Bald Eagles
I see Bald Eagles here frequently. There is a nest near by and I see them there or flying by or fishing. This pair was on the neighbors dock recently. I really enjoy them.
Blog
Blog
Beautiful Mergansers
Three different Mergansers visit here. the Common Mergansers and Red Breasted Merganser often appear in large numbers as parades. I also see Red Breasted Mergansers in pairs or small groups, and every year a singe male Red Breasted Merganser hangs around. Here is a small group of Red Breasted Mergansers
More Surf Scoters
I continue to see a small group of surf scoters in the distance and occasionally one or two wander into range of my camera. This one appeared during the golden hour.
Surf Scoters
Surf Scoters used to arrive this time of year by the 100’s. They pass through in the fall and spring and stay here a few weeks. I have not seen the huge groups of Surf Scoters for a few years. But I did see a lone Surf Scoter the other
Goldeneyes
A small group of goldeneyes arrived yesterday. They will now stay all winter. They have arrived as early as Oct 26 in 2012 but usually arrive in mid November. Beautiful black and white ducks that often are here with the also beautiful black and white Buffleheads.
Buffleheads have arrived
Buffleheads are my favorite winter visitors. They arrive in November although I have seen them this early (late October) a few other times. They are always in a group of 5 to 10 ducks and are here every day until spring. Buffleheads are very playful and always fun to see.
About jansbird
I am a retired teacher. I taught high school physics and for the last 16 years was a high school principal. In my first 10 years of retirement I taught part-time at the University of Puget Sound and ran a small non-profit school reform shop called Coalition of Essential Schools Northwest. At UPS I taught teachers how to be principals and at CES Northwest I helped schools implement the principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools, a national school reform program. Now I am really retired and pursuing my other interests full time. I have always been interested in natural history, the identification of living things. My formal science training is in Physics. I have very little formal education in nature but I have always enjoyed nature and living outside and being interested in what I see there. I like water and beaches and over the years have learned about most of the creatures found there. My interest in birds started by watching herons and ducks at my family cabin on Whidbey Island. That led to learning to identify other kinds of birds. I now know most of the local birds. When I moved to Gig Harbor I began keeping a log of the ducks and birds I saw coming and going. This blog is primarily to publish the data collected in those logs.
Photo Album
