Birding with Lens

There were Goldfinches everywhere at Nisqually today, and I devoted much of my picture taking to trying to get a good picture of one sitting on a Canadian thistle, apparently a main source of food. Unfortunately, the clearest shot I got of a Goldfinch was one sitting on a plastic post, not a thistle, though it wasn’t nearly as clear as the shot I got of one at my backyard feeder last week, and I really wanted a picture of the bird in it’s “natural� setting.

That said, here’s the best shot I could get today, which leaves me with a good reason to return to Nisqually shortly:

Surprisingly to me, the best shot I got all day was this one of an American Bittern, a bird I haven’t seen for several months but managed to see twice today:

I guess it’s inevitable that the more I go out birding the more apt I am to end up getting the best shots of birds I’ve already taken good shots of. Luckily, it’s still a thrill to see a bird that I have seen very few times in my lifetime.

A Quiet Day at Nisqually

I wasn’t the only visitor to remark that the Nisqually refuge seemed to have fewer birds than usual Wednesday, though perhaps that was a misperception caused by increased vegetation offering better refuge for birds and animals from prying birders, which is a good thing, unless you happen to be birding with your camera, which, of course, I was.

At one point early on, I was walking through a large stand of trees listening to birds on all sides, unable to locate a single one. Fixed on the songs, i was suddenly lost in them, uplifted by the sheer joy of it, reminded once again my beloved Canon D20 is nothing more than a tool of awareness, not the holy grail of enlightenment.

Shortly afterwards, I tracked this Goldfinch for several minutes, though it’s much easier to get pictures of them at the backyard feeder. The goldfinch seemed to tolerate my harassment quite well, probably because it was across a stream and didn’t feel threatened. Suddenly quiet, a harrier swept overhead, veering just above my head. Apparently deciding it’d been harried enough for one day, the finch disappeared into the surrounding shrubs and trees.

Nearly two hours and two miles later I saw my only new species of the day, California Quail:

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the little drooping topknot through my telephoto lens. I haven’t seen these quail for many years.

My favorite shot of the day, though, didn’t involve birds at all, but, rather, this shot of a dragonfly.

Rising to the Occasion

It’s been a tough few weeks here, weatherwise, and the roses in the Point Defiance Rose Garden are a bit under the weather, as you can tell by looking closely at the edges of the petals on many of the roses.

In fact, it’s nearly impossible to find a perfect rose this year, one without a blemish or mold, but luckily the roses are so beautiful that most of the visitors didn’t seem to mind a few blemishes.

If you live near Tacoma, now’s the time to come see the roses because they are at their peak. While newly emerging roses may escape the damage caused by recent rain, many roses will be finished blooming if you wait much longer.

The Real Thing

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.