Despite having my right hand in a cast/splint from recent thumb joint reconstruction I ventured up to Stanwood with my camera gear hoping for some shorebird images. After 4 trips up there and several clicks of the shutter I managed several images that I was pleased with. On one of the trips I counted 10 species of shorebirds in the small series of ponds and found that by just sitting quietly near the edge of the water produced the best results. The birds would come very close while feeding and acted as though I wasn't there.

Also of interest was a totally unexpected encounter with a family of Bullock's orioles in the bushes just beyond the concrete barriers. I watched the male feeding the grown fledgling on several occasions. Not sure if they actually nested in the area or just happened to be passing through.

To top it off a juvenile peregrine falcon did a fly-by with a bird in its talons. I didn't see it make the catch at the ponds so I suspect it got lucky elsewhere and was just passing through. About 2 hours later the shorebirds all scattered and I looked up to see another (or the same) juvenile circling above the ponds. It appeared not to be interested in hunting but circled many times. Occasionally it would reach down to its feet and grab at something - much like I have seen eagles do when the eat on the fly. When I looked at my pictures I could clearly see the remains of a bird dangling from the falcon's grasp. I am used to seeing falcons eating from a perch so found this very interesting.

It was good to get out after several weeks of inactivity (and pain).


You can find the images in the "Recently Added Images" gallery of my website: www.rlkimages.photoshelter.com

Cheers,
Bob Kothenbeutel
Woodinville, WA
viper.bob at frontier.com