Wildlife of Edmonds, WA.

[Bill Anderson]

Another female Anna's was feeding her fledgling in a bush near the end of the Pt. Edwards walkway. The baby can fly and will probably be feeding on its own soon.

Here are a few shots from the series of 20+ photos that I took.

 

[Christine]

such wonderful shots of mama and baby!!

 

[Terry O]

Super Duper shots, Bill!! You are the master!!

 

[Bill Anderson]

Super Duper shots, Bill!! You are the master!!

You are going to make my head swell up so big that I can't wear my signature WSU Cougar hat.

Not as good as the first ones, but here are five shots of mother hummer flying off from the baby.









And the baby is left alone.


I was hoping the baby would remain there and I could get shots of the mother returning, but the baby flew off deeper into the bushes.

 

[Terry O]

Amazing how fast they mature!
BTW, I figure you can always buy a bigger hat!

 

[Bill Anderson]

Thursday's I wimped out on taking bird photos due to the rain, gloom, and doom. Here are a few more from sunny Wednesday.

A black-capped chickadee works on digging out a burrow in a tree near the marsh.








Two great blue herons guard their nest near the marsh. The Pt. Edwards eagles and I will probably not be able to see the nest once the trees leaf out.

 

[Terry O]

Very nice group, Bill. It was great being so close to the action. I particularly like the shot with the wood chip in the chickadee's bill. Looks like it might be a few days before we see more sunshine

 

[Bill Anderson]

Very nice group, Bill. It was great being so close to the action. I particularly like the shot with the wood chip in the chickadee's bill. Looks like it might be a few days before we see more sunshine

Then I expect you to fill the void with photos of birds at your feeders taken with your 500L telephoto lens from the dryness and comfort of your deck.

You routinely get birds at your feeders that I never see at mine.

 

[Bill Anderson]

The 2013 snipe hunt at the Edmonds marsh continued late Saturday (4/6) afternoon as the snipes came out in full force after the water level rose to its highest level during high tide. Terry and I took advantage of the good light and kept busy mixing and matching telephoto lenses, cameras, and teleconverters.

Most of the time we saw two snipes. Here are photos I took of the two with my 7D + 2.8/400L + 2x teleconverter, tripod mounted.











I think the photos are a little "soft" compared to those I took with my 5D Mk III, which I'll post below.

 

[Bill Anderson]

I did a final scan of the area as we were getting ready to leave. First I found three, then four, then five snipes. It was a snipe-a-thon/snipe-a-paloosa/snipe-o-rama (pick one).

I got shots of all five birds. Since snipes tend to look alike, I tried to include identifiable debris or vegetation to distinguish the shots for editing after I returned home.

From east to west (our left to right) as we were facing south from the boardwalk between the #1 and #2 viewing platforms. Taken with my 5D Mk III + 2.8/400L + 2x converter, tripod mounted.

Snipe #1


Snipe #2


Snipe #3


Snipe #4


Snipe #5


I have a lot more photos, but I'll refrain from putting them up right now lest I be accused of snipe spam.

Comparing the 5D Mk III with the 7D: With its cropped frame sensor, the 7D brings you closer to the action. I think the 5D Mk III takes sharper shots in questionable light due to its full frame sensor and its ability to handle high ISO settings better than the 7D, albiet at twice the price.

I told Terry that all of our photo problems (real and imagined) could be solved if some kind soul would give us each $20,000 so we could both purchase Canon's 1Dx + 5.6/800L super telephoto lens.

 

[Terry O]

Our shots are pretty comparable, Bill. I like your $20,000 gift from a potential benefactor idea

I took the liberty of posting one of my better shots here. It was taken with the Canon 7D, 500 f4L with the Tamron 1.4x extender. I did some spot sharpening and bumped up the contrast for detail.
Nice of the Killdeer to wander into the scene for us...

 

[JaniceL]

All your shots are wonderful, but those hummers . . . incredible.

 

[Bill Anderson]

All your shots are wonderful, but those hummers . . . incredible.

Thank you. Terry and I see hummers nearly every day, so we can get quite complacent about photographing them.

Following up on Terry's shot of the snipe and killdeer together, here are some more shots containing more than one bird.

There are two snipes in this photo, which demonstrates how hard it can be to spot them due to their camouflage.
5D Mk III + 100-400L zoom at 300mm focal length, handheld.



5D Mk III + 2.8/400L + 2x teleconverter, tripod mounted.

 

[Bill Anderson]

Our shots are pretty comparable, Bill. I like your $20,000 gift from a potential benefactor idea

Anyone here who cares to donate can wire their $$$$$ to our offshore bank accounts in the Cayman Islands.

 

[Terry O]

Just a hearty second to Bill's comment above. We are definitely non-profit

 

[Bill Anderson]

Due to the rain and high tide, the water level at the marsh was too high Sunday (4/7) for the snipes, for the places we had seen them the day before were under water. All was not lost, as the red-winged blackbirds and Anna's hummers picked up the slack.

A male red-winged black bird took off from a telephone pole near the railroad tracks......


and landed on Wesley's perch near the #1 viewing platform. He and Wesley tolerated each other for a short while....


then they both took off.


McInroe was busy feeding by the #3 viewing platform.


A male red-winged blackbird was singing and flashing his red shoulder patches across from the #1 viewing platform.

 

[Bill Anderson]

A male red-winged blackbird created a pretty image as it foraged in the marsh


The great blue heron rookery created a surrealistic image as the trees start to leaf out.

 

[Terry O]

Well, you made the best of a wet day, Bill. Nice work!

 

[Bill Anderson]

While I saw no snipes Monday (4/8) from the #2 viewing platform of the marsh, a male Anna's hummer provided some entertainment.

 

[Bill Anderson]

Two years ago the marsh wrens ruled the cattails below the #2 viewing platform of the marsh. Last year they moved to the east end of the marsh and the song sparrows were the primary LBJ by the #1 and #2 viewing platforms.

This year the marsh wrens may be trying to reclaim their lost territory as Monday (4/8) I (barely) saw one (or more) gathering nesting material from the cattails below the #2 viewing platform.