I haven’t been able to get out for photography much lately to to the heavy overcast and rain.  However I did manage an outing on 1/30/2018 and managed to get some photos.

This first photo is of a Black-capped chickadee taken at a favorite stop on Pleasant Ridge.  I’ve photographed many birds at this location previously but never gotten one to pose among the rose hips.

Just outside the entrance to the Wiley Slough F&W HQ tract I found about 8-10 Western meadowlarks, birds I see only rarely in Skagit County and almost always at a distance that precludes good photos.  In this case one of the meadowlarks flew to the near side of a deciduous tree and posed for a few photos.

On my way across Fir Island I encountered three pre-adult Bald eagles.  One was walking about 20′ behind two adult swans who weren’t that happy with the slow motion scenario! It finally flew and I took this photo of one of its companions.

Later, on my return home, I encountered a male Bufflehead that was intent on working the shoreline.  I’ve gotten lots of photos of female Buffleheads but rarely good photos of a male.  While this bird at first glance appears black and white, if you look closely in the right light you can see that the bird’s head is actually a dark green.

On a sad note, my Nikon 200-400mm F4.0 has been making odd noises when focusing.  I just had it repaired a couple of years ago at an exorbitant cost.  However I’ve decided to send it in again before the spring migration arrives and I miss some good photos of the spring migrants.