Sequim Daily Photo

American robins, turdus migratorius, are common here. They have a gorgeous song and this fellow was intent on being a robin Pavarotti. Or perhaps he just enjoyed having an appreciative audience.

The wetlands at Dungeness Recreation Area are full of water. . .and now that hunting season is over, the ducks are back. This guy gave me a profile shot and then took off. I like the reflections in the water around him.

Here’s another common bird in these parts, a spotted towhee (pipilo maculatus). This male shows the beautiful colors I find so appealing with these small birds.

The local red-winged blackbirds (agelaius phoeniceus) disappeared last year as the marshlands dried up. Now that we’ve had rains and the wetlands are full of water again they’re back and filling the air with their distinctive calls and songs.

They’re common birds, but the bright shoulder patches of the males are quite pretty when you have a look.

I’ve seen more eagles in flight lately. One morning last week we saw five near the Dungeness bluffs and I saw another later in the day. This is an immature I saw near the Olympic Game Park near a group of trees that locals know are a good site for eagle watching. Each year an immature eagle slowly becomes more recognizable as it changes from an overall brown to the distinctive dark brown with white head and tail. This one is probably about three to four years old. The darker eye stripe is a third year trait, but the white head and tail and darker underparts may move it toward four.

I was interested to read that Ben Franklin, a respected naturalist, argued against naming the bald eagle as the U.S. national bird. He considered its scavenging of carrion and stealing fish from smaller ospreys “dishonorable.” An adult eagle will eat a lot of spawned-out salmon (carrion) but can also catch its own live prey.

Before our current road system, water travel was a ready way to get around on the Olympic Peninsula and trade also took to the water. Remnants of old piers have been removed, including one at Port Williams. This one, at the end of Sequim-Dungeness Road, reached into Dungeness Bay and served water traffic between the Olympic Peninsula and the New Dungeness Light Station. These days seagulls find them a convenient perch.

We had a nice little dusting of snow yesterday. It fell steadily during my walk to the Dungeness bluffs, where I saw this eagle taking in the sights. No zoom lens. Falling snow. But I find eagles exciting enough that I’ll take the shots I can get.