Today is the third in a string of beautiful sunny days, chilly, with temperatures down to freezing at night. I’m not sure how the birds have been enjoying it, but the bird ‘watchers’ sure have! We did a lot of running around on the weekend and noticed every road out in this area seemed to be lined with parked cars and people packing big cameras and spotting scopes.
Started over to the park today but gave up, just way too many people!
as is usually the case on nice days….not much activity out there on the flats..
although there did seem to be some Bald Eagles way over by the Harrison River. And of course there were gulls…people don’t bother them!
What I did spot today was the first Gadwall of the season (on left). It had occurred to me just the other day that it was strange that we hadn’t had any Gadwall yet – and there he is!
one brave eagle ventured down to feed and many more were flying over head…
a quick trip to our garbage containers and I discovered where a lot of the eagles were….hiding in the dense forest on the inaccessible side of a mountain….this isn’t a great picture but there are 6 of them in it.
there are lots of little birds about, including this Song Sparrow posing nicely in some fallen leaves. Towhee, Junco, Chickadees, Nuthatches and Kinglets can be heard. Speaking of being heard…the Raven have been very vocal today…have also seen a fair number of crows, in fact at one point this morning there seemed to be a mass exodus of eagles, ravens and crows flying overhead away from the estuary. I suspect someone just had to venture out there and that was the cause.
I share your dismay at the influx of people with little or no regard for the birds they claim to love. Perhaps if they had to be content to see Chehalis Flats from half a continent away as myself, they would think twice before compromising the well being of the eagles.
ReplyDeleteWe are blessed to have a pair of eagles nesting for the second year on a small lake here in Northern Indiana, which is something of a rarity. Thankfully, they are on private property under the watchful and unobtrusive eyes of the landowners and neighbors. I have to admit that I hope they never erect a camera to watch them, since cameras all too often draw the attention of the curious who leave their brains at home.
Thank you for your commitment to educating the public about not only the bald eagles but the other birds who come through or are indigenous to your area. I especially enjoy seeing your photos of birds in their natural habitat, particularly those that are rarely, if ever, seen here.
Sara