When taking pictures of wildlife and especially birds, there are two, sometimes contradictory, thoughts that go through our heads. The first is quick get the shot! That moment is fleeting, and the creatures are often not interested in waiting… you want it for future identification or acknowledgment that we saw it… often not particularly concerned with positioning or focus! The second thought is more intrinsic, focusing instead on the magic of what we are witnessing.
No longer just getting a shot… we are yearning for “the” shot… focusing on creative composition, recognizing spatial identity, light, and color… capturing the personality of that moment…. seeking out the dramatic… the improbable… the epic… and sometimes when both thoughts are blurred into just one magical second…. We find ourselves blessed!!! And with that creation, we have captured our own artistic spirit we can share with others!
Gods' small miracles surround us every day. Yet, life often takes over... blurring our vision to only see the mundane, practical aspects of everyday living... Working at our job to make money... Repairing the broken stove... taking the kids to soccer practice...
We ignore the wide-eyed smile of a child who has just witnessed something magical for the first time... or the gentle stranger who helps another in need... or kindness of loved ones who would sacrifice anything but for the unconditional love in their heart... Small miracles... Gods' Grace... Reflections of the day can go unnoticed... but somehow, our hearts and soul are touched... like tiny birds who surround us showing off magical colors...
but missing our view because we are too busy to open our eyes and our ears and our hearts... The birds just fly by... and life continues... But when we stop... When we are patient (something both of us find difficulty in achieving!) ... And when we open to the natural world which surrounds us... we find something beautiful... something colorful... something magical... A small miracle of nature... Just out our back door!
The Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) is a tiny bird that resides around our lake year-round. We look out the window watching them pass by through the trees above and bushes below. Although they are abundant, they are not easy to spot and seem in a constant, neurotic frenzy. A daily visitor to our home at Clear Lake, they seem to move around the lake several times throughout the day... hopping in and out bushes and trees, acting as flycatchers, as they circle the lake in a counterclockwise migration. These are gorgeous birds when you have a chance to see them. The breeding male crests are the most vibrant yellow and goldenrod orange. We have been able to get our best views in the winter months when the sun is shining and there are fewer leaves on the trees.
The Ruby-crested Kinglet (Regulas calendula) often, sharing the same branches its cousin, is also a fast-moving, wing flicking bird. But, if it stops for that moment, you might see the ruby colored crest which is often hidden under pale plumage.
The white outline of the Ruby-crested distinguishes it from the golden-crowned Kinglet. Both Species primarily eat insects. Sometimes they seem to forage on the trees hovering like hummingbirds or grasping small branches upside down. Here, a Ruby-crested seems to hover, if only for a moment as it finds an insect in the tree.
Both species travel in groups, along with other small birds including chickadees, creepers, and small warblers. They chatter with each other often in chorus with other species.
Like the Golden-crowned Kinglet, often when provoked by a competing breeding male, the Ruby-crowned male can display a vibrant crown clearly distinguishing it from Hutton's Vireo or other similar looking species. These small birds are not much larger than a fir pinecone.
The Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) , seen earlier in this post, usually visits our property beginning in late spring, but can be heard and seen most anytime from early spring to the days of late frost in autumn. These beautiful birds are prevalent throughout the Puget Sound region throughout the summer months, particularly in May. We've seen them at our Clear Lake home, at King County's Soos Creek and in the Riparian forests of the Nisqually wetlands. The wingtips are brilliant red which goes beautifully against the gray and brown plumage. This is another of Juliet's favorite Northwest birds.
In April or May, when you first hear the call of the Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana), you may first think it's an American Robin. But you won't mistake it for any other bird when you see it. The brilliant Red-orange head against the bright yellow and black body of the male shines like a bulb of a Christmas tree. Each time I see one, I grab the camera, just because. These birds are migratory and breed in the forests surrounding our home.
I can't help but get excited when one flies past our windows looking out onto the lake.
Another colorful bird showing up at our lake house in May is the Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus). The adult, breeding male displays beautiful yellow and orange chest colors against brilliant black and white wings. Like the tanager, the grosbeaks tend to stay towards the tops of the trees but are visibly seen from our deck as if we lived in
a treehouse. The dimorphic female has a more subdued color but still show striking patterns of pale orange, white and gray. These birds enjoy the seeds and berries from both evergreens and deciduous trees surrounding our home.
Although a migrating bird, the Townsend's Warbler (Setophaga townsendi) spends the entire year around the lake.
Often more prevalent in the winter months, we find groups of up to a dozen birds chattering and eating insects and spiders within the Douglas fir surrounding our house.
The Yellow-rumped Warbler, sub-species Audubon's (Setophaga auduboni) is supposed to be migratory but is also a species that hangs around our lake throughout the year.
During the summer, the male displays a bright golden-rod throat and crest, however this photo was taken in early April on a tree overhanging our lakefront view. These birds are fly catchers often darting from conspicuous perches. This branch out our window was a popular perch for small and large birds prior to snapping when an immature bald eagle attempted to land on it earlier this spring.
Look closely at the trunk of that tree... do you see something moving? The Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) is a species that can be found through North America south of the tundra. Small as a hummingbird with a slender curved bill similar to Africa's sunbirds, this species scatters up the tree like a mouse, using its tail as a tripod against the tree eating bugs along the way. It will then swoop down to the bottom, to make another feasting journey to the top again. Its chirp is a highly shrill sound that is sometime barely audible.
The feisty Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) doesn't let its size stop it from chasing other birds away from the feeders or branches on which it sits. Like the kinglets, this is a small bird with a distinctive, horsey nasal chirp that seems to say it has a chip on its shoulder.
When we put out a feeder on our deck, this will often be the first bird to visit for a snack.
All these birds could be seen from our windows and with a little patience, we were able to capture them with photos not much further than thirty feet away. We are blessed to live in a world that shares its miraculous beauty... No matter where we are... this is only a sampling of what we can find here... if we stop and take the time to look and listen to God's gifts that surround us even in the most difficult and mundane moments of our lives... our life and love are a miracle that we love to share ... We pray that you see yours too!
More to follow.... Full of color and full of spirit waiting to be seen...
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