Thanks, everyone!

Went back to the location this little guy has been hanging around in, hoping for some better photos than I'd gotten on my previous visit (see earlier post), and was rewarded with a much clearer, closer shot in much better light... This little fella is a long, long way from where he should be - eastern China and Korea), and this is only the 3rd time one has visited Washington state, and the 6th time one has been seen in the continental US, so it's a pretty rare bird, and very special to see for those of us who are interested in such things...

https://i.ibb.co/ZYf2Rgf/MG-9748-crop-sm.jpg

Thanks, everyone!

Thanks, everyone!

Spotted this little guy a few days ago... he's either super early returning, or he stayed here all winter. Several people I've talked to say he probably wintered over. In any case, he popped up on this branch and gave me a nice look before darting back into the shadows again...

https://i.ibb.co/CKSY6hz/MG-8336-crop-sm.jpg

Thank you, everyone, for the kind comments!



This was taken in Chehalis, Washington

Spent 30 minutes watching this eagle, waiting for this moment. Fortunately, it was a glorious afternoon, no wind, so I took off my coat and basked in a t-shirt! Waiting proved worthwhile, as my patience was rewarded with this "launch" photo...

https://i.ibb.co/XsFY5F0/MG-8056-crop-sm.jpg

Thanks, everyone!

Blair Shaw, he'll most likely try to migrate back to Siberia in a month or so, it's just a matter of whether he knows he has to make a left turn at Anchorage to get there!

Swamp-cork, I knew it was a rarity before I left home to see it... the birders in the area here have been flocking to see it for the past several days... ;)

This is a VERY rare bird in Washington... only the third recorded sighting in the state. These birds are native to Asia; they breed all across Siberia, and winter in eastern China and Korea. Once in a great while, one will stray during the fall migration, or get blown off course by a storm, and wind up in North America, but only rarely will one be seen in the continental US. This one has been hanging around in Woodland, and I went down on Saturday, and again today, to try to get photos. Saturday was cloudy, and the bird was high up in some bare trees, so my first photos were less than satisfactory. I tried again today with nice weather, but alas, only was able to get the bird's head and parts of its body. The little stinker just does NOT like to be seen in the open, it seems... :( In any case, here are the two best glimpses I got of this super-rare visitor...

https://i.ibb.co/6s6YZLg/MG-7419-crop-sm.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/QcN9ND9/MG-7485-crop-sm.jpg

Thanks, everyone!

Thanks, everyone!

Thanks, Chief!

Thanks, everyone!

Haven't posted much lately, as the weather and lack of transportation has kept me from getting out much. The transportation issue has been resolved, and today I managed to get some shots of a bird I've been trying to get for two years... a Townsend's warbler! Not only that, I got a pair, male and female! Yeah, I'm probably much more excited than I should be, but it's January, it's gray and gloomy, and I'm easily pleased at this point... LOL! Canon 7D2, Tamron 150-600 @ 600mm, 1/800 sec in Tv mode @ ISO 3200... The first two images are the male, the last two are the female.

https://i.ibb.co/pnY5rXh/MG-5687-crop-sm.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/gtjxbxM/MG-5954-crop-filtered-sm.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/wcmQcCc/MG-5816-crop-sm.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/y0sxqdX/MG-5795-vert-sm.jpg

Thanks, everyone!