Photos of the Day

I looked up from my desk and saw a small hawk glide by and land on the light post. I watched him for a few seconds and debated whether I had time to get the binoculars. But it seemed to be settled so I thought I'd see if I could get my camera out and change lenses quick enough to catch him. Amazingly, it stayed put, even while I came out in the yard below it. The light was fading, but cameras and software can do a lot these days.

The iNaturalist Seek app only identified it as an Accipiter, either a Cooper's or a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Usually with a reasonably clear photo it's not hard to identify birds. But these two species are very similar, at least to a non-expert. I posted it on iNaturalist and it was soon id'ed as a Cooper's Hawk.

The last few mornings, when I looked out the kitchen window I could see a spider and web highlighted by the morning sun against the shaded bushes. I decided I'd better get a photo. Looking through the macro lens, all I could see was a blur. I'd triggered their defense mechanism of vibrating rapidly on their web, making it hard for a predator to see them. It soon settled down. I had to go and get my little led panel to even up the lighting between the bright sun on one side of it, and the dark shadow on the other side.

It looks like the large Cross Orbweavers we see in the fall, except this one was small, less than 1/4 inch. I posted it on iNaturalist as well, but there aren't as many spider experts as there are bird experts and so far no one has suggested an id.

Spring Flowers

A random selection of spring flower photos. Some from HCP, some from Government House, and some from the neighborhood.

Feathered Neighbors

Some bird photos from the last while.

We get three kinds of mergansers here. The hooded are the flashiest. Here are a male and a female.

The Red-breasted Mergansers are less common. They're only here during the winter.

In Saskatchewan, Great Blue Herons were uncommon. It was a special occasion to see and photograph one. Here, we see them all the time but they are still impressive big birds, with a prehistoric feel to them. (This shot was last week's print.) They are very focused when they're hunting.

Black Oystercatchers are striking with their bright orange beak and eyes, and their noisy call.

It's amazing that the Anna's Hummingbirds survive the winter here. Such tiny birds that need to feed constantly. There aren't many flowers in the winter so they survive on all the hummingbird feeders people put out.

One of the pleasures of our home near the water is watching the gulls soar in the wind. Of course, when they're pulling garbage out of the bins they're not so attractive! This juvenile had been given (or taken) this crab from an adult, presumably its parent. It seemed unsure exactly how to handle it, but eventually it just swallowed it whole! With the sharp shell and claws, that must have been an uncomfortable swallow.

Prints of the Week

Spring on the west coast is all about the flowers.

I was going to make this one black and white, but I decided I liked the little bit of color in the center.

One of the first California Poppies of the year. I love their bright color and the curves of their petals.

Print of the Week

I usually photograph nature, but here's something man made for a change. I think this is the Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID) in Seattle. Pretty fancy building, at least from the outside. It was raining so I took these shots with my phone rather than get out my camera.

And a couple of other angles.

Seattle Chihuly Glass

This last batch of photos from Seattle were taken at the Chihuly Garden and Glass. Unfortunately, a section of the museum was closed, but there was still lots to see. It was quite dark inside, with bright lights on the glass, which made for challenging photography. Enjoy!

One of the sections was ocean related.

There was a passageway where sculptures covered the ceiling.

These boats full of glass were quite striking, one of my favorites.

The glasshouse sculpture was huge - 100 feet long.

An outdoor sculpture with the glasshouse in the background.

I liked the combination of the garden with the glass mixed in. This was a bit similar to a Chihuly exhibit we saw at the Phoenix (Arizona) Botanical Gardens.

Even a selfie in one of the glass balls.

See all 38 photos in this batch