In response to my end-of year favorites post, Steve Morey of theoutershores blog, wondered what the Ruddy Turnstone I featured might be eating. Since I had were a few more nice snaps of the bird, here is a gallery.
Something (maybe me) startled this guy. Fortunately he settled down. In the below photo he spies something in the shallows
Looks like a small fish to me – maybe a herring fry.
Birds are clearly the stars in my 2019 roundup of favorite photos. To me, these captures reveal the grace, beauty, power and stunning adaptability of our avian co-creatures.
Brown Pelicans rest in the surf on their way north in early June.
Walking south along the beach, I couldn’t tell if what I saw in the distance was a pole or a pole with an eagle on it. What a treat to get closer and see there was a pair resting together.
A day later, I came upon these two Immature Bald Eagles, getting their bearings on logs and stumps at the edge of the dune. They appear to be around two years old.
Practice landing – imagine being a big bird alighting on top of a slim branch.
Unruffled.
All the eagles in the above gallery were photographed at Long Beach during the middle of May, 2019. My goal is to get close enough to take a tolerable photo with my Panasonic, Lumix, FZ47, without intruding upon and disturbing the birds. Unruffled was perched right where I enter the beach from the dune path. Jello knows she’s not allowed to chase birds, so I was able to get close-up before it flew away.
Sanderlings work the shoreline all year, in large and small flocks, with other shorebirds, and on their own. The reflection and symmetry of this one makes it a winner.
The Western Snowy Plover is listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and as Endangered by Washington State. At the northern tip of the Long Beach Peninsula, Leadbetter Point State Park hosts a nesting population of about 78 Snowy Plovers. Humans are not welcome there during nesting and brooding season. Being just six miles south of Leadbetter Point, once in a while I see these lovely birds on the shoreline.
On a spring walk to the beach, a Savannah Sparrow serenades from a tree top.
Western Gull tête-à-tête
Caspian Terns swarmed onto the beach in early June. They can be quite aggressive, but in my usual “get used to me” style, I screeched back, and they left me alone.
This breeding adult Ruddy Turnstone is the only one I’ve ever seen. In mid-May it was flipping debris on the beach to uncover insects and small crustaceans – likely on its way to breed in the arctic tundra.
Since not everyone is a bird-nerd like me, the rest of my “Best Of” shots will be photos that have received praise from you, and/or that I am compelled to spotlight.
Super low tide at Long Beach, WA – Thank you, Ann-Christine for loving it in the Layered Challenge #68
From the southern edge of Fort Columbia State Park Washington, in early March, the flowering trees show tones of cherry and plum upon a slate-green surface of water at the mouth of the Columbia River. In the distance the Astoria-Megler bridge and Saddle Mountain Oregon. Thank you Amy for your praise of this photo from Challenge #37: History.
Though the sun and clouds create the atmosphere, it’s the couple on an afternoon walk that make this photo a favorite.
Heavy easterly winds ruffle the crests of late-afternoon breakers, as they surge and charge. A lone adult Western Gull stays grounded in place, serving as a shoreline sentry where other birds might (and often will) gather.
October sunset from the deck of our condominium, The Breakers 128 – Long Beach, WA
Can’t do a year-end round-up without at least one gorgeous sundown shot!
A Columbia Black-tailed Mule Deer, grazing in the cold morning dune, is on high alert.
As 2019 slips into the history books, Jello and I wish everyone “happy trails” in 2020. We so enjoy sharing our corner of the world with you through this weekly Photo Challenge, kindly offered by Lens-Artists collaborators: Patti, Ann-Christine, Amy, and Tina. Kudos and cheers for the new year.🐾
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #77: Favorite Photos of 2019.
Out my front window the fantasy holiday display scene my neighbor created warms and delights me, especially on rainy days like today, the Winter Solstice in this hemisphere.
Since my childhood, Christmas decorations around the house have fed my imagination. Early in my married life, I began collecting and making treasures for my own displays.
Santa is the star here, with some ceramic pieces, and hand-carved wooden ones.
This special Santa is one my mom gave me many years ago. I smile when it comes out of it’s storage box, and cry when it goes back in. To me, that is the essence of the spirit of the season – happiness mixed with sadness – memories of past times mingling with new ones being made every moment I live.
https://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2019/12/14/on-display/
It is now three years that Creighton and I have owned our Condominium at The Breakers in Long Beach, Washington. We truly love our long stays here from mid September, thru mid June. The peninsula has a rich history, including that of the native Chinook peoples thru the Lewis & Clark expedition (1805), to the claim of formal possession by the United States in 1818, and the subsequent settlement of this remote area.
“In 1858, Isaac Clark was appointed postmaster and operated the post office from his general store. Eventually the post office was transferred to the Oysterville Store where it remains today.”*
Old weathered signs and aging yet well-kept wooden buildings, awaken a sense of nostalgia in me. In these three short years, the unique structure in the photo below has disappeared to progress. Though I understand why, I still feel a sadness at the loss of such character.
The Nahcotta Post Office still occupies the building below, however Bailey’s Cafe and Bakery has closed.
Creighton and I enjoyed having brunch here often, and their bread was delicious. Losing it is like another friend has moved away, and I feel that sentimental tug for what once was.
Foggy Sunrise
Moonrise over Dunes
Silver Linings
Two crows perched upon Clark’s Tree Sculpture, along the Discovery Trail, Long Beach, WA ~ USA
Crow Tree Sculpture
Morning light on Long Beach, from early autumn through late spring is both defining and forgiving.
Light diffused through fog sets the mood for this couple walking on a low-tide morning.
Thank you again, Cee for your fun and instructive challenges!
What a treat! Nature is filled with patterns that echo Abstract Art. Shots I’ve taken, like the one below have languished in my archives. Here’s my chance to feature some images that just don’t fit anywhere else! On a freezing morning walk through dunes, this repetitive pattern caught my fancy.
Frozen Paw Prints
Winter light on frozen dune sand creates shapes and colors that fit my idea of an exquisite abstract image. Tiny paw prints of dune-mice add a bit of whimsy!
Frosty Dune
Winter storms wash heaps of Bull Kelp ashore. Unless a big tide sweeps them back out into the ocean, they remain stranded on the beach to dry in the wind, sand and sun.
Bull Kelp Skeleton
There is something compelling in how these two loops of kelp are entwined, with the strewn shreds of torn seaweed still clinging. As with most Abstract Art, what it is and what it means is at the discretion of the viewer.
Kelp Hearts
Close-up shots of lichen and moss provide fascinating impressions, like this small patch on a living tree.
Red & White Study
Thank you Patti for this opportunity to show some of my “odd-ball” shots!
Lindy Low LeCoq 