Winter is the time of year I spend more time on the road photographing birds afield, using my car as a blind.  (More about that in a minute!)  I didn’t need a blind for this first eagle photo with Mount Baker in the background… and I guess you could say that the eagle was also in the background!

Here’s a juvenile Bald eagle.  In this case, the term ‘juvenile’ (perhaps more properly, ‘sub-adult’) as I use it is to designate any eagle up to four years old at which time they acquire their adult plumage.)

And now for a little lecturing!  You will be able to get much closer to birds if you will STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE TO OBSERVE!  I’ve had two occurrences lately when, when I was obviously observing/photographing from my car, another vehicle drove up and the occupants tried to approach birds on foot.  The birds were driven away, interrupting my photographic opportunities and increasing the distance for their observations.  In one case the driver walked up and asked me the identity of the bird!

This is a rather rare Red-tailed hawk, but for the seasonal Bald eagles, probably the most numerous, wide-spread raptor in the area.  I term this bird a rarity because it has actually found a tree limb on which to perch!

This time of year we have visiting Rough-legged hawks in the area.  Within a week of this excursion, while birding with a friend, we counted FOUR in the Samish Flats area.  I don’t think I’ve seen one anywhere other than on a power pole or power line.

This swan was flying straight at me.

I’m not the only birder afield!

Winding up my excursion, I encountered this Song sparrow.

And this male House finch...

And finally. a little closer to home, an American robin in the middle of a berry tree.  I’ve been trying to catch the robins in the tree for photos, but in just a couple of days they have eaten from the top down about a third of the berries.  Going, going, gone…!