Category: Special Places

Sometimes I Just Like to Talk

Birding was rather poor at Nisqually today; I didn’t identify a single new species. In fact the few birds I did see, like Great Blue Herons, Canadian Geese, Lesser Yellowlegs, and crows are so common that I sometimes I don’t see them at all.

When another birder asks whether I saw anything, I don’t even think of mentioning these birds. If I do mention them, it’s something like “only some herons and lesser yellowlegs.“ They are a given.

While reflecting on this fact, I also reminded myself that this is one of the few places I ever get to see these magnificent birds.

It’s also rare that I don’t see at least one thing to make the long walk special. Today it was this young raccoon that seemed surprised, but not too upset, to see me:

Strangely enough, the high point of the day may simply have been the delightful company of a man and woman I met on the trail, and our roving discussion that even touched on politics. Birders are a friendly lot, and I enjoy being one of them.

Out On a Limb

It’s four o’clock Friday here in the PNW, and the sun has finally broken through the clouds, much too late to help in the taking of pictures. Although it didn’t rain this morning, it was a gray morning and I had to turn the camera ISO up to 400 to compensate for the the lack of light, though I really didn’t notice a particularly high noise level in today’s shots.

I had another confrontation with a doe and her fawn where they simply weren’t going to let me go by. Luckily I was nearly at the end of the trail, so I didn’t push the issue.

In my first walk-through, I noticed that the barn swallows were particularly frantic today, and on the way back I knew why when I spotted these two chubby guys sitting on the rail next to some adults. It must take a lot of insects to feed these two:

Not only were there a lot of Barn Swallows, there was also a lot of Great Blue Herons at the wetlands. About the time you think you think you couldn’t possibly use another heron shot, you find another shot you just have to take.

I’ve seen herons in trees before, but always so far away I couldn’t get a decent shot. This one let me get so close:

that it actually made me a little uncomfortable when he turned and stared at me:

Drizzle

As I headed out for my weekly outing to Nisqually yesterday I saw a few raindrops on the windshield. By the time I reached the parking lot, there was a heavy drizzle. My first reaction was disappointment that it was raining on my one long walk of the week.

I hadn’t walked far before my glasses and my camera eyepiece had fogged up and I was finding it nearly impossible to focus on an already blurred world.

Before long, though, I began to feel quite comfortable. Even wet feet couldn’t dampen my feeling that this was truly home, that I belonged here at the water’s edge

standing sentinel over this land and water.

Sun Day

It was really a Sun-day here in the PNW, and since we didn’t get an early start we didn’t see many birds, other than those dunking their feet in the cool stream water.

and, somehow appropriately, this American Goldfinch

that seemed to reflect back the brilliant sunshine.