Category: Theler Wetlands

One of the best things about being stuck in the house while it rains for a week is that nearly everything looks fresh and brilliant when you finally get out.

Belfair was certainly no exception yesterday with new flowers breaking out everywhere like shooting stars,

simple Columbine, or

rich, delicious Chocolate Lilies.

There were even new visitors

like this Western Wood-Pewee I’ve never seen before.

Amazingly, this juvenile Red Breasted Sapsucker already looks as large as his mother.

Sometimes when you’re stuck inside you begin to confuse pictures of birds with the real thing, but this robin loudly reminded me that there’s no confusing art with the real thing, though that may be less clear to you while sitting in front of your computer trying to figure which, if any, of these is the Real Thing.

God Bless the rain, and all it does for us.

Lots of rain again this weekend, but I managed to get in a short hike at Belfair while Leslie entertained friends from Portland.

Though I missed the best shot of the day, a Green Heron flying about six feet over my head, I finally managed to get a clear shot of this guy, which is most likely a Swainson Thrush, or Salmonberry Bird, judging from this.

It was also the first day I’ve seen a Two-Tailed Tiger Swallowtail when I had a camera in hand:

Of course, even if you don’t happen to get a good wildlife picture there are beautiful flowers like these at the visitors’ center that make it easy by standing still:

In other words, it’s hard to have a bad day at the Theler Wetlands in Belfair.

Summer must be running about two weeks later this year than last year if the flowering of plants is an accurate measure of the seasons.

Here’s the picture of a Tough-Leaved-Iris I showed last year:

Here’s the picture I took Tuesday:

And here’s the way I think I saw the flower but was unable to capture with my expensive digital camera.

Of course, neither of these pictures quite captures the way I felt when I suddenly discovered tough-leaved-irises many years ago while hiking a familiar trail on the Columbia Gorge, which might, in turn, explain why I somehow thought that these common-everyday Feral Pigeons must be Banded Pigeons or Mourning Doves, not feral pigeons, when I first spotted them at Belfair:

We’ve had a week or so of wet, cloudy weather. So as soon as I looked out the window this morning I knew I was going for a long walk. I’m glad I did because the latest forecast predicts rain the rest of the week. It was so warm and clear today I didn’t even bother to carry a jacket.

Apparently mating season is over and nesting season has begun for the Redwing Blackbirds because instead of lone males singing from every cattail there were pairs trying to drive away intruders, apparently including myself as several birds tried to distract me, while others preferred to dive bomb me as I walked by.

While it’s not unusual to see deer at Belfair, I’ve never seen a buck before. Still, as I walked up the river bank to see if the kingfishers were on their usual branch, I was confronted by this pair:

All in all, it was a delightful day, capped by finally getting a decent picture of the Red-Breasted Sapsucker that’s eluded me since they tend to forage in the deepest shade, obscured by branches: