Saturday Stanwood Rambling

the white bucket snowy owl

 

 

A couple of Saturdays ago I needed to get out for awhile so I headed to nearby Stanwood. The day was gray, cold, and showery. I stopped at Eide road just as a short downpour hit. I left the camera behind and went for a short walk. It was bird quiet but the pop pop of gunshots were enough to make you jump. They get tiresome quite quickly. The song sparrows were active and a rough-legged hawk was wandering around. The best part of leaving the camera behind is you get close to birds and miss great shots! What a lovely view of the hawk. There were some northern harriers hunting over the fields and hunters wandering in the same areas. I decided to move on.

 

I cruised down Thomle Road and saw two white buckets at the base of groups of white poles. They turned out to be snowy owls. I don't know how those folks get the close-up looks and photos of them. I haven't had that luck. Nice to see them, though. Not much else going on so I moved on.

 

Boe Road held lots of snow goose hunters and snow geese hanging out where they can't be shot. Such remarkable birds- tiny brains yet intelligent enough to fly high enough and roost far enough away that no gunshot can hit them. Since one can't trespass on Nature Conservancy property I stayed in the truck. I noticed three bald eagles flying low over the field at the end of the road and figured they had food somewhere. I drove to the end of the road and one of them landed on a power pole. A birder stopped to tell me that they had killed a duck, went to the pole to eat it, and it fell to the ground. That explains the intent looking down.

 

 

This is an "osprey-phase" bald eagle, nearly an adult. Notice the dark line through the eye, like an osprey. Next year that extra black will disappear and the bird will have full adult plumage.

I decided to take the long way back so I took Norman Road. I found this red-tailed hawk sitting in a field next to the road. Probably just caught a vole in the field or was thinking about why it just missed one! One of my favorite birds because I can nearly always count on seeing one every day of the year.

Wandering along the road I found a few small flocks of trumpeter swans. Iwish I could get a photo of them in something besides muddy fields. However, it's just great to see them around in recovered numbers (as long as we continue to ban lead shot.)

The Solstice has passed and we enter a time of returning light. May your days be blessed with the light of love, peace, and wildlife aplenty. Mitakyosin