Wildlife of Edmonds, WA. 2015
- Thread starter Bill Anderson
- Start date
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Tuesday (4/21) turned cold, windy, and overcast. A flock of least(?) sandpipers + a lone dunlin in breeding plumage was at the marsh.
The dunlin was noticeably larger than the sandpipers.
A Brandt's cormorant was swimming by the fishing pier.
A flock of Brant flew past the pier.
The dunlin was noticeably larger than the sandpipers.
A Brandt's cormorant was swimming by the fishing pier.
A flock of Brant flew past the pier.
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Wednesday (4/22) was another busy birding day. First stop after lunch with Terry was the Willow Creek fish hatchery. I got a shot of a my first of the year orange-crowned warbler while I was waiting for Terry.
A pair of red-tailed hawks were circling above the hatchery while we were photographing a pair of red-breasted sapsuckers at their burrow.
ATL (After Terry Left) I went down to the marina. Several pigeon guillemots were in the water below the fishing pier. All but one were in the adult breeding plumage.
This one was not in full breeding plumage, which is rather unusual for this time of the year.
A pair of red-tailed hawks were circling above the hatchery while we were photographing a pair of red-breasted sapsuckers at their burrow.
ATL (After Terry Left) I went down to the marina. Several pigeon guillemots were in the water below the fishing pier. All but one were in the adult breeding plumage.
This one was not in full breeding plumage, which is rather unusual for this time of the year.
More ATL. Wesley, the male Anna's hummer who guards the #1 viewing platform of the marsh, made some very close strafes above his nemesis, one of the neighboring song sparrows. He worked up quite an appetite, so he went gnat hunting afterwards.
The highlight of the day was photographing the pair of red-breasted sapsuckers which have dug a a burrow in the tall spar at the fish hatchery. Terry and I met there after lunch and set up our super telephoto combos: 5DIII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter. It was difficult to find good shooting angles due to the uneven terrain and leaves around the burrow.
At one point one of the sapsuckers flew down and landed on the log directly in front of us. It was too close to photograph with our super telephoto combos, but I had brought my 7D + 100-400L zoom for such an emergency.
Here are some shots of the two sapsuckers together taken with the 5DIII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter.
Terry should have some more shots of the woodpecker in the burrow.
At one point one of the sapsuckers flew down and landed on the log directly in front of us. It was too close to photograph with our super telephoto combos, but I had brought my 7D + 100-400L zoom for such an emergency.
Here are some shots of the two sapsuckers together taken with the 5DIII + 500L + 1.4x teleconverter.
Terry should have some more shots of the woodpecker in the burrow.
Terry O
Well-Known Member
More Sapsucker views
It was a worthwhile wait for the pair of Red-breasted Sapsuckers to show up! Here are a few more images.
After a bit of a wait, she/he finally stuck her head out....
One of the pair flew down to the the burnt tree root ball within about 15 or so feet from me, I was just barely able to get a focus with the 700mm combination 500 f4L and 1.4x extender (4.5m). I am guessing that I will never again see a Red-breasted Sapsucker this close to me again
At one point it flew and landed no more than 5 feet from me and seemed totally unconcerned about my presence. All I could to is just watch and enjoy the experience. These shots are only minor crops.
It was a worthwhile wait for the pair of Red-breasted Sapsuckers to show up! Here are a few more images.
After a bit of a wait, she/he finally stuck her head out....
One of the pair flew down to the the burnt tree root ball within about 15 or so feet from me, I was just barely able to get a focus with the 700mm combination 500 f4L and 1.4x extender (4.5m). I am guessing that I will never again see a Red-breasted Sapsucker this close to me again
At one point it flew and landed no more than 5 feet from me and seemed totally unconcerned about my presence. All I could to is just watch and enjoy the experience. These shots are only minor crops.
Thanks, Terry. As close as that bird was, I'm surprised you could pull off any shots.
Thursday morning (4/23) was cool and overcast, so I went down to the marsh looking for sandpipers. I was hoping that the lack of sunshine and heat would not create the glare and heat waves of the previous sunny days. A flock of about 25 western sandpipers was one of the few mudflats above water.
5DIII + 500L telephoto + 2x teleconverter, tripod mounted.
5DIII + 500L telephoto + 2x teleconverter, tripod mounted.
Wesley was getting an earful from one of his friends.
7D + 100-400L telephoto zoom, handheld.
7D + 100-400L telephoto zoom, handheld.
Thursday I bought Canon's new series II 100-400L telephoto zoom and a series III 1.4x teleconverter to go with it. I will use this combo with my 5DIII for my "walk & stalk" photo shoots and let Daren use my old 100-400L with the 7D.
Here are some photos of Wesley taken Friday afternoon (6/24) with my new lens + telecoverter. Wesley is always eager to pose.
Here are some photos of Wesley taken Friday afternoon (6/24) with my new lens + telecoverter. Wesley is always eager to pose.
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shore birds at the marsh
talked to Bill briefly yesterday, he mentioned that someone had reported large numbers of shore birds at the marsh, and wondered if i'd seen them. i stopped by there after my visit with the pileateds at Pine Ridge, and sure enough, there was a flock of little mottled birds out pecking away at the mud. there were probably 50 or 60 of them scattered across the mudflats.
the tide was out, so they were easily visible. have no idea what they are - shore birds are far from my specialty... sandpipers or plovers of some variety, i suspect. anyway, here there are...
here's a shot of the flock in flight... sorry for the crappy focus - i'd been using spot focus to shoot them on the ground, and didn't have time to change when they took off...
talked to Bill briefly yesterday, he mentioned that someone had reported large numbers of shore birds at the marsh, and wondered if i'd seen them. i stopped by there after my visit with the pileateds at Pine Ridge, and sure enough, there was a flock of little mottled birds out pecking away at the mud. there were probably 50 or 60 of them scattered across the mudflats.
the tide was out, so they were easily visible. have no idea what they are - shore birds are far from my specialty... sandpipers or plovers of some variety, i suspect. anyway, here there are...
here's a shot of the flock in flight... sorry for the crappy focus - i'd been using spot focus to shoot them on the ground, and didn't have time to change when they took off...
If those sandpipers had yellow legs, they were least sandpipers. If they had black legs, they were western sandpipers. Distinguishing the leg color is not as easy as it seems if the birds are wading in the black mud.
There was no one celebrating Cinco de Mayo on a rainy Tuesday afternoon at the #1 viewing platform of the marsh other than Wesley and I.
Wesley did his version of a flamenco dance.
I think he appreciated my company as he perched fairly close to me.
Wesley did his version of a flamenco dance.
I think he appreciated my company as he perched fairly close to me.
Thursday (5/7) after lunch, Terry, Daren, and I found a small flock of six least sandpipers in the mudflat off the #1 viewing platform of the marsh. This is the spot where we were photographing snipes last month and the closest we have seen sandpipers to date.
Even this close, we were still having problems with heat waves coming off the mud. Close cropping is to be avoided.
Least sandpipers are incredibly tiny when viewed up close with the naked eye. They the smallest shorebird, no larger than a song sparrow.
Daren and I returned to the marsh in the late afternoon. The sandpipers had moved out to the large mudflat in the middle of the marsh.
Continued.
Even this close, we were still having problems with heat waves coming off the mud. Close cropping is to be avoided.
Least sandpipers are incredibly tiny when viewed up close with the naked eye. They the smallest shorebird, no larger than a song sparrow.
Daren and I returned to the marsh in the late afternoon. The sandpipers had moved out to the large mudflat in the middle of the marsh.
Continued.
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