Wildlife of Edmonds, WA. 2017

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Bill Anderson

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Staff member
Monday afternoon (2/27) I spotted a red-tailed hawk perched in a tree in the Deer Creek ravine in Woodway. Although the hawk was high in the tree, it was nearly eye-level with me due to the elevation of Deer Road. I took these photos from my pickup while my son watched out for cars approaching from behind me.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Wednesday afternoon (3/1) I spotted male common merganser off Sunset Ave. Others have seen them in Edmonds, but I believe it was a first for me.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
A small flock of dunlin was perched on the tethered log of the underwater dive park at Brackett's Landing Monday afternoon (3/6/17) along with some gulls.

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The tide was low enough later in the afternoon to allow the dunlin to forage on the beach below Sunset Ave along with the Brant.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
There were sounds of spring at the marsh Friday afternoon (3/10) with the chatter of marsh wrens, kingfishers in the distance, and a photogenic male red-winged blackbird by the boardwalk. This lonesome guy may be trying to establish a new flock as he has been hanging out by himself around the #2 viewing platform for the past two weeks.

Welcome to the Edmonds marsh.
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Poking around for larvae in the cattail heads.
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Calling for company?
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Posing for a closeup off the boardwalk.
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Tuesday (3/14) I paid a noon visit to the marsh.

Several herons were perched in a tree by Willow Creek due to high water inundating their usual spots.
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The lone male red-winged blackbird was still calling out.
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His efforts may be rewarded as a female was present as well.
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The evil minions of the Dark Lord chased a Cooper's hawk over the marsh.
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A male northern shoveler was among several ducks napping on high/dry ground.
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
A small flock of harlequin ducks was off Sunset Ave....
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as was a pair of sea lions.
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
The evil minions of the Dark Lord are starting to build nests. They are also getting very restless, especially when they spy a predator. Thursday afternoon (3/16) several crows were harassing a red-tailed hawk that was circling the marsh.

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After this shot, the crow flew under the hawk's wing and made contact. Unfortunately for me, that shot was too dark and slightly out of focus.
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Lake Edmonds returned to the marsh Saturday afternoon (3/18) after several days of rain. The high water prompted several herons to seek high ground on the north side near the walkway. My son and I flushed one heron out from under the boardwalk as we walked out to the #1 viewing platform. It joined others on a piece of high ground opposite the #1 view platform.
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Wesley posed in the rain on the fence by the #1 viewing platform.
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I slowly approached a heron that was below the #3 viewing platform.
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Sunday (3/19/17) was the last day of winter. Wesley was enjoying the sunshine as he perched on the tree by the #2 viewing platform of the marsh. I tried to take some "artsy" shots of him and the new blooms. The blooms present a nice opportunity to experiment with various aperture settings and depth of field. I was shooting at f/8.0, but I may return with my tripod and try smaller aperture openings if the sunlight holds out for a day or two.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Shots taken Tuesday (3/21) afternoon at the marsh.

My nemesis, the ruby-crowned kinglet.
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Sibley's lists several versions of the dark-eyed junco found across the USA: Oregon, pink-sided, white-winged, slate-colored, and grey-headed. This is most likely an Oregon, but it seemed to be have many more white feathers than the ones I usually see.
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Katy, the marina's resident kingfisher, was busy Wednesday afternoon (3/22/17) diving for lunch. She is quite photogenic and did not mind mind me taking a lot of photos. Here is one dive sequence.

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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
A few more photos of Katy from Wednesday. These shots illustrate how she has become habituated to the presence of people at the marina.

On the north breakwater opposite the walkway out to the fishing pier.
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Can you spot her under the walkway out to the fishing pier?
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Closeup.
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On a boat railing.
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Closeup.
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Thursday afternoon (3/23) Daren and I found two pairs of woodpeckers at the fish hatchery by Willow Creek. Difficult photo conditions will only get worse as the trees start leafing out soon.

Pileated woodpeckers.
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Downy woodpeckers.
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
We also found a robin hunting worms and my nemesis, a ruby-crowned kinglet.

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The kinglet's ruby crown was exposed, which means it was in alert mode.
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Bill Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Sunday afternoon (3/26/17) I drove down to Sunset Ave. and found a flock of dunlin flying around the tethered log at the underwater dive park. Due to the lousy weather and fading light, I did not want to set up the big lens and tripod. The 7DII (crop frame sensor) + 100-400L II telephoto zoom gives me nearly the reach as the 5DII (full frame sensor) + 500L + 1.4 TC (680mm vs 700mm) although the 5DIII produces less noise at high ISO settings. Hard to believe these shots were taken in color and not black & white.

I wish I had dragged out the big lens after I got home and put up my photos on the computer. In addition to the dunlin and large gulls (glaucous-winged? western?), I discovered some small gulls sitting on the log. I am guessing the small gulls are mew gulls, but I would appreciate hearing from those who know their gulls. You can see the relative size of the mystery gulls in comparison to the large gulls and the dunlin

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Close crops of the mystery gulls.
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Update: Someone from Tweeters identified the mystery gulls as Mew gulls.
 
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