Wilson's Snipe
July 2012 – Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, WA
I’ve seen dozens of these birds flying far overhead, making that distinctive whistling sound with their tail feathers, but this was the first one I caught on the ground. Not the best photo, but good enough to figure out what it is.
Pied-billed Grebe
July 2012 – Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Washington
Not the most exciting image, but with much better light this time!
Pied-billed Grebe
June 2012 – Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Washington
This Pied-billed Grebe had some fledgling chicks floating nearby…
Pied-billed Grebe
May 2012 – Lower Klamath Lake, California
I only saw this bird for an instant before he blended back into the reeds. It’s interesting how some birds get along being extremely flashy and colorful… and others just aren’t. Anyway, I hope to get a better photo of one of these at some point.
Marsh Wren
July 2012 – Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, WA
Just a day after the photo below… I finally managed to the the shot I’d been looking for… and dozen of other shots of blurry grasses and such.
Marsh Wren
June 2012 – Jackson Bottom, Oregon
These birds are active and will come in close when called, but they’re still hard to photograph, as they almost always stick to thick reeds/grasses. This is the first decent image I’ve gotten after plenty of attempts. Still, there is a blurry blade of grass obscuring half the bird, but that’s just how it goes…
Blue-winged Teal
June 2012 – Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Washington
A Blue-winged teal… not much to tell about this, except it was the only one I saw this day.
Cedar Waxwing
June 2012 – Jackson Bottom, Hillsboro, Oregon
I only had a few moments with this Cedar Waxwing before he flew off in search of more bugs… This time of year, the waxwings are mostly in small groups, eating insects. Later in the year, they’ll form larger flocks and gorge on ripened berries.
Northern Flicker
June 2012 – Jackson Bottom, Hillsboro, Oregon
These Flickers were performing some kind of dance that must have been a kind of bonding/mating ritual. Each would mimic the other’s movements, in a kind of slow-motion mirror-mirror performance. Fascinating…
Mourning Dove
June 2012 – Jackson Bottom, Hillsboro, Oregon
A number of Mourning Doves were pecking around in the straw under a feeder near the visitor center at Jackson Bottom.
Great Egret
June 2012 – Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, WA
Amazing how skittish these birds are. I was quite some distance from this Great Egret, but he didn’t like the sight of me and took off before too long.
Great Egret
May 2012 – Tule Lake, California
Here are a couple images of Great Egrets from the shores of Tule Lake. This first one was hunting along the shore… I was able to sneak up on him a little bit by ducking behind some reeds. These are very skittish birds, and will take flight at the slightest hint of disturbance.
Great Egret
This second image was further along the “nature road” on the southwest shoreline of Tule Lake. I was able to use my car as a blind, but it only worked so-so… the Great Egret flew back and forth, not wanting to let the giant blue Subaru get too close.
Cinnamon Teal
June 2012 – Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, WA
This pair of Cinnamon Teal were sticking close together… hanging out on the lake as dusk settled in. There’s a pretty decent “wildlife drive” around the southwest part of Tule Lake – basically a gravel road on top of a dike. This allows you to use your car as an impromptu (and imperfect) blind. The birds do get spooked from the car, but not as badly as if you were walking along.
Cinnamon Teal
May 2012 – Tule Lake, California
This pair of Cinnamon Teal were sticking close together… hanging out on the lake as dusk settled in. There’s a pretty decent “wildlife drive” around the southwest part of Tule Lake – basically a gravel road on top of a dike. This allows you to use your car as an impromptu (and imperfect) blind. The birds do get spooked from the car, but not as badly as if you were walking along.
Cinnamon Teal
Another pair of Cinnamon Teal in a different location on Tule Lake… and a different day. Note the orange feet!
Tree Swallow
June 2012 – Jackson Bottom, Hillsboro, Oregon
There are a lot of swallow boxes at Jackson Bottom, and consequently, a lot of Tree Swallow tenants.
Tree Swallow
June 2012 – Sauvie Island, Oregon
Appropriately, this Tree Swallow was in a tree. Sure, there were many of them flying around too, but every try to get a photo of a swallow in flight? Good luck!
Tree Swallow
May 2004 – Jackson Bottom, Hillsboro, OR
Jackson Bottom is a wetland south of Hillsboro, OR. The wetlands cover a fairly large area, but trails/paths only cover a portion of it. It’s a decent local place to see birds.