Cape Cod

The Cape is a wonderful place in the winter (as long as there is no snow!) The ocean is still there, but the tourists aren't. Well, except for two.

Sea Schnozes

For some reason, the sea birds - especially the sea ducks - have the most impressive bills. So large, gnarled, and multicolored they are that the word "bill" seems too slender to apply to them. I can't help but to think about most of them as "schnozes". Here's a collection from a recent winter trip to Cape Cod:

Surf Scoter




Common Eider




Long-Tailed Duck




Red-Breasted Merganser






Common Goldeneye


Another day, another Common Eider


And another Long-Tailed Duck

Holiday Birding Shots

Actually, some of these are from earlier in the fall, but they are still good.

First, we have a Merlin, which is a type of a falcon. They migrate in October, although some settle in our area for the winter. This guy was one in a family of three, found on a Queens beach one sunny morning.


Purple Sandpipers are northern-most of all sandpipers to winter. They like jetties and rocky coastlines. Sub-freezing temperatures and icy water does not seem to bother them.




This is just a funny picture.


Next we have a partially albino (leucistic) immature Herring Gull. This condition, as you would expect, is extremely rare. Here, the bird's feathers are starting to molt, and the new feathers are lacking in pigment. Notice that the bottom part of the bill is white as well. For some birds leucism is a death sentence, due to not being able to blend in with their surroundings. But I suspect for this gull it'll be much less of a problem.


This immature is still unable to gather food on its own and clings to its parent.


Sunset portrait - Ring-Billed Gull:


Northern Flicker:


A couple of Savannah Sparrows:




Kingfisher's hover:


And to close, a typical winter scape:

Seattle Impressions

Seattle weather is, on one hand, completely constant (rain), but on the other hand, completely unpredictable. You never know which neighborhood those storm clouds will cover. Thankfully, on the day that I was there, they stayed off to the side.



Sunset over Puget Sound.


The storm clouds are catching up with me...


What passes for personal transportation in Seattle:






Golden-Crowned Kinglet:


House Finch:


Fox Sparrow:


Golden-Crowned Sparrow:


Golden-Crowned Sparrow (another one):


A hybrid Western x Glaucous-Winged Gull:

Seattle and Spokane

Some pictures for a visit to Seattle and Spokane, Washington, back in November.







Ah, nothing says Seattle like a lone storm trooper taking his wares back to his van...


Rainbow at the Snoqualmie Pass over the Cascades mountains.


At the merge of Spokane and Little Spokane Rivers:














And back to Seattle: