REFLECTIVE PHOTOGRAPHER
 
 

Wild life on Whidbey Island, is amazing and so much of the birds in just our backyard. One favorite haunt is the drive along the Crockett Lake between he Driftwood Park and the Keystone spit.

 

Heron in the sunrise
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 400, 1/1600 @ f/7.1 (Crop Ratio: 11x14) (captured 2023-01-29 10:06:38)
This great blue heron was hanging out getting warmed up by the sunrise and let me get reasonably close.


Evening Grosbeak on a Dogwood
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 800, 1/160 @ f/7.1 (Crop Ratio: 5x7) (captured 2022-05-24 14:51:21)
These guys come around at least a couple days every year so far. They love sunflower seeds. Far prettier than their black-headed grosbeak brethren but not nearly as good a singer.


Woody in the Pond
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 640, 1/250 @ f/7.1 (Crop Ratio: 5x7) (captured 2022-04-09 16:30:48)
We have a seasonal pair of visitors, this a drake Wood Duck of the breeding pair, as well as a pair of mallards that make use of our small, also seasonal, pond. This year (2022) I put up a small hunting blind and got some good shots of the pair. The hen doesn't appear as colorful as the drake but she does have a lot of subtle color that only comes out in the right light.


Resting Woody Pair
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 640, 1/400 @ f/7.1 (Crop Ratio: 11x14) (captured 2022-04-09 15:38:42)
This pair of Wood Ducks are seasonal visitors and in 2022 they produced 13 ducklings that we saw just once shortly after hatching, I have two terrible images of them but the ducklings are countable in them; and this being in our own back yard pond!


Chippy
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 1250, 1/500 @ f/7.1 (Crop Ratio: 5x7) (captured 2021-08-21 12:37:23)
Our resident chipmunk.


Towhee Questions a Hose
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 800, 1/400 @ f/7.1 (Crop Ratio: 5x7) (captured 2021-05-21 12:53:09)


The Evening Grosbeak
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 800, 1/500 @ f/7.1 (Crop Ratio: 4x5) (captured 2021-05-05 17:19:17)
A small flock of maybe 7 Evening Grosbeaks showed up and I was lucky enough to have the camera by the sliding door and capture some of them as they staged for the feeder in the dogwood tree.


Belted Kingfisher
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 800, 1/500 @ f/5.6 (Crop Ratio: 4x5) (captured 2021-02-21 12:00:08)
Again after shooting some B&W at Camp Casey, I came across this Belted Kingfisher and this time I had to turn around and drive back a little ways but was lucky he was still there and even with a bit of rain I think it turned out well.


The Morning Harrier
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 800, 1/1250 @ f/5.6 (Crop Ratio: 4x5) (captured 2020-10-31 08:55:41)
Early fall morning this northern harrier was warming up in the morning sun.


Belted Kingfisher on a Pipe
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 400, 1/1000 @ f/7.1 (Crop Ratio: 5x7) (captured 2020-09-11 12:39:50)
Belted Kingfishers, they're residence of the area but hard to come across.


Great Blue Guardian
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 400, 1/1000 @ f/7.1 (Crop Ratio: 5x7) (captured 2020-06-19 07:09:15)
Same spot as the eagles, these Great Blue Heron were being a bit protective of their space. I'm assuming they are nesting but since the platform is higher than I could see I'm left to guess, regardless they were having none of it.


Young Western Tanager
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 1000, 1/500 @ f/5.6 (Crop Ratio: 1x1) (captured 2020-05-24 17:28:05)
With some seed on the ground because we were moving the patio around, this Western Tanager and a Black-headed Grosbeak were fighting over the suet on the ground. Squawking at each other jumping around, it was rather comical.


Morning of the Harrier
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 400, 1/800 @ f/8 (Crop Ratio: 5x7) (captured 2020-02-09 09:11:28)


Ruffled Short-eared Owl
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 400, 1/1000 @ f/7.1 (Crop Ratio: 4x5) (captured 2020-02-02 16:22:07)
Featured: Best in Show @ Whidbey Island Fair 2021
Along Crockett Lake this image, picked by my amazing wife, took best in show at the 2021 Whidbey Island Fair


Goldie Finch
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 1000, 1/1250 @ f/7.1 (Crop Ratio: 5x7) (captured 2019-05-19 12:40:30)
American Goldfinch are also a spring/summer visitor.


We Three Double-crested Cormorants
Nikon D7100 - (AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR) ISO 800, 1/800 @ f/5.6 (Crop Ratio: 5x7) (captured 2018-12-08 11:13:04)
Three Double-crested Cormorants where just hanging out scoping out the place.