Category: Washington Coast

As much as I enjoyed watching pelican flight formations, my favorite shots from Friday’s shoot were close-ups of individual Pelicans as they flew by. I got some nice shots in the morning as they flew back from their fishing ground to a resting area, but the sun was often behind them, making exposure a constant battle, particularly in dark areas.

Despite that they don’t appear to be in full breeding colors yet, these are some of the best shots I’ve managed to get of Brown Pelicans. I must admit I’m fascinated by the feather pattern under the wings,

even though this shot taken from slightly above best shows why they’re called Brown Pelicans.

Despite their dinosaur-like appearance, they are amazingly agile fliers, as show by this one hovering in strong winds.

I was appalled by how many shots I had taken of Pelicans throughout the day, but in the end I think this was my favorite shot, though I have no idea why.

Last Friday I headed for the Washington Coast hoping to finally catch the Spring shorebirds migration in sunshine, in contrast to earlier trips this year. Since high tides were relatively late, I went to Westport first to see if I could get some pictures of Common Loons in breeding plumage.

I was surprised when I pulled into the marina parking lot to see a car that looked exactly like John’s new car. Just as I was wondering if it was really his car, he walked up from the marina. Turned out he had come to get pictures of the Brown Pelicans, not shorebirds. We decided to hang out most of the morning trying to get some good shots as flock after flock of Pelicans flew overhead on the way back from the fishing grounds.

Needless to say, trying to focus a telephoto lens on a flock of pelicans as they fly is pretty much a hit-and-miss affair. You seldom manage to get the flock in focus, unless they’re quite a ways away, meaning you have to enlarge the image, which creates its own problems. Still I was quite happy with this shot, which gives a sense of just how closely they fly together,

apparently drafting on each other.

It’s hard to watch the pelicans fly over for a while and not be impressed with how synchronized they seem. Shots like this where it looks like you might have simply duplicated a single bird rather than shooting two different birds are quite common,

which is not to say that there are not times when you’re sure the pelicans are going to collide with each other

We had a great morning shooting, but I was anxious to see what else was about (and hungry for some fish and chips) so a little after noon I said goodbye to John. However, I returned later in the afternoon on my way back from Tokeland and watched flocks of pelicans appearing to play in the wind,

kiting in one place for a good five minutes. Perhaps having had their fill in the morning they were content to practice their flying skills, and the wind was really strong , so strong that I decided to skip trying to get pictures of the shorebirds. I wasn’t willing to take the chance of blowing sand scratching my expensive 500mm lens.

As often happens on my outings, the unexpected ends up being the highlight of the day.

Although I love the Spring migration of shore birds because the sheer number of birds delights me, that doesn’t mean that the photographer in me doesn’t try to capture the beauty of each bird.

Since the birds naturally flock together for protection, it’s hard to get shots of individual birds, shots without stray body parts cluttering up the landscape. When you take over 400 shots in a few hours, though, you can usually manage to find a few shots where you can crop the picture and focus on a single bird, like this shot of a Western Sandpiper,

a slightly larger Sanderling

,

an even larger Dunlin in breeding colors,

and a Short-Billed Dowitcher,

the largest bird I saw on Bottle Beach the day I was there. Although these birds generally were seen with members of their own species, they all seemed to be migrating together.

I had to drive down the road to Tokeland to get pictures of the larger Marbled Godwits ,

a bird that winters on our coast and migrates to Montana and central Canada to breed in the summer.

This weekend Grays Harbor County is holding their Annual Shorebird Festival and if the weather forecasters are to believed they should finally be getting some good weather. I’ve already been to the area twice in the last two weeks and would’ve been there even more if the weather had been better.

I first observed the bird migration two years ago and haven’t missed one since, either the spring or the fall migration. As long as I can still drive, I don’t plan on missing another one.

Strangely, I like the feeling of “insignificance” I get from being surrounded by thousands of birds moving up and down the coast in huge waves.

and standing on a beach while thousands of shorebirds move steadily toward me until they totally surround me has been a “peak” experience.

Most shorebirds don’t seem to have songs, per se, but you find yourself immersed in the sound of thousands of birds talking to each other.

Like most birders, I try hard not to disturb these birds whose very life depends on regaining the strength to continue their arduous journey. So it’s particularly reassuring when birds suddenly decide to take a quick nap mere feet in front of you.

The whole experience draws me back time after time, but the indefinable beauty of species like the Black-Bellied Plover is a vital part of that experience.