log

I wasn’t surprised when the seabirds I see in the winter at the Port Orchard Marina were gone and the only shot I got was this one of a Gull eating a small fish.

Glaucous-Winged Gull with fish scrap

I feel like I have to force myself to walk a mile and a half on the track at the YMCA, but I usually walk over three miles when I bird and it never feels like I’m exercising.  Instead, it becomes a walking meditation, an escape from the crazy world we all seem trapped in.

3 thoughts on “Back to Theler Wetlands”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.