photos ©ingridtaylar – email me for permissions mouette = from Middle French mouette = from Old French moette = diminutive of Old French maoe (Anglo-Norman mave, mauve) = from Old English mǣw (“seagull”) = from Proto-Germanic *maihwaz, *maiwaz (“seagull”) Someone challenged these gulls with leftovers from the patisserie. If a gull can swallow a starfish,…
Anatomy of a Cormorant Landing
Double-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus. Photographed with my Olympus E-3 and Zuiko 70-300mm. The birds were silhouetted in late afternoon light, high ISO 1000, some post-processing NR to compensate for the darker conditions.. I shot this series along the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle. If you’ve watched Double-crested Cormorants [literally] coming home to roost,…
A Great Blue Yawn
I watched this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) preening and relaxing for a half hour or so. At the very end of our “visit,” he yawned and held the pose for just a few seconds. I snapped this shot. A bird yawn always takes me back to the chaotic year of looking after two rescued…
The Maw
Two of a huge group of gulls, collecting on a duck pond during a fierce, Seattle wind storm.
Bald Eagle in the Backyard
This is a huge bonus of living in Seattle: the urban and suburban wildlife includes a multitude of Bald Eagles. This morning, Hugh went into our friends’ garden to fill up their bird feeder — a chore we both kind of enjoy. A huge contingent of birds descends right when our boots leave the scene…
I Preen, Therefore I Am
If you know birds, you know that preening isn’t cosmetic fluff. It’s a meticulous cleaning and placement of the bird’s survival gear: feathers. Feathers need to be pristine for flight and for insulation. During oil spills, the analogy used about feathers is that a spot of oil on a bird’s plumage is like a hole…
Crow in Snow
The above American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) was standing behind a short wall with snow on top — and he had a backdrop of snow which created the effect of this portrait. Crow flying against a background of snow-covered trees — and kicking snow off her feet as she takes off. This pair of crows was…
Low Tide Driving
I was surprised to see this Mercedes SUV navigating over sensitive tidelands habitat in the Des Moines area of Washington. I looked it up and found that it is, in fact, legal for residents of this area. As a transplanted Californian, I was told a few times to stay off the tidelands, low or high…
This is not a Duck
I went out to photograph ducks in this morning’s fresh snow. As I approached the pond, I noticed that ALL of the Mallards (every single one) were sitting on the banks. I felt the reverb of a huge splash in my periphery and thought, wow, big fish. Sturgeon-caliber fish. When “it” resurfaced, “it” had a…
Eagle En Route . . .
. . . it’s a Seattle thing. First alert — a look overhead and warning calls: American Wigeon first responders leave lone Eurasian Wigeon to contemplate his next move: And he’s off: Safety in numbers: The instigator comes into view: The juvenile Bald Eagle shows little interest in the ducks, catches the thermals, and whirls…