Skip navigation

Not Afraid of the Dark

Have you been out after dark recently? You might like it. Clear summer nights make for excellent star gazing and Comet Neowise is bonus! They (who are they anyway) say that it won’t be around much longer so you’d best get out and see it soon. Look to the NW after dark.

And the Milky Way is at its best. Warm summer nights are perfect for seeing it. Since it is too hot to be out during the day, go out at night. Although, I have to say, at 7000′ and I got darned cold. It was worth it.

Sunset at 9:30 pm
I love the blue hour, after dusk and before dawn
This glow is coming from the NE, somewhere in Canada?
This glow is from the NW – Vancouver BC?
And that glow is from the southwest.

Foggy Beach Walk

It’s often foggy at the beach. It is quieter. Fewer people out and about on foot or in cars and the sounds just seem muffled. Except for the surf.

Bald Eagle at Sunset

I think this bird is two or three years old. They are not mature til they are five.

Beach Sunset

I know, I do this every time we go to the beach. But really, is there anything prettier than a beach sunset?

Dune grass
The best cell service was at the top of the dunes
That’s one good looking labrador retriever
Dignified doodle

Shorebirds

Last week we got away for a few days of socially distanced camping. Yes, we did non-essential travel out of our county. We were not alone. There was a family from our community in an adjacent campsite! Of course, the campgrounds are full. It seems that everyone is trying to be socially distant and out of doors.

We were at the coast and got to watch shorebirds in their ‘fall’ migration! Yes, fall. They all went to Alaska for breeding season, leaving or passing through Washington in April and May and the males turned around as soon as their job was complete and are now arriving on the Washington coast. Most of the little sandpipers are in a group commonly referred to as peeps. Peeps include Western, Least and Semi-palmated Sandpipers and a few other species. There were also plovers. I saw one Semi-palmated Plover for sure and perhaps some Pacific Golden Plovers in flight. I seldom get to see all of these beautiful shorebirds so I am not very good at identifying them. There were also Willets with their dramatically striped wings. They are easy to identify.

Willet
Willets
Peep
They seem to be going somewhere important
Many peeps
I think some of these birds are Pacific Golden Plovers
Peeps at sunset
Semi-palmated Plover