Port Orchard Revisited

December 5th’s visit to Port Orchard wasn’t nearly as exciting as the week before, perhaps because I was able to get so many shots I liked the week before. Basically, I saw the same birds both times, and it was hard to improve on the shots from the week before.

I did like this shot of a Pelagic Cormorant because it leaves no doubt that the bird has a green sheen when seen in full sunlight

Pelagic Cormorant

and because it is one of the few times I’ve managed to ever get a shot of those unique feet.

I don’t think I’m going to be able to improve on last week’s shot of the male Hooded Merganser,

male Hooded Merganser

but this shot does a nice job of balancing the black and white areas, one of the hardest things to in a bird photograph.

I also noticed that the small band of male Mergansers seems to be splintering, that some of the males have begun to pair off.

pair of Hooded Mergansers

There did, however, seem to be an increase in the number of Barrow’s Goldeneyes this week

Barrow’s Goldeneyes

with a number of small flocks throughout the marina. As I said, if the week before hadn’t been so spectacular I would have been quite pleased with these shots.

Signs of Winter

Although I don’t think that I like any of the shots I got at Port Orchard as much as the shots of the Hooded Mergansers, I did enjoy taking pictures of a number of birds that have only recently returned.

Even though this Red-Breasted Merganser

Red-Breasted Merganser

was not nearly as spectacular as the shots I got last Spring of a one in full-breeding colors, it was nice to see they’re beginning to return from their summer breeding grounds.

The same can certainly be said of the numerous Horned Grebes,

Horned Grebe

the most common bird in the marina.

I knew from the shape and brilliant yellow eye that this was some form of Goldeneye,

year-old Barrow’s Goldeneye

but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one with these exact colors. According to Sibley it’s a variation that’s close to a one-year old Barrow’s Goldeneye.

The most exciting bird of the day, though, came at the end of the day, just as I reached the end of the marina. Suddenly a little shore bird landed on the railing next to me. I was sure that I had never seen this species before and spent considerable time trying to get a shot with the sun coming from over my shoulder and not from behind the bird.

Dunlin

It wasn’t until I got home and had spent much time browsing my birding books that I came to the conclusion that this was a Dunlin in winter colors. Perhaps if I had seen it at the beach among a number of shorebirds I would have immediately realized it was a Dunlin from it’s shape. But since I’d never seen a single Dunlin and had certainly never seen one in Port Orchard, on a dock, this close, I didn’t recognize it.

It would have been nice if it had been a “first” but it’s still the best shot I’ve ever gotten of a Dunlin, even though it lacks the black plumage that makes it so stunning when in full breeding colors.

Hooded Merganser

I enjoyed my Monday trip to Theler Wetlands, but I loved the time I spent at the Port Orchard marina. Winter must be upon us because the sea ducks, grebes and cormorants have returned.

Not sure I’ve ever seen three male Hooded Mergansers

male Hooded Mergansers

together before, but I definitely think that having three of them made it possible to get better closeups of the one on the left, who floated around aimlessly, at times even coming closer while the other two faded into the background.

I ended up with a ton of shots to choose from, each of them a little different from the others. This is a favorite,

male Hooded Merganser

but I sure wish the white breast hadn’t blown out, even with the camera set to underexpose a half f-stop.

Turned the other way, it’s the head feathers that are blown out

male Hooded Merganser

even after adjusting severely in Aperture. Still, this might be my favorite shot ever, though I can’t be sure of that until I finish going through my old shots and compare them.

I love the reflections you get in the marina. No where else I’ve shot comes even close to adding the reflections that I get there with almost no effort on my part, miraculously, as it were.

Horned Grebes

On my Monday trip to Port Orchard I didn’t see a single Horned Grebe. Since I only saw one the week before, I assume they’ve left for their breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska, thus ending my year-long attempt to document their transformation from winter colors to full breeding colors.

I first became aware of the dramatic changes last year but made a trip to California before the change in plumage was complete. Our late-winter trip to California this year made it possible to see the final transformation.

It’s still hard for me to believe that a small black and white bird I photographed in January can transform into this:

Horned Grebe in Breeding Colors

Horned Grebe in Breeding Colors

Horned Grebe in Breeding Colors