Pacific Golden Plover

Pacific Golden Plover

Pacific Golden Plover

November 2007 – Kaua’i

The Pacific Golden Plover spends the winter on islands like Kaua’i, and the summers on tundra along the Bering Strait. This image shows the winter plumage. The summer plumage is quite different. I have to wonder how it was that someone was able to make the connection between the summer and winter versions of this bird… Perhaps they start molting before they migrate on one end or the other..?

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

November 2004 – Mary’s Peak, OR

Right on the summit of Mary’s Peak, this Snow Bunting was pecking around in the gravel for morsels. It almost looks like its bill is deformed, but I think it’s just in “mid-expression”.

Blue Grouse

Blue Grouse

Blue Grouse

June – 2010 – Rock Mountain Trail, Washington
As I was heading down the Rock Mountain Trail in the Washington Cascades, I heard the familiar “whoop, whoop, whoop” of a grouse. This is a commonly heard sound. However, it’s not common to actually see the bird making it. After a bit of looking, I spotted the culprit, perched on a branch about 20 feet overhead. He wasn’t going full-out with the puffy colorful chest display, just making his presence known…

Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper

June 2009 – Todd Lake, Oregon Cascades

This wasn’t a typical place to see a Spotted Sandpiper, but a bunch of them were hanging out along the shoreline of Todd Lake high up in the Oregon Cascade mountains. Surely, it was a good place to be, as the newly thawed shoreline muds were crawling with bugs. Yum.