The Spotted Sandpiper is a cute little shorebird often observed along rivers and lakes. I saw this one recently along the edge of a lake and photographed it from my kayak. There may have been more than one. I only saw one at a time over the course of three days. They are always bopping their tail up and down and they peep when they fly. It’s a distinctive peep in their habitat making them easy to find.
Last week, when I was in the Okanogan Highlands, I had a chance to watch and photograph Northern Harriers. Their previous name is Marsh Hawk and I don’t know why it was changed. Marsh Hawk is a fitting description as they are often seen flying over marshes and open fields, hunting for prey. They are a beautiful hawk with an owl-like face. These birds are probably juveniles and maybe an adult female. The adult males are gray with similar markings and sometimes referred to as the grey ghost.
Due to light pollution, it’s hard to find a place where a person can see the Milky Way. According to Dark Sky International, “light pollution is the human-made alteration of outdoor light levels from those occurring naturally. Light pollution disrupts wildlife, impacts human health, wastes money and energy, contributes to climate change, and blocks our view of the universe.”
I am lucky. I don’t have to travel far to see the Milky Way. Here are a few images from the past week.
We got up early the other day to try to beat others to this popular trailhead. It wasn’t too crowded nor too hot. Sky can’t go far in the heat so we try to take it easy for her sake. Willow goes and goes, probably twice as far as me and Sky! It wasn’t that long ago that Sky could go and go. This is the trail where Sky had her first hike and drank out of her first creek. She may have been carried for part of that hike. She was still a little pup.
We had some hot weather this past week with temperatures going to 100 three days in a row. Needless to say, the dogs and I did not get outside much during the days. That brown dog was pretty bored. On one of the evenings we drove to a place where we could get to the river and it was so nice. The girls were busy checking the pee mail all along the trail. So much news to catch up on. Once we got to the river, we found some sticks and the real fun got started. Willow has learned to appreciate big sticks like Sky but Sky had to assert herself and let Willow know that she is still the chief branch manager. Back at home, we were treated to an amazing sunset.
My Everyday Photos 