Pacific Tree Frog

I think this is a Pacific tree frog.  They are small and can change color to match their surroundings.  If you click on the picture to make it bigger, it is easier to see the frog.

Pacific tree frog

Taken at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, 2013

Frightened Canada Geese

When I see a flock of Canada Geese rise up in a panic, flapping manically to a different lake in the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge wetlands, I look around for a bald eagle.  They don't care about the Red-tailed Hawks, or the Northern Harriers, but they are terrified of the eagles.  I caught the eagle on camera after it landed in the tree on the other side of the field at the end of the video.  Also, do you hear the other birds joining in the frenzied song?

Sounds like Sandhill Cranes to me.  What do you think?

Thanksgiving Day Parade

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another sunny day in the Northwest.  Here is a Thanksgiving day parade.  If you click on the picture, you will see the male Cinnamon Teals have cinnamon colored eyes.  Females have dark eyes.

Cinnamon Teal males & one Cinnamon Teal female

Cinnamon Teal ducks

Like water off a duck's back

My picture of the day.

Mallard coming up from water

And here he is a few seconds later.

All dry

Tundra Swan Love

This is my first attempt at editing a video on Youtube.  I added three videos together and then I couldn't help making it into a silent film with annotations and notes.  It is a romance between Herbert and Karen, kind of sad, but with a happy ending.  Unfortunately, you need to put it on full screen to see the annotations. 

Tell me what you think of my story video.  

Why the Tundra Swan has a black bill

Tundra swans are beautiful, majestic even.  But why do they have that black bill on the pristine white body?

Tundra Swan

I sat and watched them looking for food in the wetlands.  The water is not deep.  It looks as though he is searching the mud for yummy items. It certainly explained that black bill.

Notice how muddy the head is when it pops up out of the water.  Also, it appears he is stirring up the mud with his feet before lowering his head again.  The Mallards seem to enjoy whatever the swan is churning up.

Never eat like a bird

Not all the birds at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge are waterfowl.  There are other birds who find the refuge a fun place to visit.  But I was a little concerned about the following two birds.

Okay, it looks like this bird has eaten enough to hibernate through the winter.  And, um...I'm assuming it is a male.   Then, on another branch, probably its mate?  See below.

Seriously, I've discovered my mistake.  All my life I've been trying to eat like a bird.  Perhaps that is where I went wrong.

Northwest Wildlife

Another wildlife photo taken at the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge in Washington State.

Queen Anne's Lace and Charlotte

If I were a duck

Contrary to popular belief, I am not a duck, but I have a few duck friends at the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. If I were one, I'd be very nervous to have this guy sizing me up for his next meal.

Bald Eagle

Those cute little ducks in the background don't seem all that worried, although one or two appeared to be sweating.

Bald Eagle

Usually I see eagles up in the trees, so this pose was delightful.  In fact, admission to the wildlife refuge was free all weekend because of Veteran's day and the place was packed with cars driving the winding route through the lakes and marsh.  Because this bird stood out in the open, there must have been fifteen cars stopped, taking the perfect picture.  After I took this one, I squeezed past each car, mentioning as I went by that the bird was plastic.  I think of few of them wondered, at least for a few seconds.

I get this from my father, who said the moose we saw from deck twelve of the cruise ship in Alaska was on a leash, and the caretaker was hiding behind a rock on the hillside.  He told people they bring the moose out every day so people feel they get their money's worth.

Thanks, Dad, for making me smile, and for serving in the Army Aviation division during WWII.

Wile E. Coyote

Coyote at RNWF

So, I've been shooting ducks, geese, hawks, and egrets at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge this month, but this week I spotted the Road-Runner's friend.  This is a beautiful animal, very healthy-looking.  I like them so much better when they are not in my yard.

By shooting, I do mean with a camera, by the way.

Great Blue Road Block

Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

About halfway through the refuge there is a duck blind.  It is the only place you can get out of your car, so I took advantage of it to get out and stretch my legs.  After a short time in the blind, shivering and trying to avoid putting my elbows in owl poop, I tip-toed back to my car to continue the drive.  When I checked my mirrors before backing out, this is what I saw.

Backing out of parking space

He ambled along behind my car, completely unconcerned by my back-up lights.  When he cleared the rear-end, I rolled out of the space and realized he was in front of me.  On the road.

And wouldn't let me past.

Sorry the video is a little jumpy.  Trying to drive and film at the same time is harder than driving, texting and changing the radio station.

(If you click on the "full screen" emblem, you'll get the full effect of his beauty.)

Northern Shoveler

Ducks

Northern Shovelers

Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Feb 2013

Taken with a point-and-shoot Canon Powershot SX130

Northern Shoveler Male

Northern Shoveler female

Northern Shoveler female

Northern Shoveler pair

Northern Shoveler feeding behavior video

See how they stay together?  It is almost as if he is watching over her.  Makes me almost wish...no, I guess I'm glad I'm not a duck.  Especially at hunting season.

Being in Hawk

I'm having trouble identifying hawks.  Really, they all look alike to me.  I have a National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America (Fourth Edition) and a Reader's Digest Book of North American Birds, and yesterday I picked up a paperback copy of  Hawks in Flight: The Flight Identification of North American Migrant Raptors, by Dunne, Sibley & Sutton.  Maybe if I had something better than 7 x 35 binoculars, or my little point-and-shoot Canon Powershot SX130, it would be easier.  Right?

But even with all those books, they still look alike.  Really.

I can't tell if something is level, either. (Just as an aside.)

So, I've made my best guess on the following pictures I took on Friday at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge and please let me know if I've labeled them wrong.   I wanted to just say "Red-tailed Hawk" under all the pictures since that is the most common, but I was afraid I'd get hate mail from people who are much better at identification than I am.  Also, I was afraid relatives of the pictured birds would leave presents on my car.

So here goes:

I think this is a Cooper's Hawk, but turns out it is a Red-tailed Hawk

This looks like it could be a falcon to me.  

Turns out I was right that the above is not a hawk!!!!  I'm so proud of myself.  If you read the comments below, it is believed to be a juvenile Bald Eagle.

Looks like a Red-tailed Hawk

This sweet, precious baby Red-tailed Hawk held out his wing for easier identification for me

This one is so dark, I wonder if it is a Harlan's Hawk (a division of Red-tailed)

Okay, I was wrong about this one.  It is a red-tailed and not a Harlan's.

Looks like a Red-tailed to me

Right about this one.  Yippeeeee.

At first I thought this might be a Rough-legged hawk

Northern Harrier!!!!  Not a Red-tailed OR a Rough-legged.  Geeepers.

Then I thought it might be a Red-tailed

Then when I saw his legs weren't hairy, and I was pretty sure it was Red-tailed

This looks like a Harlan's hawk to me

Again, this is probably a young red-tailed.

And it is well trained not to go into the closed area.

Tomorrow:
DUCKS