Padilla Bay 1-20-2013

Dave and I left the dogs behind in the land of fog so we could look at birds at sunny Padilla Bay.  We were really hoping to see a snowy owl, but unfortunately there were none to be seen.  The day was so enjoyable though, even owl-less that we had a terrific time and I highly recommend this lovely hike.

We were first greeted by a hawk, perched up in a tree watching for small critters in the grass below.

 

The next thing we saw was a pair of blue herons in courtship! I have never seen this before and it was really beautiful.  They walked along in tandem at first with their heads pointed up at the sky like snobby feathered ballerinas, then the male (I assume) held his wings down at different angles.  It seemed it would be a long courtship, so we took some photos and some video and then walked on. 

 

We saw a little sandpiper nibbling along in the mud on just one stilt.  His useless leg was tucked up under his wing, but despite his disability he seemed to be doing pretty well for himself.

 

There were a couple types of sandpipers that we saw while we were here.

 

There was a cool old barn along the walkway also.  Dave peeked inside and said it is now being used as a boathouse.

There was a cormorant here, drying its wings and soaking up some sunshine from the top of a piling.

There were many varieties of ducks all along the walk.  There were so many of them swishing their beaks for things in the mud that you could hear the squishy gobbling sound quite loudly.  It was pretty funny.

Northern Pintail- there were a lot of these

Green Wing Teal- his little mask shone green in the sun

After leaving Padilla Bay, we stopped by the Spirit Island area to again check for owls.  We saw a lot of hawks, and this stately heron.

It was an incredible sunset, both the golds and peaches to the west behind Spirit Island, and the glowing rose that lit up Mt Baker to the east.  What a perfect day.

NE Washington at my Dad's April 20-22

Last weekend I took Friday and Monday off, and Dave and I went to visit my family at my Dad’s. He lives in a fairly remote area of NE Washington, and it is thick with wildlife.  And with my family there, it was also thick with food and laughter.  : )  He lives at the edge of a slough, so not only does he get all the regular wildlife, but all the water birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians as well.  The only thing I haven’t seen there yet is a bear or a moose. 

My Sis, Rose- My Bro-In-Law, Chris- My Dad, My Bro, Jim- My Mom- Dave- Me- Odin & Cedar

Here is Dad and Dave looking out over the water.  One of my Dad’s only rules is to leave your worries at the gate.  We did, and decided it was a most excellent rule.

Various shots of family, Cedar, and Cedar’s cousin Odin.

Mom and Dad at the campfire.

My bro, Jim, with one of his rare-but-nice smiles.

Me and Cedar- you can barely see him over the grass.

There is a bird feeder at the patio and we all enjoyed watching and photographing the various birds- chickadees, finches, sparrows, downy woodpeckers, nuthatches, and even a couple bright yellow male goldfinches made an appearance.  The squirrel came around now and then to clean up the seeds that got tossed to the ground. 

Other birds we saw- although this is not even close to all of them- were blue heron, mallards, Canada geese, mergansers, wild turkeys, eagles, and osprey.  One osprey came right in front of us, dove to the slough, and came up with a fish in his talons!  It was beautiful, and I wish I had been able to get a video or picture.

I was a bit surprised to see that the turtles were already awake and enjoying the spring sunshine.

Here is one of the many deer that wander through Dad’s yard.  They counted 10 at one time, while we were off on a side trip.

My sister and her husband took us sightseeing in the area (and to get more ice cream).  We drove out through the countryside and to Sullivan Lake.  It was super warm on the beach and we all skipped rocks and lazed about for awhile.  After that we went to the old Mill Pond spillway.  It was really cool and there was a short walk to some old cabins and the remnants of the old log flume.

Chris and Rose getting different views.

Me at Sullivan Lake

The canoe is always fun at Dad’s. Dave and I decided to take it through this culvert.  : )

It was an excellent visit that went far too fast.  We spent a day coming back home on Hwy 2 instead of taking the freeway.  Dave was able to visit an old friend he hadn’t seen in years, and we also took a side trip to the Grand Coulee Dam and Dry Falls.

Just West of Leavenworth there was a cool spillway that was just frothing with water.  The rivers are all really full with snow melt-off. 

And to wrap our trip up, we spotted a bear up on the hillside.  Awesome!