January 16 was to be my best of three consecutive days of birding.  After my morning walk and coffee I drove by the Cap Sante Marina mid-morning and saw a male Common merganser in the basin and very near the shore next to which I was driving.  The problem… I didn’t have my good camera with me!  I hurried home, retrieved my camera and returned to the marina to find the Common merganser had disappeared.  However there were now four Hooded mergansers (two pairs) in the yacht basin.  I began taking some photos of them when I noticed a wake coming my way and upon further inspection saw that it was the Common merganser.  Unfortunately, this time it swam along the far dock line, eventually disappearing under the dock and later another dock to the east.  The bird only had to swim a hundred feet or so underwater and for me to reacquire it would necessitate a walk for me of several hundred yards… if it remained in the same place, which it did not.  So I gave up on close shots of the Common merganser.

The Hooded mergansers wouldn’t cooperate either so I eventually headed for my car, but then a Common loon showed up on the scene.  This was enough to keep me around for awhile and I was able to maneuver so that I got some fairly good photos of it.

Common Loon

After I had exhausted my photo opportunities for waterfowl in the marina I set off for March’s Point.  While driving along March’s Point Road I encountered a Belted kingfisher sitting in the light and with no intervening branches.  I took a few photographs of it before moving on.

Belted Kingfisher… probably a male.

My next photographic acquisition was a Song sparrow along March’s Point Road, but in the interest of brevity I’m not going to post one of those photographs.  However, shortly after leaving March’s Point Road I encountered a flock of about 8-10 Bushtits, birds I only rarely see and even more rarely get to photograph due to their rapid movements (in what are usually low-light conditions).   However these were in direct sunlight so I enjoyed a relatively long session with them.

Bushtits are extremely gregarious and travel in flocks of from about 5-6 all the way up to maybe 20 or more.  They seldom remain in one place very long but roll through the terrain from one set of trees/bushes to the next.

Bushtit

Bushtit

And now I’m going to backtrack a little.  I mentioned the male Common merganser I found in the marina.  I didn’t get what I consider good bird photographs, but I did get some good artistic photographs, one of which appears below.

Male Common Merganser

I generally refrain from offering unsolicited advice to friends, but I continually wonder why so many friends spend so much effort at clamming.  They put out decoys, dress up in camouflage and hip boots, and sit around in blinds using clam calls.  Then when they spot one they have to race to the clam and dig furiously, hoping to reach the clam before it escapes and potentially risking injury to backs and limbs.

I’ve found a much easier way to go about collecting clams, and you don’t have to worry about a license or bag limits.  You visit eBay and buy yourself a “clammer”.  The good ones will bring the clams back to a bucket while you recline along the beach and enjoy a margarita.

Here’s a photo of my “clammer”… which, I might add, is a former State champion.  I had to pay a little more, but you can’t underestimate the value of a really good clammer!

We had relatively good weather (mostly morning fog and at least partly sunny afternoons) this past week (1/15-17) and I made the most of the weather and went on excursions all three days.  My main photographic areas were the Cap Sante Marina and March’s Point.

The first significant group of waterfowl I encountered was composed of Hooded mergansers.  In these photos the male has his crest lowered.  The focus on my lens is so critical at F4 that my depth of field is extremely short, but since these waterfowl were both very near to the same distance from the camera they are both in fairly good focus.  That’s a fairly rare occurrence in my photography and I feel fortunate in that I got the opportunity to have both birds in the photo and both in focus.

Male Hooded Merganser

Male and Female Hooded Mergansers

This next photo is of a male Common merganser… in breeding plumage.  It was a beautiful bird but a little farther away than I would have liked.

Finally, I encountered a single Black oystercatcher standing on a rock just off of March’s Point.  The birds are somewhat difficult to photograph due to the black color of their plumage.  You’ll see a photo of what is probably the same bird I photographed the next day while it was gathering a meal.  And yes, it has another leg… it’s just resting it!

The sun was shining on the morning of Jan 5, 2013, so I decided on another photographic excursion to some of my most productive birding areas.  I began with the west side of March’s Point and by the time I reached the east side of the road I hadn’t had a single opportunity for photographing any birds, which is rather unusual.  As I reached the point I spied a River otter in the water below me but it quickly disappeared behind me.  I decided to drive the shoreline again to try to find it but I suspect it crawled into the rocks somewhere below me.

On my second trip down the shoreline I was met by an accipiter which was working the shoreline and went sailing past me.  I turned around for it too but then noticed that it had attracted the attention of a gull and the two were having a confrontation far above me.

I continued to the far end of the east side of March’s Point Road and turned into the pulloff.  There I saw a single Killdeer out at the end of the peninsula near the bridge.  But as I watched I realized that there were others directly below me (a rather high tide) so I began photographing them.

Killdeer

While photographing the Killdeer I was surprised by a Greater yellowlegs that happened by, and when I looked up I realized that there were a total of four working the beach.  I very rarely see these birds in the county and was very appreciative to be able to obtain photos of them.

Greater Yellowlegs

At some point I realized that a very small bird, a Least sandpiper, was on a rock just below me so I was able to obtain photos of it as well.  (I’m sorely tempted to refer to this as a “Micro yellowlegs”… it’s a very small bird!)

Least Sandpiper

At one point I saw an altercation between three gulls out in the water, and after watching for a couple of minutes one of the gulls flew past me with the prize… a crab!

Winner of Gull Altercation with Prize!

I continued my journey, photographing several Mourning doves on the ground (a rare opportunity here in Skagit County), a female Red-winged blackbird and finally a Lincoln’s sparrow, always a welcome find!

Mourning Doves

Female Red-Winged Blackbird

Lincoln’s Sparrow

The morning of Jan 3 appeared promising for photography with more light than recent days.  I was in my office when something outside the window caught my attention.  At first I thought that it was a crow, but on closer examination I ascertained that it was an accipiter… probably a young Cooper’s hawk.  The birds had scattered but I raced downstairs for my camera and tried to sneak out the front door, but the accipiter saw me and flew out of the yard.

Accipiter!

About ten minutes later, in the process of gathering the rest of my camera equipment, I glanced out the kitchen window at a some movement in the yard and realized that the accipiter was back.  It at first tried to land on top of a metal fencepost, but having difficulty with that feat it flew to the back of a lichen-covered bench in the yard.  It wouldn’t have been a totally natural setting, but it would have made a nice photo.  I again crept out the front door and the accipiter saw me and flew to the garden fence.  There I obtained a couple of photos… low light on my subject and backlit with the morning sun.  However, under the circumstances, it was the best I could do.

My trip first took me to March’s Point where I photographed this male Bufflehead taking off from the water.  Two males were having a disagreement and there was substantial interaction, but they slowly moved away from me making detailed photos less sharp.

In the same genera area were several other waterfowl, including this beautiful male Common goldeneye.

Male Common Goldeneye

Before leaving March’s Point I managed to photograph one other common winter bird with an unusual appearance… a male Surf scoter.  I almost never get close enough to these birds to obtain decent photographs, and this photo is about the best I can do.

Male Surf Scoter

I finally left March’s Point and moved on to other birds.  First up was this Golden-crowned sparrow, a common winter resident in these parts.

Golden-Crowned Sparrow

Next I encountered this brightly-colored male House finch.  Note the red on the rump which is usually somewhat hidden by the bird’s wings.  The House finches have been in short supply in my yard for the past couple of months.

Male House Finch

Finally, I photographed this fine Fox sparrow which I enticed out of some blackberry bushes.  This was probably my best photo of the day!