Author: Peggy Hanson

I am a nature photographer and digital artist living and loving life in Sequim, WA.

Green on Green

A Female Anna’s Hummingbird, Jamestown Beach

Typically, one goes to the beach to walk the shore, pick rocks or shells, or to see and listen to the waves crashing on the shore. But Jamestown Beach offers the best of the beach, as well as the woods, and this young female built her nest there.

Holding on to a branch she kept steady as I moved closer to her and surprisingly she didn’t blink an eye as I lifted my camera to focus to get this image. Those are times when I feel at one with nature and so eternally grateful for the solitude it provides.

Columbine

Flowers of the Forest

Hurricane Ridge is a beautiful location with magnificent landscapes and mountain views, as well as breathtaking wildflowers. And in the darkness of the forest, this one was lit by sunlight peeking through the trees, waiting to provide pollen to bees and birds and warmth to humankind. And I was blessed with the opportunity to capture it!

The Granary in Spring Color

The Sequim Granary Building

Although I’ve posted photos of this iconic building in the past, I for one never tire of seeing it against the skyline or as a subject for a painterly approach, which I applied to this edition.

In all seasons, the Granary stands as a symbol of Sequim, its warmth, and its rural roots. May it continue to serve as such for many years to come.

Man in the Moon?

A Bald Eagle Makes a Statement in Front of the Moon

Our national symbol is often seen in many locations but until I discovered this one posing in front of the moon, did I really appreciate it as such.

Although not draped in the flag or singing the national anthem, his presence in this spot, in front of where mankind still chooses to travel, speaks to me about the importance of preserving nature here on earth as well as reaching for the stars.

A Kestrel Encounter

An American Kestrel at the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge

We all have our favorites, and this beauty is one of mine…

The website at All About Birds states, “North America’s littlest falcon, the American Kestrel packs a predator’s fierce intensity into its small body. It’s one of the most colorful of all raptors: the male’s slate-blue head and wings contrast elegantly with his rusty-red back and tail; the female has the same warm reddish on her wings, back, and tail. Hunting for insects and other small prey in open territory, kestrels perch on wires or poles, or hover facing into the wind, flapping and adjusting their long tails to stay in place.”

And most importantly, “Kestrels are declining in parts of their range; you can help them by putting up nest boxes.”

And this is my plea to you, to do just that if you’re able to do so…please add a nest box and help to save this amazing raptor!

Yippee!

A Juvenile Eagle Appearing to Leap for Joy

One never knows what to expect when visiting the Dungeness Landing, and so it was on this particular day.

We had friends visiting from Tacoma, and while showing them the local birding sites, we counted over 30 eagles at the Landing that day…yes! And because that was and is such a rarity, I think I captured over 3,000 pictures of them with this one being one of my favorites.

To me it signals the joy of spring, warm weather, and new life, and I couldn’t have said it any better than this delightful creature.

Out of the Forest

Sequim’s Roosevelt Elk Herd

During a cold early morning at the intersection of Holland and Medsker Roads, I was able to photograph four female elk at a close distance as they came up the hill and out of the fog.

Not having seen them in this particular location before, I was quite surprised and a bit worried about their safety in such an open field, but later found that they have been known to graze there in the past, and not to worry about them, but to keep my distance. Although they may appear to be docile and friendly, they are to be respected and avoided, especially at close range.