WORDS ABOUT PICTURES

The many moods of Jim

2012-01-16T19:32:00.000-08:00

Jim the hummer

This weekend, we've had a dusting of snow and overnight deep freezes here in western Washington. At daybreak Jim, my resident male Anna's hummingbird, takes up his post in the plum tree a few feet from the feeders on my porch.

If I puff myself up, I'm bigger than you, finch!

At one point, there were three males and one female in the birdie spa, although not all at the same time. "Buzz," another male, must be kin because Jim tolerates him at the feeders for quite awhile before chasing him off. There must be a kind of winter code among normally territorial hummers. Food is scarce and no one is quite sure why Anna's winter here and elsewhere in the west. Most hummingbirds migrate south. Jim stayed in the tree until sundown, along with 2-3 dozen finches, juncos, chickadees, and pine siskins. The only time he left the area was to chase off another hummingbird that was spending way too much time at his feeders. I have been photographing hummingbirds for the past several years. To see others, visit my Hummer Gallery.

Scarf? I don't have no stinking scarf!

Now I'm really seeing red! Scram!

Time for a stretch

This is my unicorn impression.

This is my phoenix impression.

Photography-what's next?

2012-01-15T18:27:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, I followed a link from a Facebook friend's page to read a blog post by John Mueller, a California photographer, who posted an inspiring sunset with the admonition: this photograph is not free.

Word.

I have thousands and thousands of photographs, filling three hard drives, that took me thousands of hours to "capture," edit, refine, post so people can see them, and ultimately print. I have spent thousands of dollars on camera equipment, software like Photoshop and Lightroom, computer equipment, and advertising that includes two websites, three Web marketing sites (where I sell prints and items like mugs and cards), printing, and packaging. I am a business. I pay city and state business taxes, and I have business licenses in two cities, for which I pay annual fees.

Many people comment about how beautiful, wonderful, and inspiring these images are. Some love them so much they actually ask about buying a print. I occasionally contract with individuals and businesses to create memorable portraits or capture special events. Others love my photographs so much, they "borrow" them (giving me credit, of course, but sometimes not). I have been contacted by organizations, usually non-profits, asking if they can use–for free–a photograph of mine they have found on Flickr, Picasa, or my website. Some I want to support but they can't seem to even pick up the phone to make arrangements. Or they use my photograph (with my verbal permission) but can't seem to get my required copyright or link to my website from where they are using my photographs.

Still others pump me for information about how I got that wondrous shot–not because they are curious but because they want to get the shot themselves. It's more than a little disheartening to realize that my many years of photography training (I do, after all, have a bachelor of fine arts in photography), experience as a photojournalist, portrait photographer, and nature photographer means very little in the greater scheme of things.

My epiphany? Photographer is a dying profession. Last year, I remember being amused at a TV camera ad. A wilderness photographer with very expensive gear waited for "the shot" when some yahoo with an instant camera zipped in and got "the shot" with point-and-shoot camera.

About a year ago, I put the 300mm zoom lens I bought six years ago into almost-daily action. There are many bald eagles in and around my community, in part, because I live directly above a wildlife refuge. I finally discovered an eagle's nest that has been quite active for at least the past eight years, according to people who live near the aerie a few blocks from my home.

Anyone who is serious about wildlife photography knows that anything shorter than 400mm will result in images like these.

What's wrong with these images, you ask? If I blow them up, they are grainy because I have an inexpensive lens that is not long enough to bring the subject close enough to be really sharp. I have joked about the many many people I've seen at the wildlife refuge with Very Large Array lenses hanging around their necks. I would like to invest in a 400mm lens, which will cost me $1,500, something I'm having trouble justifying when I also need to paint my house. The Very Large Array, however, are usually 500 or 600mm lenses, costing upwards of a small automobile. Also disheartening because it means that photography is now a rich man's sport (I usually see zero to one woman carrying one of these lenses and maybe 10-12 men).

So, I'm getting back to basics. What sets me apart from many (not all–photojournalists are essentially visual storytellers) photographers is that I'm a storyteller. I tell stories in words and pictures because I'm also a writer. My words and pictures are more powerful together than they are apart. For the past year, I have posted to this blog a few of the more than 1,000 images I now have of my favorite dedicated eagle pair and their offspring. I'm currently writing a book tentatively titled "Learning the Eagle Way" about just that: my learning from observing these fascinating birds. My hope is that someone else will want to read the book and, hopefully, think it's a good enough story to share–but not for free.

If you are reading this, I would love to know your thoughts.

Take-offs and Landings

2012-01-08T10:55:00.000-08:00

I am fascinated with how large birds like herons, eagles, and geese lift off from ground to 50 feet up in mere seconds. My camera will shoot eight frames per second. Some of these captures (as digital photographers like to say) would be limited otherwise.

Last week, I saw my first snow goose at Nisqually. He or she appears to have lost track of the snow goose migration. Every year, thousands of snow geese winter in the Skagit County area in northern Washington. I was surprised to learn that snow geese typically live about eight years. Canada geese can live 30 to 40 years. This week, I noticed that the lone snow goose is missing some wing feathers. Perhaps that's why she's not with her own flock. The Canada geese seem to have taken her in, although she flies a little apart from the Canada geese.

The eagles seem to be leaving her alone. I would've thought a bright white bird would draw raptor attention. But maybe her color makes her look too big to bother with!

It also looks like a great egret–maybe the same one that wintered at the refuge last year–is in residence. He was a little too far away to photograph but I got some great shots of him fishing last winter. Visit my Water Wings gallery for more.

I love watching geese land. They are such big birds. I wonder if the youngsters accidentally land on other birds? There are many geese at the refuge, so it would be easy to do.

Raptor wings

2012-01-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

There had to have been a couple dozen bald eagles of various ages at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge today. The tide was coming in, so there were fewer eagles fishing and more harassing the Canada geese and gulls. One juvenile looked like it was going to take on a full-grown goose. The goose was not amused and the juvenile clearly misjudged his hunting abilities.

Everywhere we looked there were bald eagles. Many looked like they were settling in for a night's roost. Some were stretching and preening, most were in the company of other eagles, like the pair above with three juveniles. I wondered if they were the couple's kids. I know the nesting pair in our neighborhood often soar in formation with two or more juveniles.

In the company of eagles

2012-01-01T21:49:00.000-08:00

Convocation of five eagles

I can't think of a better way to bring in the New Year than in the company of eagles. With sunset coming so early – 4:30 p.m. today – eagles gather to hunt en masse a couple of hours before. A favorite spot is on the Nisqually River, where even at high tide there are shallower spots for a quick fish meal.

When eagles gather like this, it's called a "convocation." Sometimes, these gatherings are called "cauldrons." I counted a dozen in this stretch of river yesterday with at least another half dozen scattered in trees farther out into the delta. Today there were a similar number in the convocation.

Bald eagles are opportunists. Most of the eagles in this area eat fish but sometimes they steal food from other eagles, osprey, or seagulls. Seagulls and cormorants also hang around for their own opportunity, just in case an eagle drops some or all of its intended meal.

For more favorite raptor images, visit my Talons Gallery.

Nature's camouflage

2011-12-31T20:53:00.000-08:00

American Bittern

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is a popular place on New Year's Eve. I spent some time there last year too. Winter is a wonderful time for bird watching in the Nisqually delta. Fewer leaves make it easier to see a variety of birds and many winter here.

The bittern was right next to the boardwalk and stayed very still. I have never seen one before. It reminded me of a kiwi bird (which I've seen in a zoo).

The red-tailed hawk was tough to see until he or she flew right over my head, then merged right into a camo background again.

Red-tailed hawk

I photographed fishing bald eagles for a couple of hours. I'll post some of those tomorrow. Gulls followed to eagles waiting for fish to drop their way. This guy found something right under the surface or maybe he was hiding.

Favorite images from the other seasons in Nisqually can be found in my DuPont-Nisqually galleries.

Solstice Hummers

2011-12-24T17:55:00.000-08:00

"Jim," one of the Anna's hummingbirds wintering with me.

There are three Anna's hummingbirds–one female and two males–visiting my feeders and the birdie spa tree every day. "Jim" and "Buzz" alternate time guarding the feeders.

Jim and Buzz, Anna's hummingbirds

Sometimes they are in the tree at the same time. Maybe winter weather makes them a bit less territorial–a bit. Sharing the tree was brief, although one didn't chase the other off. Sometimes one will land on one feeder, leave, and a split second later the other will land on the second feeder. The girls have a different routine. When a female feeds, she will often sit on the feeder for several minutes. Jim or Buzz will guard from the tree but don't approach her.

Buzz

More favorites in my Hummer Gallery.

Harrier on the hunt

2011-12-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

Even though northern harriers were the first hawks I photographed at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, I still don't know much about them.

I misidentified this female hawk as a red-tailed hawk. I still remember my first raptor field guide that told me: "when in doubt, call it a red-tailed hawk." Many raptors look like red-tailed hawks at various times in their maturity.

Harriers have a pretty distinctive flight pattern, low to the ground, watching and listening for small prey. They often fly with their wings in a "V" pattern.

We tend to see harriers in the winter in western Washington, although they are year-round residents in the rest of the state. I thought the harrier flying behind these gulls was a brown gull until she flew past them to hunt in the meadow.

Visit my Talons Gallery for more favorites.

Giant eagle bird bath

2011-12-18T12:06:00.000-08:00

A local newspaper recently reported that snowy owls have been spotted at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. I decided to try my luck at spotting them myself yesterday. I checked in at the visitor center and learned there were no reports for Saturday but there are two that have been spotted fairly frequently in the past week.

I headed toward the boardwalk that takes you almost a mile into the Nisqually River delta. En route there, I saw a few photographers and bird watchers interested in something in the lagoon. What looked like either a very large bird or maybe a bird-like stump rose from the center of the lagoon.

Looking through my 300 mm lens, I saw that it was a juvenile bald eagle fishing, probably for clams. After conferring with some bird watchers, we decided it's a "she" (large bird with a large beak) about 2-3 years old.

Bald eagles look like golden eagles, osprey, and other birds of prey until they develop their characteristic white heads and tails when they are fully mature at 3-4 years old. This youngster eventually got tired of hunting and decided to clean up a bit.

As I was photographing, I commented to one of my fellow bird watchers: "that's one ugly swan." Then she rose from the water and turned into a swan! Ok maybe a young swan.

It always amazes me that birds will bathe in pretty much any weather. I thaw out the iced-over bird bath next to my front porch and see finches, thrushes, and juncos taking advantage of the "hot" tub. The temp may be hovering right around 30 degrees F.

Presto chango! Voila! I am now a turkey! We all were amazed that the ducks stayed in the area. Nisqually bald eagles often pick off ducks and young geese at the refuge. Maybe this young eagle decided it was fish season and not duck season.

After about 15 minutes, she finished her bath and flew off, holding what appears to be a clam. A friend who lives in Ocean Shores pointed out the reason there are shattered clam shells along their streets is that seabirds drop them on paved streets to open them. It's probably easier to find them than if they dropped them on a rocky beach. I wonder if Nisqually birds do that?

My online Talons Gallery includes my favorites over the past year of raptor watching.

Jim the hummer and lady friend

2011-12-11T21:45:00.000-08:00

Hummers are generally backlit when they are at the feeders in late afternoon, so it's tough to tell who's there. A lady Anna's sat on one of the feeders for several minutes today. I noticed that "Jim" was sitting in the birdie spa tree and not chasing her off like he does the boys. She wasn't feeding but seemed to be resting.

Last year, I saw a female Anna's doing the same thing. I see more male Anna's in the fall and winter and more female rufous in spring and summer. These look like two different female birds, unless the one I saw today was puffing herself out for warmth.

Visit my Hummer Gallery for more.

It's going to be a cold night here in western Washington. I cleaned and refilled my feeders. I'm keeping one in the kitchen to put out in the morning. If there's freezing fog, there might be freezing feeders too. Usually they don't freeze until the temps are below 28 degree F.

Jim the hummer is back

2011-12-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

Now that the leaves are mostly off the birdie spa tree, I can see "Jim" (think "don't mess around with...") in his spot directly across from the two hummingbird feeders on my porch. Another male Anna's – I've named him Buzz – also frequents the birdie spa. He challenges Jim, who then chases him off. I'm sure Buzz has occasional opportunities to eat with two feeders up. I'm hoping to catch the two of them together in the next few weeks.

A reminder to my friends and neighbors on the Left Coast: Anna's hummingbirds live here year-round. Leaving your feeders up doesn't keep them in the area. They don't migrate. Maybe it's because of climate change, but the eastern U.S. states are seeing rufous hummingbirds. Those long thousand-mile-plus migrations are tough on these little birds. Perhaps a few realized they can find food in areas like ours with milder winters.

I posted information and link to more information on my blog a couple of weeks ago - Feed Hummers. One of my holiday cards includes the same information.

For more favorite hummers, visit my online Hummer Gallery.

Gathering of eagles

2011-12-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

It was a glorious sunny day in the Northwest, a rare and welcome occurrence. Padme the wonderdog and I took a mid-afternoon walk in the sun with our neighbors and their dog. We walked past the bald eagle roost and nest yesterday with no sitings.

Today as we were scanning their favorite trees, our favorite eagle pair and a juvenile flew in. The adults landed in the trainer tree (the eagle jungle gym tree next to the nest tree). From the top of the tree, they talked to the juvenile in that chortling conversation eagles use with their kinfolk.

We didn't see the youngster and the eagle mates just stayed a short time before heading back out.

Later, when Padme and I were headed off for an excursion to Mud Bay, our favorite pet emporium, I spotted mama flying back over our house and back toward hers.

I wonder if she recognizes us? She didn't speak to us as she was heading home but her mate certainly talked to us Friday afternoon when we saw him on the Wilkes trail. Perhaps one of his kin was nearby that we didn't see...or maybe, just maybe, we are becoming kin. Talons Gallery.

Golden autumn light

2011-12-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

Back: Ridgeview trail

The days are much shorter as we get closer to the winter solstice. Sunrise was at 7:40 a.m. and sunset at 4:20 p.m. today. I was grateful to have this golden afternoon off today. My son, Padme the wonderdog, and I walked the Ridgeview trail, then the east end of the Wilkes Observatory trail - favorites walks any time of the year. Always a perfect way to decompress and remember what's important.

Here are some views from the trail - back, front, above, and below.


Front: Nisqually delta

Above: bald eagle

Below: great blue heron

Visit my DuPont-Nisqually and Places online galleries for more.

Feed the hummers

2011-11-12T13:43:00.000-08:00

For this holiday season, I have created four special holiday cards. The back panel includes information about the images featured in my cards. Another blog post includes the greeting from my newest card Holiday Home.

My Solstice Hummers card includes a reminder to keep a hummingbird feeder up if you live on the West Coast or northern Arizona. Anna's hummingbirds – a male is pictured above – live in coastal Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia year-round. No one seems to know why, for sure, although climate change is sending animals to places we haven't seen them before. We have great egrets, which are rare in western Washington, here at the wildlife refuge in winter. Northern cardinals are gradually making their way westward too.

We see two kinds of hummingbirds in western Washington – Anna’s and rufous. Sometimes other varieties whiz through on their migration paths.

Keeping your feeder up in winter will not discourage hummers from migrating. We have many plants that bloom in winter in western Washington. Nectar freezes at 28 degrees F, so bring feeders in at night when it is below freezing.

To make nectar combine1 part white sugar (no honey, fructose, artificial sweeteners, or food coloring) with 4 parts water. Bring to a boil, then take off stove and let nectar cool. Clean feeders with hot water and a brush before filling.

Never use soap. If feeder is very dirty, clean with white vinegar. Change food every 2-5 days in warm weather; every day if it is over 85 degrees. In cold weather, below 40 degrees, change food every 5-7days.

Rufous hummingbirds – a female is pictured inside this card – migrate north to the Pacific Northwest in March and migrate south in September and October.

Cards are 50% off and calendars are 20% off from my supplier through November 20.

Gathering of eagles

2011-11-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I glimpse one of our local eagle clan crossing the ridge near my home, but not quite as often as last spring and summer. Earlier this month, I spotted a large group of raptors very high in the sky. So high, I wasn't sure if they were bald eagles or other large raptors. Altogether there were 10 large birds, gliding on the thermals and dancing with one another. Too high to be hunting, they were clearly on a mission.

They lingered over my neighborhood just long enough for me to spot them from the window, run to get my camera, and out to the backyard to knock off a few shots. Then they disappeared into the eastern horizon.

When I enlarged one of the images to actual pixels, I could see the characteristic white heads and tails of adult bald eagles on three of the birds. The others appeared to be juveniles of varying ages.

I'm fascinated that raptors that often fight one another to death or serious injury over choice prey, will gather together for what looks very much like social time.

I have observed gatherings of eagles numerous times here. Enough so that I'm convinced they are an extended family, like an orca pod.

My favorite eagle couple is returning regularly to the evergreen grove where they roost during the times they are not nesting and rearing young. I wonder where their kids roost? They are harder to spot in the dark because juveniles are typically three or four years old before they get the white heads, tails and legs.

I have learned so much from the eagle clan this past year. By the end of the year, I hope to have most of those learnings together in a book. In the meantime, my growing visual collection can be found in my online Talons Gallery.

Editing photographs

2011-10-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

There are a variety of fine editing tools in Photoshop that can save a special image. Some friends of mine recently lost a cherished horse named Cruz. They asked if I could edit out a fence in a photograph so they could have a large print made to frame in memory of Cruz.

Of course I said "yes." When I got the jpeg, though, I found that it was a low-resolution image, which meant they would likely get a somewhat "fuzzy" enlargement. Lower resolutions (2 megabytes and smaller) are fine for snapshots or Web uses. For enlargements of 11x14" or larger, the image needs to be at least 10 megabytes, preferably larger. Most of my 11x14" images are 35-40 megabytes. More pixels or dots per inch makes a finer image, especially at larger sizes.

The Photoshop tools I used for this project were the clone tool, healing brush, and blur tool. I cropped the image and adjusted the levels and color balance. Then I used the unsharp mask filter to sharpen the image as much as possible. Sharpening a low-res image is challenging because there just isn't enough detail to sharper, so you risk making the image appear to be coarser. In looking at the finished image, I think I would have used the blur tool more to reduce the checkerboard pattern of the fence in the background. I would also blur the right edge of the image a bit more. I took out the distracting fence but didn't "clone" in the bottom of the sapling in the photograph.

My favorite is the sepia-toned image but my friends wanted the color image, which they are printing on canvas. I can't wait to see it!

The entire project took about two hours. If I was working with a film image, these corrections would take hours, requiring air-brushing and touch-up by hand with inks and brush. I doubt, though, that it would look as natural as what we can get using Photoshop tools.

Cards and calendars

2011-10-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

Every year I spend hours and hours designing new holiday cards and calendars. Last year I realized that people just don't send cards like they used to and don't buy calendars either. So many organizations give really wonderful calendars to contributors, that people won't spend what it cost me to produce a calendar. A couple of years, I received five free calendars in the mail – beautiful ones. So last year I donated four of my photographs to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency for their calendar. They gave me several which I handed out to friends and neighbors. This year they can't budget for a calendar (bummer), so I'm producing my own again. I donated use of one of my most popular images – a panoramic of Ruston Way waterfront – to the agency for their efforts to reduce air pollution in Tacoma (a worthy cause).

Still, people ask me about holiday cards and calendars, so I came up with a selection of favorites. I can't afford to keep an inventory on-hand anymore though. A couple of years ago, I discovered that Zazzle.com does a very nice job of hosting my cards and calendars which can be customized at no additional cost. Cool!

So I posted my 2012 calendar, created a new holiday card, and updated four favorites. Something new I'm doing this year is adding a description on the back of the card. All of the images I choose for holiday cards are meaningful to me. I hope you are moved somehow by the image itself, but people tell me that they enjoy hearing about the stories behind the images. This post will be a bit longer because I want to share the story that goes with the image at the top of this post.

The calendars are 25% off through Halloween when you buy two or more. Zazzle just had a half off pre-holiday sale on cards. I'm hoping they'll have another sale in a couple of weeks. Check out my Holiday Cards & Calendars.

Anybody Home?

Ireland is the land of my ancestors. In 1984, I journeyed there, in part to
honor the memory of my parents who passed away a couple of years earlier.
I photographed the doorway in this image in Kilkenny, Ireland – a place
that feels very much like home.

The Sequalitchew Creek woodland in DuPont, Washington – the ancestral
home of the First People of the Nisqually River delta – is also a place that
feels very much like home.

This photo illustration combines two images that fit together – if only in
my imagination – creating a visual representation of my journey
from a place of origin to a place of destiny.

Places that feel very much like home.

Getting a closer look

2011-09-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

I manage to spot tiny things that are extraordinary when you focus on them. Maybe it's because I have been near-sighted for most of my life. Or maybe it's because I notice something and then photograph it.

Some are less tiny but I want to get closer.

Others are larger still but still beckon me to take a closer look.

Stepping out of the stream of life

2011-09-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

Great blue heron, Frye Cove-Puget Sound

I just finished reading James Herriot's "All Creatures Great and Small" and started "All Things Bright and Beautiful." Given how much I love nature and creatures great and small, it's a little surprising I haven't read the much-loved veterinarian's books until now. He also wrote children's books, several of which I read with my son when he was little. Two favorites are "Only One Woof" and "The Christmas Day Kitten." I could never make it through "The Christmas Day Kitten" without a quavering voice and a few tears.

Something that strikes me about Herriot's writing is a sense of balancing work with play, sadness with happiness. In "All Things..." he writes about stopping the car on the way to a veterinary call, just to enjoy the beautiful Yorkshire countryside:

"This form of self-indulgence had become part of my life and still is: a reluctance to come down from the high country; a penchant for stepping out of the stream of life and loitering on the brink for a few minutes as an uninvolved spectator."

Nisqually Reach - Puget Sound

Some of my best images were captured when I stepped out of the stream of life, rushing to work only to be stopped by an incredible sunrise. So, of course, I photograph it.

December sunrise - Mount Rainier

When I photograph something in nature - a beautiful scene or a wild eagle plucking a fish from the river - I am a spectator documenting, often without thinking. Later, when I'm downloading and editing images, I allow myself to experience the emotion I would have if I wasn't trying to capture a scene. I have several favorite images to share in my online Places Gallery.

I hope you will take some time to step out of the stream of life and enjoy.

Eagle's roost

2011-09-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

The nest is empty but my favorite eagle extended family has returned from their summer fishing trip. This pair and some of their kin roost in the grove of trees near the nest. They have been gone for a few weeks, though. I assume teaching junior how to hunt. I have seen mama eagle flying over our house the past couple of mornings, headed for the Nisqually ridge and delta. I have also had glimpses of junior.

Tonight on our walk papa eagle was perched in a favorite snag. We watched for a few minutes, then continued on our walk. When we rounded the corner, he flew to a nearby tree. That's when I noticed that his mate was in the tree.

Later in our walk, I spotted four eagles flying off toward the delta into the setting sun. I will be adding to my Talons gallery soon.

I have been busy working on a program and publicity materials for Feels Like Home, the alumni art show I have been coordinating with a couple of friends from high school. The opening, which unfortunately I will have to miss, is September 30 in my hometown of Bordentown, NJ.

Cedar waxwing

2011-08-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

I spent a couple of hours today picking blackberries with my neighbors (who made incredible jam in return). In early July, I spotted a couple of cedar waxwings in some evergreens on my usual dog walk. I didn't see them again until today. They weren't happy that humans were spending so much time in their blackberry area.

I heard them but would see them swoop down over the berry thicket, then back up high in the trees. When I photographed one today, he was munching on a pinecone. Cedar waxwings are in western Washington pretty much year-round. I saw a pair in one of the cherry trees on our street last summer, so it was fun seeing them more. They are beautiful birds and really do look like they're carved out of wax.

Visitors to the Birdie Spa

2011-08-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the week, a native Douglas squirrel was picking up sunflower seeds under the birdie spa tree. Usually they are pretty shy when I encounter them in the woods but she must've been pretty hungry. She hopped into the tree when I approached but hopped right back down as soon as I walked past. She was gone by the time I got into the house.

She was back this morning and stuck around for quite awhile until a neighbor's cat came by. She protested LOUDLY. I yelled bad kitty and ran outside to chase the cat I recognized had picked off the baby goldfinch I tried to rescue a couple of months ago.

I'm pretty sure the squirrel got away. There are lots of goldfinch youngsters visiting the spa, with an occasional sparrow, house finch, and chickadee. I counted 20 on the lawn at the same time. They would fly off en mass whenever a car or walker came by.

I have seen female rufous hummingbirds and both male and female Anna's at my feeders and the flower baskets on the front porch. No male rufous though. I didn't think they headed south this early but I know they usually show up first in March and leave first, usually in September.

My current exhibit at 253 Collective - For the Birds & the Trees - will be open for another couple of weeks. I hope you'll stop by and check it out if you live in western Washington. The gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. or email me (wordandpicture@gmail.com) and I'll meet you at the gallery.

Female rufous hummingbird

Glasshopper

2011-08-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

I think this is the first time I've seen a grasshopper in my yard. This one was really a glasshopper, climbing up my kitchen window.

Ah grasshopper! You have much to learn and much karma to work through.

Love the otherworldly feel of these. The face reminds me of the hookah-smoking character (caterpillar) in the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland.

If you live in western Washington, check out my new show at 253 Collective through September 9: For the Birds & the Trees.

Perching birds-great and small

2011-08-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

Male Anna's hummingbird

It seems like I alternate photographing the largest and smallest birds. These were photographed two days apart.

The hummers, of course, are regularly visiting my feeders and flowers.

At the neighborhood eagle's nest, Junior is exploring farther than the trainer tree. I photographed these just five days ago. Junior waited for his mama but she hasn't been bringing dinner. It's time for him to learn how to hunt.


Juvenile bald eagle - about 4 months old

Visit my Talons and Hummers online galleries or, if you are in western Washington, stop by 253 Collective - For the Birds & the Trees.

Eagle tightrope walking

2011-08-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

Juvenile bald eagle spent a few weeks "branching," jumping from branch to branch in their massive aeries, practicing pouncing, flapping. Learning the eagle ways.

This youngster fledged a couple of weeks ago. A few days ago, he was spending time back in the aerie and papa eagle was keeping watch again. The past few nights, he has been stationed in the flight training tree. He continues to practice eagle ways by jumping, sometimes flying from branch to branch.

These parents chose their nest and flight training site well. The flight trainer is a quick glide from the nest...just in case. The trees around the trainer tree have many soft branches to break youngster's fall if he loses his balance.

I suspect this family doesn't lose many babies. Junior is perched near the top on the right side of the left-hand tree. The nest is in the lower tree on the right.

Mom returned - without food - just as the sun slipped below the trees along the ridge. This is the time eagle parents bring less food to encourage the youngsters to take longer trips away from the nest and toward the hunting area.

I will be showing several images from my visits with my neighbor eagles at 253 Collective gallery in Tacoma, beginning with an opening (with bird-friendly treats!) on August 18. Details are on my website: For the Birds & the Trees.

Eagle fledgling flight practice

2011-08-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

Papa eagle watches as mama brings food for Junior.

The last couple of times Padme the wonderdog and I have walked past our neighborhood aerie, everything has been quiet. I just assumed that Junior had fledged and I missed the show. I was a little worried too, though. About 40 percent of eagle fledglings don't survive their first flight.

Mama brings some fish for dinner.

Last week, we got to see mama eagle fly in with one of many meals for Junior. These eagles are wonderful parents - attentive, protective, and nurturing. Papa eagle watched his mate's catch with interest. Sometimes he joins them to share what she brings.

Junior has been "branching" for a few weeks. I wasn't sure if he also had actually tried those wings outside the nest or not.

Last night, I spotted mama eagle at the top of a tree near the nest. I heard Junior but couldn't see him. Then mama flew down to a tree on the other side of the nest, mostly out of my view.

Junior kept talking to his mother. He was sandwiched between two small branches on an adjacent tree. Then he started flapping, all the while talking constantly. And then...liftoff! I wanted to cheer but then remembered that I needed to avoid distracting him. He flew around the grove of trees near the nest - talking the entire time, "look ma! Look ma! LOOK! Can I eat now? I'm tired." Eventually he landed - a little hard - in the tree about 6 feet down from where mama was perched. And he kept talking.

I knocked off a couple of dozen images - all of them good. These are some favorites. The light, for a change, was perfectly bright and golden. Junior is about three months old now. He'll have another three months to learn how to hunt. At least that's the schedule for migrating eagles.

This eagle clan is here year-round. The parents frequently catch up with their kids from earlier broods for synchonized flights, hunting trips, and just enjoying each other.

It will be a few years before Junior develops the bald eagle's characteristic white head and tail. Bald eagles are usually 3-4 years old when they are matured enough to earn the white feathers. That's also when they look for their lifetime mate.

I'm getting lots of new work ready for a show opening at my new gallery - 253 Collective in Tacoma. Look for invitations this weekend. I'm really pleased with this new collection and hope that my western Washington friends and neighbors will come see it toward the end of this month.

Details about For the Birds and the Trees are on my website.

Shooting from a "bird blind"

2011-07-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

Female Anna's hummingbird

I quickly discovered that hummingbirds visiting the flowers outside my east-facing kitchen window in the morning can see me two feet from them. And it is clearly freaking them out. I just get one in focus and she looks right at me, then drops from view to the blossoms below the window. In the evening, the sun isn't shining through the window and glinting off my scary lens. So I've had an easier time getting the shot. The down side is that the light is more muted, so it can be challenging to capture wings in motion.

Female rufous hummingbird

Shooting outside is not much better. I've spent the past four months mainly photographing the nesting eagles in my neighborhood. The hummers are not used to me being around. The Annas that winter in the front yard birdie spa are more comfortable with me being around them, although they hate my fill flash.

I remembered a nature photographer suggesting sitting in your car, which can fill-in as a mobile "bird blind." So I hopped into the passenger side of my car, rolled down the windows and waited for hummers to visit the tritoma (red hot poker).

I know my neighbors just figure I'm a tad eccentric. I'm often standing in the front yard at dusk or on the front porch on a ladder with my camera. Two new neighbors walked by me on the sidewalk. I laughed, pointed to my camera, and said "bird blind."

I'm sure I am now the neighbor they will clearly be avoiding. Maybe they thought I was doing some sort of surveillance, spying on an ex-husband.

More in my Hummer gallery. As always, let me know your favorites.

Hanging with hummers

2011-07-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

Female rufous hummingbird

The crocosmia and tritoma (red hot poker or torch lily) are at their peak, so I tried to catch hummer drama starting early this morning. Two female rufous regularly face off below the kitchen window. But not today. I actually drank coffee and sat next to the window with my camera ready for more than an hour. Later I figured out that the hummers could see me at the window, so they stayed with the lower flowers out of my view. There is about an hour in the morning, when the light is bright but the sun hasn't yet hit the window. Then the glare makes it really difficult to get much that is worthwhile.

Female Anna's hummingbird

This evening, though, an adult female Anna's hung out for a few minutes. She was quite a character, sitting on a branch and poking a flower, then looking for another that wouldn't be so much effort.

I saw a young female Anna's earlier but didn't have my camera (I really do other things in the kitchen besides photographing hummers!) ready. A young male Anna's, perhaps they were nest mates, landed opposite her and they both shared the flowers on the same branch.

More tomorrow! In the meantime, check out my growing Hummer gallery.

Hummer-centric

2011-07-22T23:13:00.000-07:00

"How'd you get that shot?" That's a question I frequently hear. Certainly having a high-end camera that knocks off 4-8 frames per second in low light at close range makes a difference. But that's only part of it. It helps to know and understand your subject. I have been feeding and observing hummingbirds for several years. I know when I am more likely to see them (early morning and late evening year-round, more frequently during the day in spring and summer). I have a hummer-centric yard with a variety of flowers hummingbirds like.

We have two kinds of hummingbird in western Washington. Rufous - the photographs today are of a female rufous - arrive in mid-to-late March and head south in late September, sometimes early October. Anna's hummingbirds look a little like the ruby-throats in the eastern United States. We rarely have nighttime temperatures below freezing. When we do, I bring the feeders inside at night. The birds often greet me when I bring the feeders out. We have mild winters, subtropical plants that bloom in winter, and insects. People are surprised to learn that 75 percent of a hummingbird's diet is insects.

Hummingbirds are very territorial. I hang more than one feeder and hide one from the other with flower baskets. And I keep feeders up year-round because Anna's hummingbirds don't migrate. Hummers don't need that packaged food with red food coloring. Feeders have enough red to attract them. I mix one cup white sugar (not honey!) with four cups of water. I bring it to a boil, then cool. I have enough for two batches for two feeders. I change food about once a week in winter and every 3-4 days in summer. It's important to keep the feeders clean because there are molds and diseases that grow in dirty feeders.

I have been photographing hummingbirds regularly for about four years. Sometimes I will shoot 10 images and half will be really good. Other times I will shoot 50 images and get three decent shots. You have to be patient. For the images here, I was less than three feet away inside my kitchen. I make sure the window is clean and I keep a dark-colored dish towel next to the sink to cover the faucet which causes a glare on the window. I keep the camera close by when I'm making something in the kitchen. And sometimes just watch out the window for 10-15 minutes.

Visit my Hummer gallery for favorites.

Humming about flowers

2011-07-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

I managed to get the windows cleaned just in time for the annual crocosmia opening. I don't remember ever seeing crocosmia (sometimes called Lucifer's tongue) growing up on the East Coast. It's a relative of the iris, native to South Africa, and loves the Pacific Northwest. And the rufous and Anna's hummingbirds love crocosmia.

I started seeing this female rufous, who has clearly claimed ownership of the entire side of the house where most of the crocosmia bloom. I have also seen her at the flower baskets on the front porch, where she chases away another female rufous.

The hummers visit flowers most frequently mid-morning to early afternoon. Then they hit the feeders to tank up at dusk which, right now, is about 9 p.m.

Visit my Hummer gallery for more.

Eagle reconnaissance

2011-07-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

Bald eagles have made a remarkable resurgence thanks to laws protecting them. Our symbol of the United States is now commonplace along rivers and coastlines. We even have nesting pairs of "urban eagles" which can be a little more challenging to live with than, say, goldfinches. For starters, they are raptors. Although they prefer fish and are often seen hunting above rivers and bays, they will also pick off a duck on the water if fishing isn't so great. Or well-fed chickens from backyard coops. They are opportunistic hunters, and will even steal prey from another eagle or raptor.

When I spotted a bald eagle flying low over a lavender farm I was visiting last week, I figured he or she was hunting or maybe just doing some reconnaissance for future hunting trips. Wikipedia defines reconnaissance as a mission to get information (about an enemy or, in this case, prey) by visual observation or other detection methods.

About an hour later, two eagles landed in another tree very close to where arts and crafts vendors were located. I heard another visitor say something about the pair nesting in the tree. I didn't think so, especially since both eagles were male. I was too busy shooting to say anything though.

The eagle pair alternated watching something on the ground, along with another male eagle in a tree about 100 feet away.

These eagles were clearly scoping out something. They would talk to each other and to the eagle in the other tree. Eagles have a call they use with other eagles that are part of their extended family. It's a very unique song that sounds more like a chirp than the screech we often associate with raptors.

They took off from the tree and landed several times.

After watching and photographing them for about a half hour, I walked around the grounds and found what caught their interest. One of the vendors has a mobile chicken coop surrounded on all sides and the top with wire. In addition to a variety of chickens, there is a peacock, peahen, and three new baby peafowl. The peacock was hiding behind one of the houses. He probably realized he was a big colorful target! I have photographs of the pea-couple from another trip and my growing Talons gallery on my website under Fauna.

The friend I was with grew up on a farm. Her parents are retired but continue to raise chickens. They have lost several to bald eagles. In the past couple of years, they have taken steps to protect their flock with wire above in addition to the 8-foot fence to keep raccoons and coyotes out.

It's the water

2011-07-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

Tumwater Historical Park is a relaxing spot to have lunch on a sunny afternoon on the banks of the Deschutes River. The original Olympia Beer Brewhouse rests on the opposite bank. A promising sale to a local investor fell through when the buyer found out there are no sewer or water lines serving the property. The brewery was built in 1906, fell into disuse during the Prohibition, then started brewing again in a new and much larger brewery on the hill above the old brewhouse, which continued to be used for storage. The building is an icon in the area. Those of us who grew up with "Oly" will remember the slogan "it's the water." Glacier-fed rivers and spring-fed streams are everywhere here.

Visit my Tumwater Falls gallery for images from the falls park a short way upstream from the brewhouse.

Old Brewhouse in winter was featured in a juried show in Auburn, WA, last winter.


Floating the Deschutes - Kate Lynch

Eagle yoga and pouncing practice

2011-07-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

Papa eagle practiced yoga in the next tree over from our favorite nest.

Mama eagle flew off for an evening salmon snack. Junior, who now takes up most of the nest, practiced pouncing on unsuspecting insects.

He or she appears to be the only fledgling and he's huge. I remember reading that Ma Nature gives young eagles "training wheels" to make it easier to learn to fly. Wing and tail feathers of fledglings are longer that their parents to help with the extra lift they need. About 40 percent of fledglings don't make it past their first flight. So "branching" or jumping from branch to branch in the nest is good practice. This aerie has lots of pouncing and branching spots.

They literally have the summer to learn the eagle ways. Then they are on their own. Visit my Talons Gallery for more images of eagles and other raptors.

Seaside Bayside

2011-07-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

The west side of the Olympics and North Bay at high tide

Ocean Shores reminds me a lot of the Jersey Shore and Delaware's North Shore. The area is really a giant sandbar with Pacific Ocean on one side, Grays Harbor and North Bay on the bayside. North Bay is shallow and much of it a mud flat during low tide - a favorite of shorebirds, eagles, raccoons, and the occasional black bear. Favorite Sky & Water images are in my online gallery.

Roosevelt Beach and Copalis Rock

Wildlife at the beach

2011-07-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

Great blue heron

Padme the wonderdog and I headed for the coast to escape the 48-plus hours of fireworks that make our town sound like a war zone. We visited our friend Pat in Ocean Shores, which also allows fireworks for three days but only on the ocean beaches. This is the first July 4th weekend that she actually slept (me too!).

The bay side of Ocean Shores is in the flyway of the Grays Harbor Wildlife Refuge. We saw lots of birds...and lots of black-tailed deer. The deer here are even more tame than in DuPont. People who live in Ocean Shores like to feed them like folks in the San Juan Islands. Of course, that means everything they plant has to be encased in wire. I'll post more photos tomorrow. In the meantime, if you haven't visited my Water Wings gallery, I hope you'll take a peak.

Happy dog at the beach

Tending the nest

2011-06-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

Papa eagle joins mama (obscured to right)

The nest routine appears to be leaving the youngsters to the nest on their own with frequent feedings and check-ins from mama, papa, and sometimes both parents.

These are from earlier this week. For the past couple of days, I haven't seen mama eagle or youngsters. I think they may have fledged and are out practicing eagle ways. Tonight I saw papa eagle return to one of his favorite trees but no sign of the rest of the family.

Mama appears to do most of the hunting now, while papa keeps watch from favorite lookouts near the nest. He often practices treetop yoga, preens, and fluffs out feathers.

Mama eagle lifts off and heads for the delta.

I would love to know where she goes. This time she flew off in the direction of Sequalitchew Creek to the north and joined another adult eagle. Maybe a grown child, a sibling? These two eagles are part of what seems to be a large extended family. We often seen several eagles soaring on the thermals together near our house. Earlier in the day before I photographed these images, I saw two adults and two juveniles about a block from my house. They might well have been my favorite eagle pair helping their fledgling kids learn the eagle ways. They were here for a few moments - long enough for me to notice - then south and down to the delta.

Visit my Talons Gallery for the growing collection of fine art prints I have available.

Active eagle's nest

2011-06-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

I managed to screw up my new monopod by pulling a section completely out, in my haste to catch mama eagle leaving the nest and her youngster. The light was low and flat, so shots would have been cleaner with support from the monopod.

Ah well. Some fun views to catch nevertheless.

Mama eagle was tending the nest and talking to her mate, who was on lookout duty in the snag to the left of the nest.

I would love to know what she was saying. "The kid's hungry! Is it my turn AGAIN to get him some grub? Would it be too much to ask for you to pick something up on your way home once in awhile? Junior is as big as I am and has an appetite to match!"

I photographed these on Saturday. Tonight, there were four bald eagles - two adults and two juveniles - practicing on the thermals about a block from my house. By the time I got my camera, they had moved to the far side of the ridge over the Nisqually delta.

I'm convinced that they are all extended family of this prolific pair. A few weeks ago, I photographed papa eagle with two juveniles about a block from the nest.

I recently joined an artists cooperative in Tacoma - 253 Collective - and will be exhibiting prints of some of these images. Please let me know your favorites. I will have a special showing "For the Birds...and the Trees" in August. I will have prints from my Talons, Hummers, and Nisqually galleries.

Mama left the nest, glided past papa eagle, made a large circle around the woodlands behind the nest, and then was gone from view. I waited a few minutes but she apparently was off hunting. Meanwhile Junior tried out his wings. I think it won't be long until he fledges. I am still only seeing one youngster, unless they are only showing themselves one at a time.

Eagle nursery monitor

2011-06-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Mama eagle was taking a break in the tree right above the nest. Taking breaks is easy to understand when you see how big her youngster already has grown. We heard a baby or babies in the nest.

I only saw one chick and that was while I was editing these photographs. He blended in with the nest so well, I didn't see him while I was shooting. Mama talked to them, then flew over to check on them.


Youngster is circled.

She was there for a short time, then flew back to her perch within view of the nest. She scanned the sky for intruders and probably wondered where her mate was with tonight's dinner.

For more favorites, visit my Talons Gallery.

Pájaros y aves-Small & large Puerto Rican birds

2011-06-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

Puerto Rican Emerald © Kate Lynch

I am still amazed at the variety of birds I saw in Puerto Rico in what was really a long weekend. The hummingbirds were very high in the tree. The light was bright but flat, so my shots were not great. I was excited to see many birds that are endemic to Puerto Rico and not generally seen outside the Caribbean islands. This one is a Puerto Rican Emerald. The other is the Puerto Rican Woodpecker.

I will post more on my blog and then create a new gallery of these very cool birds. In the meantime, you can check out other favorite winged creatures in my Fauna Gallery.

We were coming back from Mosquito Pier on the Atlantic side of the island when we spotted a very large bird circling above the bay. I thought it might be a great blue heron. I found out later that it was a magnificent frigatebird. Those are the birds that puff out a red throat sack during courting. This one is a female (no red throat).


Magnificent Frigatebird © Kate Lynch

Puerto Rican Woodpecker

Black-necked stilt © Kate Lynch

Puerto Rico - old fort and lighthouse

2011-06-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Fortín Cande de Mirasol was the last fort the Spanish built in the Americas. It was begun in the 1840s and never completed. Now it is an art and history museum on a hill above Isabel Segunda (Isabella II) on isla de Vieques, Puerto Rico. While we were there, a music teacher was giving guitar lessons.

Isabella II was the only female monarch of Spain and deposed during the 1868 Spanish revolution. There is a wonderful view of the Atlantic and El Faro de Punta Mulas (Point Mulas Lighthouse).

Glowing water-bioluminescent bay

2011-06-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

Bahía Mosquito - better known to visitors as Bio Bay - is one of several bays in Puerto Rico that glow on dark nights because of tiny creatures called bioluminescent dinoflagellates. These half-plant half-animal organisms have a similar makeup to fireflies. The bay looks like any other except when you move a paddle or swim through it. We were in an electric boat that glowed blue when the engines were on. When fish or rays dart through the water, they appear to be glowing.

Lights here are from shore where the next tour was waiting.

The glow in the upper left corner is from the bus headlights on shore. The blue glow in the center is a fish. The streaks on either side are from the boat's propellers.

The companies that run tours claim that the Vieques bay has the brightest concentration of these creatures, probably because there is less light pollution and the bay has a narrower entrance. The Spanish are actually responsible for the narrow channel. They attempted to close off the bay, believing the bioluminescence to be the work of el diablo. Instead the glowing creatures became more concentrated.

By the time I figured out the right exposure to get anything but black on the image, it was time to go. If you are curious, I shot at 3200 ISO, f4.5 at 6 seconds with the camera mounted on a monopod.

The bay pretty much looks like next-door Sun Bay during daylight hours.

Isla de Vieques - Puerto Rico

2011-06-06T23:32:00.000-07:00

I just returned from la boda de mi sobrina (my niece's wedding) and a whirlwind (and very sweaty) tour of Vieques. The temps were 85 and close to 100-percent humidity (hence the sweaty part). Like other parts of the world, Puerto Rico is experiencing climate changes. There was more rain than normal in late May, creating very muggy conditions.

Vieques, also known as Isla Nena - Little Girl Island - is one of the Spanish Virgin Islands that includes the "main island" of Puerto Rico. Just a few miles from the main island, more than half of Vieques is a wildlife reserve. Up until 2003, the Navy used the island for military exercises (read: bombing range). More about that in future posts.

Vieques is home to about 10,000 people and probably another 10,000 Paso Fino horses that roam free throughout the island. There are also many cattle egrets that hang out with cattle and horses which don't seem to mind the birds snapping up flies and other insects.

Vieques has an abundance of birds, lizards, frogs, chickens, dogs, cats, and mongoose. Driving around the island is challenging because all of those creatures cross the roads quite frequently or just hang out on them.

Remember the Rudyard Kipling story about the mongoose Rikki-tikki-tavi? Mongooses were brought to Vieques and other Caribbean islands in the 1800s to manage pests in the sugarcane fields. Now there are an abundance of these animals which look a little like a cross between a ferret and an otter. Not a great shot of one but it was the only one I managed to get.

¡Necesito más cáfe - pronto!

Eagle hatchlings?

2011-05-31T22:36:00.000-07:00

Papa eagle kept watch tonight from a favorite snag close to the nest. It didn't look like anybody was in the nest until I edited these photos. I circled mama eagle in the nest with her wings spread. I think at least one hatchling has emerged.

A curious songbird checked in on papa eagle but he was only concerned about other raptors getting close. Favorite eagle, osprey, and owl images are in my Talons Gallery.

Redhead in the woods

2011-05-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

We see pileated woodpeckers in the woodlands here in DuPont from time to time, especially along the Puget Sound ridge. They are quick, though, and often very high in the trees. We spotted this female above the Ridgeview Trail. My Audubon guide says that females have a black "moustache" and males have red. Not sure where the moustache is on a creature with a long pointy nose. I think they are more like "chops." More inhabitants of my neighborhood are in my DuPont Nisqually galleries.

Mama eagle keeps watch

2011-05-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Female eagles are sometimes called hen-eagles. Chaucer called them formel.

It wasn't until I edited these photos that I recognized this was mama eagle keeping watch. Bald eagles pair for life and both parents share duties of nesting and feeding of young. Although mama spends most of her time in the nest while eggs are incubating, papa steps in to give her a break. Female eagles are larger than males and have slightly thicker bills. Since I have been photographing this pair for the past couple of months, I knew that the eagle on lookout was mama. I am adding a closeup of papa eagle from early May. More favorite images can be found in my Talons Gallery.

Male eagles are called tercel eagles in falconry.

The nest was quiet last night. If papa was there, he was hunkered down. Male eagles add evergreen branches to the nest before the young hatch. It's getting tougher to see what's going on in the nest because of all the added greenery. If you want to learn more about bald eagles, there are several good sites. The most comprehensive is BaldEagleInfo.com, created and managed by Hope Rutledge. The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has an excellent Raptor Ecology site and, of course, Bald Eagle Management & Protection.

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote about the devotion of eagles in the 14th Century:
The royal tercel, with bowed head and humble appearance, delayed not and spoke: "As my sovereign lady, not as my spouse, I choose - and choose with will and heart and mind - the formel of so noble shape upon your hand. I am hers wholly and will serve her always."

Later in our walk, we encountered a black-tailed deer who stood very still and stared at me while I photographed her. Luckily Padme didn't see her. She was maybe 30 feet away from me.

Patient eagle pair

2011-05-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

We walked over to see how things were going in our local aerie. It looks like a few new additions have been made to the nest, making the walls a bit higher. It looks a little like rustic side rails on a crib. Mama eagle patiently tends to her eggs.

In the next tree, papa eagle keeps watch while doing his evening yoga stretches and cleaning his feathers. More favorites in my Talons Gallery. More images of papa and the kids from earlier broods are published in earlier entries here.

Colorful birds

2011-05-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

Barn swallow

We usually see a lot of barn swallows and tree swallows that show up when the weather warms and the flying insects emerge. We had a cold spring with frost as late as the second week of May this year. Maybe that's why I'm seeing very few barn swallows and what seems to be a smaller population of tree swallows. I read on the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife website that barn swallows have been in decline for the past 30 years. Two barn swallows surveyed my roof and talked to each other: Whaddya think...should we build here? I dunno...whaddya think? They visit me but seem to think there's too much birdie traffic to nest here. Check out my Swallows Gallery for more.

Varied thrush

Some random visitors swing by the front yard birdie spa from time to time. Here are two newbies. I have never seen a varied thrush before, although my Audubon field guide says that are fairly common and hang out with robins.

Also new to the birdie spa were two scrub jays. They visited the feeders for a short time and then were gone. Their favorite food is acorns and they are often credited with regenerating oak forests destroyed by fire or drought, because they bury more acorns than they eat.

Scrub jay

Speaking of oak forests, this is the last week for the Urban Forest Project banners in downtown Tacoma. My banner - which you can see up close and personal in front of the Marriott Courtyard on Pacific - will be turned into a very cool messenger bag sometime in June. You can also buy a really inexpensive print or T-shirt with my banner design to benefit Tacoma Urban Forest Project. Just search for my name on the site.

Woodland wildflowers

2011-05-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

I love wildflowers but rarely know the names. I found quite a variety on the woofie walk this evening. Here are several white wildflowers and some berry blossoms. Tomorrow I will post lavender, blue, and pink. See my Flora Gallery and Prairie Gallery for others.

Flight practice

2011-05-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

This has to be the best time to be a bald eagle. Biologists devote their lives to monitoring their nests. Eagles that are injured or killed make national news. EagleCams have millions of devoted viewers.

There is no doubt, eagles are making a tremendous recovery.

I tried to talk my brother-in-law, an avid birder in Virginia, into coming out to Washington for the Skagit Eagle Festival, where dozens of bald eagles gather in winter for a salmon feed.

He told me he could see the same thing at home. There are so many bald eagles on the Potomac River, they are like pigeons, he tells me.

We spotted three bald eagles engaged in flight practice, flying in formation, soaring on thermals, occasional jousting in mock battle. At least two were juveniles and an adult was later joined by another adult.

For my favorite raptor images, visit my Talons Gallery.

Eagles aloft, mama eagle in aerie

2011-05-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

I spotted two adult bald eagles flying over the road to my house, so I pulled over to photograph them.

They must be part of the extended family of the nesting pair in our neighborhood. When eagles are nesting, they keep other eagles up to two miles from their nest. This pair was flying a couple of blocks from the nest.

I watched for a few minutes as they danced in the air with each other, then lifted high into the sky and out of sight. I wondered if these were older children of our prolific pair that have been producing broods for at least the past six years.

We visited the nest on our woofie walk this evening. Mama eagle appears to still be working on hatching eggs high in the aerie. When the babies start showing up, I'm planning to rent a longer lens. Without the 300mm lens, I can barely make out her white head.

Later in our walk along the ridge, I spotted two, then three juveniles. I suspect these are our nesting pair's last brood. One of the three has a wing that has some shorter feathers, like something cut it off. One of the adults had a notch in his wing too. For more favorite raptor images, visit my Talons Gallery.

Back to humming

2011-05-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

The bald eagles' nest is mostly quiet this week. Dad has kept the earlier brood away from the nest and Mom is getting ready for the new hatchlings.

Meanwhile both Anna's and rufous hummingbirds are frequenting the front porch birdie spa.

I have two feeders separated by two hanging flower baskets. The male and female rufous each visit their favorite feeder. The Anna's visited one feeder briefly, then I didn't see him again. The female spent quite a bit of time at the feeders or camping in the vine maple below the feeders.

None of them paid attention to the flowers although I have several hummer favorites growing.

See my Hummers Gallery for my favorites.

A little lipstick

2011-05-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

I managed to work on indoor tasks all day while the sun shone. When Padme and I finally went out for our walk, it started raining. The camera stayed in the bag. Earlier today, I decided to photograph an indoor plant that just began to flower.

I bought this hanging plant - Aeschynanthus lobbianus - a couple of years ago. It was labeled as "angel plant" and native to southeast Asia. It seems to be very happy in my northeast kitchen window. It has grown to about three feet long.

Last year it had several waxy dark red flowers. Maybe it didn't get enough light or something else. This year, it is very clear why the common name is lipstick plant.

Eagles' nest drama

2011-05-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

Sean, Padme the wonderdog, and I walked down to where our neighborhood eagles are nesting to see how things were going. There was no sign of the male eagle but we spotted a white head above the nest. While I was photographing, a young woman who lives in one of the houses that flank the nest came across the street to tell me that I just missed the juveniles doing a fly-by. She told us that the pair pushed three juveniles out of the nest recently but they fly by to say hi to mom. I wondered if they were the same juveniles I saw above Ridgeview Trail a couple of weeks ago.

Then the young woman's mother came over to introduce herself and told me the pair has been nesting in the area for a few years. The original nest was up higher but crashed in a windstorm. This nest is more protected. It looks a little like a bunker, so the pair certainly learned how to build a stronger nest.

We continued on our walk. As we rounded the block to the north, Sean pointed to the sky. We saw two eagles flying by the nest and heard mama eagle talking to the youngster. Bald eagles have an endearing kind of chortle they speak to their loved ones.

Then we saw papa eagle shooing away his youngster who actually looks quite a bit larger than dad. What a blessing to experience. For more eagles, hawks, and other raptors, visit my Talons Gallery.

Fishing eagle

2011-05-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

We spent a couple of hours at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge with some friends. Rain with sunbreaks - a term I had never heard before moving to rainy western Washington - punctuated the day and kept the usual Saturday crowds to dedicated birders and photographers.

We watched a female bald eagle fishing for crab on the banks of Medicine Creek. Fishing wasn't very good, though, so she headed for a favorite fishing platform in the trees. See Talons Gallery for more.

Hundreds of swallows - tree, barn, violet blue, and cliff - cleared the air of clouds of gnats and other insects. See Swallows Gallery for more.

Eagle Sunset

2011-05-05T22:51:00.000-07:00

Spot was in the taller tree right next to the nest tree. He's a very good Dad and has made his presence well known to other sky creatures. None were in the vicinity, except the occasional tree swallow.

While I was photographing him, his mate flew off too quickly for me to catch her. She was off in the direction of the delta.

The light was amazingly golden at 8 p.m. when I photographed these. We had rain and gray skies all day until then.

Olympus Framed

Regal Raptor

2011-05-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

The male of the nesting bald eagle pair chose a different tree to make his presence known. Birds of all kinds are giving him a wide berth. No sign of the female, probably because she's sitting on eggs. The nest is really obscured, so it is difficult to see if she's in there. I think this is the first year eagles have nested in this spot. It will be interesting to see if they decide to stay. They are literally 50 feet above someone's backyard, although technically on Fort Lewis. These homes back up to a woodland that is on Joint Base Lewis McChord.

I'm thinking about calling this guy "Spot" because that's what he looks like from a couple of blocks away: a spot of white high in a tree.

Eagle Yoga

2011-05-02T22:53:00.000-07:00

Namaste humans. And so we begin...first by sitting quietly and gently breathing...in...out...in...out. That's it.

Now for a gentle neck stretch...breathe into it. You should feel this all the way down your back...almost to your tail feathers. Careful not to overstretch. Breathe...b-r-e-a-t-h-e. That's it.

Feel the pranic energy flow from the top of your head, down your spine, filling you with light as you breathe. I want you to send prana down your body and into the tree, so you are firmly anchored to the earth. Know, dear ones, that for those of us with wings, this is particularly challenging. If I can do this, so can you. Just b-r-e-a-t-h-e. Send down your pranic roots. Become one with the tree, with the earth. That's it.

Next, let's s-t-r-e-t-c-h that wing slowly out and back. At the same time, s-t-r-e-t-c-h that tail ever so gently. Feel the stretch...but don't overdo. That's it dear ones. Remember to b-r-e-a-t-h-e.

Ah! Doesn't that just feel marvelous dear ones? Now just one more stretch. This one will stimulate the scalp and rid you of all of those parasitic thoughts that get in the way of living free, the eagle yoga way.

I want you to free yourself from worry and parasites. I want you to fly...free as a...well...me.

Ahhhhhhhh!

Dear ones, that is Eagle Yoga for today. Namaste.

For more lessons from the Bird Realm, visit the Fauna gallery.

Eagles nest and dramatic skies

2011-04-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

We walked out the front door tonight to a downpour with hail chasing kids home from the park and quickening the steps of dog walkers. We waited a couple of minutes, then headed out as the shower slowed and the sun shone through.

We took the street where we are seeing and hearing bald eagles, slowing next to each house to see if we could spot the nest. See if you can spot the nest. I could only see it clearly through my telephoto lens.

Two nights ago, the eagle grooming himself in the snag exchanged greetings with another eagle we could hear in the trees.

We didn't see or hear any eagles this time. It looks like they are still working on the nest. It seems rather precariously balanced.

A few minutes later we were treated to rainbows and spectacular cloud formations. For other favorite skies, visit my Places and Sky and Water galleries.

Eagles near and far

2011-04-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

We are seeing lots of bald eagles on our hill. When I was at the wildlife refuge last weekend, I noticed that the bald eagle nest above the twin barns was falling apart. I wondered if the increased foot traffic with the new boardwalk at the refuge is driving eagles higher up to nest. We are directly above the refuge.

Padme, Sean and I walked past the woodland where I saw a bald eagle a couple of days ago. The same eagle was preening and cleaning his feathers on the same snag. We watched him for a few minutes and heard him talking to another eagle that was out of eyesight. I asked a homeowner if he had seen a nest and he told me he heard there was one in the trees a few doors down, right where we heard the other eagle.

The sunset and clouds over the Olympics was glorious tonight. We got there just in time for the light show.

Eagles and Hawks online gallery

Neighborhood eagle

2011-04-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

Padme the wonderdog and I often find unexpected things on our walks, usually in the skies.

Tonight we spotted a bald eagle flying around a small woodland behind some houses about a half mile from our house. DuPont is surrounded on three sides by Joint Base Lewis McChord and on the fourth side by Puget Sound. Much of the base on the west side of Interstate 5 is wooded. One of the base's golf courses, the aptly named Eagles Pride, is just a few blocks east of our house. I have seen a couple of adult bald eagles head for this woodland at night. I don't see a nest but it might be farther back in the trees. We watched for a few minutes, didn't see any more eagle activity, and it started to drizzle. So we moved on for today.

I am gradually updating my Eagles and Hawks gallery. There are a few favorite images in the gallery. More this week.

Hummingbird ballet

2011-04-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

Ballet? Tonight the hummingbirds were more like bomber pilots. Flash chased off another male Anna's and a male rufous.

Although I haven't seen any female hummingbirds at the feeders, I did see two female rufous hummers on the other side of a large red current thicket at the Nisqually refuge yesterday. I quietly moved to their side of the thicket but they were gone.

Meanwhile high above the ridge, eight juvenile and adult bald eagles practiced air dancing tonight. I was so fascinated that I forgot about the hummingbirds, which they were probably happy about. The eagles were too far away and it was too dark to capture any worthwhile images. So I watched, listening to the frogs on the ground and eagles ch-ch-cheer messages to each other.

Hummingbird Gallery

Swallows

2011-04-22T23:17:00.000-07:00

Tree swallow

I spent a pleasant couple of hours at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge this afternoon. There just is no bad day at Nisqually. There is always something different and often unexpected.

This winter, the refuge hosted a great egret, for example. They are rare in western Washington and even rarer anywhere in the Northwest in the winter.

After seeing an osprey outside my front door yesterday, I figured I would see at least one osprey at the refuge. Instead, I saw lots of swallows - tree swallows and what I thought was a different kind of barn swallow.

I found out the swallows that are making elaborate birdie condominiums are actually cliff swallows. I haven't seen any barn swallows yet this season. Lots of tree swallows, more down on the delta than up on our hill.

Visit my online Swallow Gallery for other favorites.

Tree swallow

Cliff swallows

Osprey out front

2011-04-21T22:26:00.000-07:00

What a treat this evening to see an osprey gliding on the winds above Chief Leschi Park across the street from my house. I expected to see a bald eagle or two but they must all be fishing down in the Nisqually delta. This was a perfect raptor gliding day: sunny and light winds. I wondered why this osprey was so far from the water. Maybe nest scouting...that would be cool!

To see more of my favorite seahawk images, visit my Osprey gallery.

Sunset and moonset

2011-04-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

The light has been incredible for the past couple of evenings. The sun glows through the evergreens, changing the colors of the woodland and the flowering cherries on the street.

This morning, the moon dropped golden over the woodlands and the neighborhood at dawn as it set in the south.

Hummers - where are the girls?

2011-04-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

Flash moving in

This week I put out two flower baskets, which helps block views between my two feeders. A male rufous and two male Anna's visit regularly, most frequently at dusk to tank up for the night. I haven't seen any female Anna's or rufous. I don't think the female rufous hummingbirds have arrived yet.

Rufous hummingbird

Tonight, a male rufous spent some time at the feeder, then flew off. A couple of seconds later, Flash landed in the same spot on the same feeder. Flash chased off another Anna's and took over both feeders.

Anna's hummingbird

Always watching

Padme the wonderdog and I spotted two male Anna's on our walk tonight - one about two blocks from our house and the other in the woods. Both were positioning and glowing in the sun. There do not appear to be any females around to impress with all that hummer bravado.

Please let me know any favorites you think I should add to my Hummer gallery.

Bald eagle flight practice

2011-04-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

Bald eagles can live up to 30 years in the wild. It takes juvenile bald eagles about five years to develop the characteristic white head and tail. Until that time, juveniles practice flight maneuvers, including spectacular mating dances midair.

I spotted three juveniles above Ridgeview Trail, soaring on thermals, making wide circles overhead.

Winged drama

2011-04-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

The skies were clearing this afternoon although the mountains are still mostly obscured by clouds. Padme the wonderdog and I took one of our regular walking routes down to the golf course where there are sweeping sky views. There were lots of starlings and an occasional robin. Then I spotted a very large bird. I figured it was a bald eagle because it was, well, large. It was circling an area right at the ridge above Puget Sound. Herons are large birds that we see in this area too but they usually don't circle and glide on the air currents. I quickly pulled my camera out of my backpack. When I scanned the sky with the camera, the bird was just gone. Maybe it spotted dinner and dove to the ground?

A couple of seconds later, the bird moved up in the sky but there were two ravens above it. For the next several minutes, three ravens dive-bombed what I now could see was probably a red-tailed hawk because of the tail and head shapes. The hawk is actually upside down and the raven above it.

The hawk landed in a tree to regroup. You can see him with wings stretched out in the lower left corner. Above is a raven diving toward the hawk.

Two ravens flushed out the hawk which then flew off. One raven circled the area, while another perched on a branch. I didn't see a nest in the tree but there might have been one nearby.

Just another day in the bird kingdom. Visit my Nisqually and Osprey galleries for other favorites.

Wings in the clouds

2011-04-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

Great blue heron

Sun breaks in blue skies were sandwiched between a storm front to the east and towering clouds to the west. Just before sunset, we see groups of birds heading back down the ridge to the Nisqually delta. Tonight there were herons, eagles, and a lone Northern harrier. These herons were quite a ways off but I loved the interplay of wings and clouds.

Trio of herons

The tree swallows and barn swallows have returned to the ridge, which means mosquitoes are not far behind.

Pacific madrones above Puget Sound

Seahawk at Chambers Creek

2011-04-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

Growing up in New Jersey, we would often visit Island Beach State Park. As a college photography student, I walked the dune trails and beaches regularly. I have two selenium-toned black-and-white images from those years hanging in my house. The park preserves the Atlantic coastline the way it was before side-by-side beach houses crowded The Shore, as we call it in Jersey. Early on, power lines were installed underground but several power poles were left in place for nesting osprey - or seahawk.

In all of those years, I never saw an osprey. Like bald eagles and many other birds, osprey were nearly wiped out from pesticide poisoning. They started making a comeback after DDT was banned in 1972.

About 90% of the pairs nesting along the coast between New York City and Boston disappeared between 1950 and 1970.

This guy defended his fishing grounds from a tree above the Chambers Creek fish ladder. His nest and his mate are downstream at Chambers Bay. I watched him chase off two bald eagles. There is a bald eagle nest downstream above the creek. Upstream, five juvenile bald eagles have staked out fishing perches.

Osprey are a little smaller than bald eagles but not much. They have a similar silhouette in the sky with a 6-foot wingspan. They are white underneath like a peregrine. I will be adding a few of these to my Osprey online gallery. Let me know your favorites.

Here's lookin' at you kid!

Fishing grounds above the fish ladder

Redheads and pink trees

2011-04-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

I love birds of all kinds, from skittish chickadees and territorial hummingbirds to fish-snatching osprey and frenetic kestrels. I'm fascinated by how each type of bird has adapted to its environment. In order to catch bird activity in photography, my camera has to be ready and I need to act quickly.

I see a lot of birds on my daily walks with Padme the wonderdog. I usually take my camera bag but don't always have the camera out and ready to shoot. Mainly because it's usually drizzling here, so I limit how long my camera is exposed to moisture.

In the past month, there have been several occasions where bald eagles and great blue herons flew directly over me. I tell myself that would make for an uninteresting photo of the underside of a large bird against a gray sky.

Last night's woofie walk was no different. This time, though, I had my camera out with the longer (300mm) lens. I managed to catch a very active red-breasted sapsucker, usually a very shy bird. I was reluctant to use a flash but that would have made him sharper. These were photographed about 6:45 p.m. in low light at 800 ISO.

The light was dramatic yesterday evening. Our street is lined with flowering cherry trees that burst into bloom this week. Here is a favorite.

Flash's Aerial Ballet

2011-04-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

The other Anna's and rufous hummers must be scouting out nesting areas. I've decided to call this new guy "Flash" because he likes to flash over to one feeder, back to the tree, then flash to the other feeder.

These were all photographed in very low light at about 7:45 p.m. with a 75mm lens. I usually shoot hummers with a 200-300mm lens, so I wasn't sure if I would get anything worthwhile.

I love the action in these images. At least a couple make Flash look more like a dragonfly on steroids. Too early for dragonflies but never too early for hummers.

Let me know if you think I should add any of these or others I photographed in April and March to my Hummer gallery.

Close-in humming

2011-04-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

The rufous hummingbirds that arrived last week have not been around today. This male Anna's is a younger guy than my buddy Jim.

He's not wild about me hanging around the feeders but doesn't challenge me the way Jim would.

I had a chance to catch a few images of the nightly mega-feeding before it got too dark to see where he landed in the tree.

Ok, the last one is not a bird. I couldn't resist the glistening droplets on my new African daisy. The hummers might not pay attention to them but the butterflies will like them.

Check out the gallery of my favorite Hummers.

Tacoma streets and waterways

2011-04-02T23:07:00.000-07:00

I met some friends in downtown Tacoma for Celebrate Trees - a city event to introduce the Urban Forest Project. One of my designs was selected for street banners on display along Pacific Avenue through May.

I am also donating 25 percent of sales from my As Above, So Below gallery to Urban Forest Project and to DuPont Parks.

Here are a few favorite images from my day in "T-town." I also posted a gallery of images from the Celebrate Trees event on Facebook.

Hello Cupcake-Irish Creme

Mountain peeking

2011-03-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

After a solid week of drizzle and rain, even a weak sunbreak is a welcome respite. I've been under the weather for the past several days with a nasty head cold. So this was the first day since Sunday that Padme the wonderdog and I have ventured out to our favorite mountain peeking spot.

The Olympic range was dressed in low puffy clouds and some bright light just before sunset. Here are a couple of favorites from our peak peeking.

I just posted a new online Mountain Gallery with some favorites from the past year, along with a couple of all-time favorites of the Olympics and Mount Rainier.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

All Hail to Water

2011-03-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

These are just for fun. While working in my office, I heard hail on the porch roof. Hail churned up the water in the birdbath next to the porch. I photographed the action for a few minutes. Here are my favorites.

In the first image below, that's a hail crystal that bounced out of the water.

Finches eat flowers-who knew?

2011-03-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

House finches and purple finches, regular visitors to the birdie spa, really like plum blossoms...almost as much as sunflower seeds.

Generally, anywhere from 10 to 30 finches visit the plum tree in the front yard birdie spa. I wondered why I was seeing flowers on the ground shortly after the tree started flowering.

Then I saw this guy twisting himself upside down to get the unopened blossoms, and picking off already open flowers to get to them. >

Hmm! Now I'm wondering if that's why there weren't many flowers last spring.

Rufous boys are back - Jim's not happy

2011-03-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

The plum tree and the crocuses bloom in very early spring in this part of Washington, sometimes late February. We know spring is really here when the rufous hummingbirds return. The guys return first, scope out food sources, and wait for the girls to get here.

I saw some smaller hummers at the feeder this week but they were in shadow, so I assumed they were Anna's.

I don't remember seeing rufous hummers when I lived in Arizona. Probably because a family of Costa's hummingbirds took up residence in the olive tree in front of my house...and the feeder. Costas look very similar to Annas. The males have purple instead of magenta on their heads.

Female rufous are less colorful but still have a rusty orange - rufous - coloring. Some of my favorite hummer images are in my Hummer gallery.

I watched the feeders for about an hour, first from the window, then outside on the porch and in the front yard. Two rufous guys were feeding together...well, one on each feeder. They took off and a couple of seconds later, "Jim" the male Anna's landed on the same feeder.

Jim was not happy about the intruders. He stationed himself in the plum tree until dark, regularly shooing away rufous visitors to the birdie spa.

Looks like it's time to move one of the feeders to the other side of the house.

Spring in the birdie spa

2011-03-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung in the birdie spa with lots of play, positioning, and a little jousting.

The hummers have lots more to keep them happy with favorite flowers blooming in the woods and insects reappearing.

It took about an hour to get a few mostly bad shots of a male Anna's, somewhat smaller than "Jim" who stationed himself in the plum tree through the winter.

A pair of chickadees spent a lot of time here today but are really tough to catch.

Lots of house finches and Oregon dark-eyed juncos visited the feeders and the tree. Last week I saw a couple of finches picking plum blossoms and eating them.

Rufous hummingbirds, barn swallows, and tree swallows will likely be in the birdie spa in the next week or so. We usually see rufous by the last week in March, and swallows shortly after. See my Fauna Gallery for past visitors.

Earth and Sky

2011-03-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Everything seems to be coming alive, even though it still dips into the low 30s at night. Already there are spring peepers (Pacific chorus frogs) making themselves known from the pond a couple of blocks away.

Gold and silver bathe the Nisqually delta and a green gold paints the forest floor.

Winter Moon to Spring Birds

2011-03-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

The skies were clear until the rise of the "super moon," a perigee moon that was 20 percent larger than normal. Lots of sky drama. However, by the time the clouds parted, the moon was high in the sky.

These were photographed between 10:30 and 11 p.m.

The first day of spring is also my son's birthday. The day he was born in Arizona, it was 95 degrees. So, I always appreciate spring here.

Daffodils and hyacinths are starting to bloom and the flowering plum has been a busy place with many different birds.

A flock of red-winged blackbirds frequented the birdie spa all morning.

Lots of juncos, purple and house finches, a couple of robins, and a lightning-quick chickadee that I am still trying to photograph. I think they are faster than the hummingbirds.

Growing Up Irish-American

2011-03-16T23:19:00.000-07:00

Beannachtaí na féile Pádraig!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I am a 4th generation Irish-American who grew up in a small town with ties to the auld sod and roots in social justice. Bordentown, NJ, was founded by Quakers in 1682. For many years, the Bordentown Historical Society has resided in the former Friends Meeting House downtown. The Quakers were "first responders" to the tragedy that unfolded in Ireland in the mid-1840s: a devastating famine that killed a million and a half people and drove at least a million more to American and Australian shores. Both sides of my family are here because of that famine: Doyles, Finnegans, and Lalors on my mother's side and Lynches, O'Connells, and McNichols on my father's side.

At St. Mary's, the Catholic grade school I attended, the priest and most of the nuns were Irish. Every year, I danced and sang in the St. Patrick's Day Show, dressed in starched organza (green, of course) and patent leather Mary Janes. I instinctively knew not to wear orange on St. Patrick's Day, lest I attract the sisters' ire, and random pinches from fellow students who knew better. It wasn't until years later that I learned the real reason for the orange ban: the Orangemen who yearly celebrated the triumph of William of Orange over King James II, the last English Catholic monarch to reign over Ireland.

People who have been following my blog over the past year will remember my images of Ireland. Last summer, I sifted through slides from a Ireland trip, scanned them...and remembered. A couple of months ago, I pulled together those blog entries, and produced an e-book which was enlarged and exhibited at my "day job."

Visit my Celtic American online gallery.

You can download the e-book from that gallery as well: Ireland Revisited. You are welcome to print a copy for your personal use or read it online. Just a reminder that I hold the copyright.

A few years ago, I gave my family members a family recipe and story binder with the idea that everyone would contribute to it. Several of us have been adding to it each year, making it a special treasure.

My contribution for 2011 is my Irish soda bread recipe. I always wondered why my family didn't really have a soda bread tradition. I did some research and learned that it became popular in Ireland after the potato famine. I also posted my recipe on my website which, as you will read, is an adaptation and not "true" soda bread.

Plum blossoms

2011-03-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

Spring is indeed making an early appearance, despite the piles of snow in the parking lot at work. The plum tree in the front yard is the centerpiece of the birdie spa. Last year, it didn't bloom at all.

This year, delicate rosy buds and pink blossoms pop open next to red leaves, just in time to confuse the rufous hummingbirds which we should start seeing in the next week or two.

Juncos and chickadees were very active in the birdie spa today. I forgot how quick both birds are. More later....

Hummingbird Ballet

2011-03-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

Lots of activity at the feeders at dusk. The challenge, of course, is that I have to shoot at 800 ISO or higher, with fill flash. So images tend to be grainy and a little diffused. Two guy hummers actually sat side-by-side for a nano-second. I think they might be brothers because "Jim" didn't immediately chase the other off.

They did alternate feeders eventually, so the drama was minimal. The second Anna's hummingbird tends to stay in motion and likes to perch on the flower part of the feeder instead of the rail on the outside of the feeder. He also uses his wings the whole time. Jim, on the other hand, sits and leisurely sips, except to chase off another hummingbird.

Hummingbird Gallery online.

More winter humming

2011-02-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

Our winter hummingbirds are Anna's - Calypte anna -
and they are here year round. We do have some native and hybrid plants that bloom in late winter. Hummingbirds also manage to find insects, which is their main food source. If you keep feeders out year round, you can help them survive when we have really cold snaps.

Like some other animals in winter, notably raccoons, hummingbirds go into a torpor state when they sleep. Their temperature drops; their breathing and heart rate slows. Anna's hummingbird details-Cornell Ornithology Lab.

These birds tend to "tank up" on nectar at daybreak, then have a bit of a feeding frenzy right before sunset. "Jim" is one of two males and a female who are regularly at my feeders. I try not to stay outside very long to photograph them at sunset. Jim generally goes to the far side of the feeder farthest away from me. He will peek above the feeder to see if I'm still there.

My Hummer Gallery

Jim pretending to be a Costa's hummingbird

I just thought this shot was funny. He was determined that I was not going to photograph him flying. He would look right at me and fly straight up and out. I was standing in the front yard about 15 feet from the feeder.

Snow drops

2011-02-26T16:25:00.000-08:00

Beauty in, above, and below the snow. Sometimes in drops, sometimes in crystallized drops, and sometimes in flowery "snow."

Winter Places gallery

Mountains from both sides

2011-02-25T21:10:00.000-08:00

What a difference an hour makes. It was clear and cold this afternoon, about 30 degrees. I stopped at my favorite mountain viewing spot en route home about 5 this evening. Then did a woofie walk with the wonderdog about an hour later. Everytime I put the camera back on my bag, I pulled it right back out again.

Olympus to the west...

Rainier to the east...

More of my favorite mountains in my Places galleries.

Humming in Winter

2011-02-24T20:28:00.000-08:00

I spent an hour this morning trying to get to work on an iced-over freeway in driving snow. After seeing several four-wheel-drive trucks spin out five miles from home, I decided that telecommuting would be a better choice. It took almost another hour to return home.

"Jim," my favorite wintering Anna's hummingbird, hung out in the birdie spa in the front yard most of the day.

Jim does not like the camera shutter click. The flash doesn't seem to bother him as much as the click. Maybe it sounds like a challenger.

There may be an addition or two to my Hummer gallery soon.

Another male Anna's buzzed in later in the day. I decided to give them an hour or so before sundown to visit the feeders without the camera around.

It's supposed to dip into the teens tonight. I bring the feeders in at night when the temps are below 28 degrees Fahrenheit to keep them from freezing. Once the temperature gets above 30, the feeders stay thawed.

I'm guessing that hummingbirds don't get ice cream headaches....

Early spring

2011-02-22T20:41:00.000-08:00

Even though snow is forecast for tomorrow, spring flowers are responding early...as forecast by Punxsutawney Phil who didn't see his shadow on February 2.

This little anemone plant flowers early every year and bounces back from late winter snows. Grape hyacinths are popping up everywhere.

Clouds from both sides

2011-02-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

I remember a favorite Joni Mitchell lyric whenever I see clouds like these. "I've looked at clouds from both sides now. From up and down, and still somehow. It's cloud illusions I recall."

We seem to have atmospheric amnesia here in mostly rainy Washington state. We enjoyed a couple of sunny, chilly days. Now it's back to drizzly gray skies.

In June 2009, we had family visiting Washington state for the first time. Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains were obscured the entire time. We at least had photographic evidence of them! Here are the Olympics heading back into hiding.

All-State Choir

2011-02-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

I didn't need to think about it when my friend Sandy asked if I would like to join her at the All-State Symphonic Choir concert at Seattle Benaroya Hall. Her grandson Kyle Churman was the only singer from River Ridge High School in Lacey to be selected for this state honor.

I have fond memories of my own all-state experience. Almost exactly 40 years ago, I performed with the New Jersey All-State Choir & Orchestra in two concerts at Newark Symphony Hall and in Camden.

All-state choirs and orchestras are the best-of-the-best in their respective states. The Washington concert was just phenomenal. In addition to the 200-voice all-state choir, the Washington Music Educators Association hosted All-Northwest choirs and orchestras with high school musicians from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.

The All-Northwest Choir was 450 voices strong.

In the evening, the instrumental musicians are performing. My thanks to Sandy and Kyle for a fabulous day!

Great Egret

2011-02-15T20:38:00.000-08:00

It is unusual to see a great egret in Washington in winter and even more unusual to see one in western Washington. Egrets are large all-white herons that nearly went extinct at the end of the 19th century. Their feathers were a popular decoration for hats.

It wasn't until the late 1970s that the first nesting egrets returned to Washington state.

This guy swooped around the Nisqually delta, taking advantage of easier pickings at low tide.

Visit my DuPont Nisqually gallery for other images.

Valentines for Dads & Daughters

2011-02-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, I couldn't resist sharing a few of these special portraits from the DuPont Daddy Daughter Dance...just for Valentine's Day. This is the second year I have photographed the event and many familiar faces.

We have many military families in DuPont, since we are right next to Joint Base Lewis-McChord. That means that many young women were escorted by "dads for the dance" because their real daddies were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Last year, our Mayor Tamara Jenkins and her husband Clint accompanied two young women to the dance. Dads who were deployed last year were here this year to escort their daughters to this special event.

I remember one family in particular. Last year, their daughter was escorted to the dance by her big brother. Brother later came to the Mom Superhero Ball in May (Friday before Mother's Day) with his Mom, dressed as "men in black." It was such a delight to finally meet Dad.

More (from last year) are in my Daddy Daughter gallery and my Portrait galleries.

Thanks for the memories DuPont Dads! And welcome home to our military Dads...and Moms!

Great Blue Heron

2011-02-13T21:47:00.000-08:00

I've decided there just isn't a bad day at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Clearly lots of people agree with me. Parking was at a premium.

A new mile-long boardwalk across the estuary is now mostly done. It's about a mile walk out to the boardwalk. I got a late start, so I covered about half of the new boardwalk. I'll go back next weekend and do the entire length. The refuge was actually pretty quiet. There were some ducks and Canada geese. I saw one juvenile bald eagle but no other raptors.

There were at least a couple great blue herons and great white egrets fishing close to the boardwalk. As usual, I got about 100 shots. Here are a few favorite herons. I'll post the egret shots later this week.

My online Nisqually gallery is growing slowly.

Double Paradise

2011-02-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

I wondered if my bird of paradise was even going to bloom this year. Usually it blooms in November or December. There was another bud hiding between the window and a leaf. I spotted it from outside when I looked up at the window.

I have a tropical microclimate at the top of the stairs. The stairwell has a window facing south. This window is in the southeast corner. The downside is the thermostat for the furnace is also at the top of the stairs. So when it's 70 here, it's 62 downstairs. Brrr!

I love the way the orange petals glow when they are backlit. Bird of paradise, hibiscus, and protea are my favorite flowers. Gardenias too, but they don't like our climate here much. Lavender, of course, is for everything else, including accenting the tropicals.

Visit my Flora galleries for more of my favorite blooms, including bird of paradise.

Double hummers

2011-02-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

There were two male Anna's hummingbirds visiting the feeders this evening. I think they are related because they were not antagonizing each other. And each positioned himself at a feeder. Neither of them look like Jim, the male who has been here through the winter.

I will continue to add to my online Hummer gallery, but I will admit that I have some catching up to do. Enjoy!

January 30-Fan of Paradise

2011-01-30T22:19:00.000-08:00

I was gone most of the day on a photo shoot, so I just noticed that my bird of paradise bloomed. The bud started forming a couple of weeks ago. Usually I see a bloom, sometimes two, in late November or early December. The later bloom is probably because I pulled the 6-foot-tall plant out of the pot last summer to replace the soil. The bloom usually lasts about a month. I have two bird of paradise and a tropical hibiscus in a warm bright stairway. It's like a tropical microclimate.

This bird of paradise only blooms in late fall and winter. The hibiscus blooms year round. All three plants are about 10 years old. I bought one of the bird of paradise plants in Phoenix and brought it up here in a suitcase. The one that is blooming, though, I bought in Tacoma at the Jungle Fever plant nursery.

Fan of Paradise by Kate Lynch

The painting behind the bloom is by my old friend Christine Smith Anderson of Aspen, Colorado. I think it's from the late 1970s and based on a map of Cripple Creek, Colorado.

January 29-Ancient Grounds

2011-01-29T23:39:00.000-08:00

I met my old friend Q and my new friend Tu in downtown Seattle this afternoon. They were in town for a conference. We spent some time poking around Pike Place Market, then headed for Ivar's Acres of Clams for happy hour. We ended up at a very unique coffeehouse and gallery called Ancient Grounds. What a fabulous place! Recently I added a new Seattle gallery on my website. Take a look.

I met Q 13 years ago when she was a delegate and I was on staff at Anytown USA, a diversity, leadership, and social justice program sponsored by the National Conference for Community and Justice. Anytown is a 50-year-old program that started out as a weeklong camp for high school students. Now camps are offered for junior high and college students. Most people - both delegates and staff - who take part describe Anytown as a life-changing experience. I was on staff for camps in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Q was a delegate in 1997, then on staff in 1998 and 1999. Anytown in Arizona is now managed by the YMCA.

Q went on to get her bachelor's, master's and, most recently, doctorate in psychology. Now she's a National Institute of Mental Health fellow at San Diego State. Her research has centered on prejudice and discrimination, bicultural identities, and acculturation. She credits Anytown with setting her on this path.

Wandering kestrel

2011-01-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

The American kestrel is small and quick. About the size of a bluejay or robin, it is also called a sparrow hawk because a favorite prey is the house sparrow.

This female was easier to spot at the wildlife refuge but she was still a bit too far to get really clear closeups with the lens I have.

Unlike other falcons, she catches prey on the ground instead of mid-air.

January 22-Fish like an eagle

2011-01-22T20:55:00.000-08:00

My son and I spent late afternoon at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge which is, happily, five miles from our house - less than three miles if we walked there.

We live right above the refuge, a little to the left of the tree in the photo on the left.

We see bald eagles at least once each day, usually flying down to the refuge for lunch or dinner, then back up above our hill to glide on the winds and torment the local birds. We saw three balds on this visit, a kestrel, a few herons, and lots of Canada geese.

When I see a bald eagle in the sky I follow and shoot as fast as I can. I'm often surprised at the result. This time, I managed to capture a eagle fishing in McAllister (Medicine) Creek.

I see a 500mm lens rental in my future. I got some great shots but was too far away for the 300mm lens. More images in my Nisqually gallery and Hawks & Eagles gallery.

January 17-Windy in the birdie spa

2011-01-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

The sun returned to chase away the rain today. Jim and the other Anna's hummingbirds were challenged by wind though. They usually feed more heavily in late afternoon, tanking up for a cold night.

Even with sunlight, it is still challenging to stop action on those wings in low light. These were photographed about 4, about 45 minutes before sundown. I will be adding favorites to my Hummer gallery.

You can help me by letting me know your favorites too. You don't have to log on to leave a comment here or on my other blog entries. Thanks for your help!