Ravenswood Salt Ponds R1/R2 - Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, San Mateo County, California
The gorget of the male Rufous Hummingbird reflects light and instantly changes colors. It sometimes looks like you could peel it off.
Dairy Ravine Trail & Ridge Trail - San Bruno Mountain State & County Park, San Mateo County, California
We saw hundreds of Trumpeter Swans foraging in several agricultural fields and flying low over fields. These photos are from different spots along and near Best Rd. in the Skagit Valley.
A pair of Harlequin Ducks rdesting on a boulder; two more females swam with them.
Three male Harlequin Ducks swam and dived with two females.
A pair of Marbled Murrelets swam and dived near the pier.
We counted 59 Trumpeter Swans when we arrived at 9:30, and they all stayed swimming and resting on the lake for an hour. Then a few flew off in groups of 3-5, leaving some still swimming on the lake.
One male and two female Harlequin Ducks were swimming together and resting on boulders just offshore.
Taken by my boyfriend.
Five or more Golden-crowned Kinglets flitted about in conifers on the edge of someone's property.
Three male Harlequin Ducks were swimming far from shore. This one swam closer to climb onto the fallen log to preen for several minutes beside a gull.
A Barred Owl stopped briefly on a Madrone tree. Although they are non-native and harming the survival of the Spotted Owl... they are beautiful birds.
A musical European Robin sang by the ancient church.
The first Pararge aegeria (Speckled Wood) I've ever seen, resting in the sun on the grass.
I was excited to find a Macroglossum stellatarum (Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth) nectaring on lobelia in a window box in Santillana del Mar.
Fry
A beautiful Parnassius clodius (Rocky Mountain Parnassian) posed for ten minutes nectaring on Cirsium edule (Edible Thistle).
A Pisaster ochraceus (Ochre Star) in shades of purple and mauve, something we'd never seen before. We counted 143 healthy Pisasters today, and many more were probably under the masses of kelp.
This is the computer's identification, and it seems reasonably to me (who doesn't know western moths)
Barlow Road Trail - Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, Santa Clara County, California
A ranger later told us that they call him "Cinnamon", or now "Big Cinnamon", as I believe that he sired a cub of the same color.
A tourist brought to our attention a dead octopus. I was amazed to find a huge Giant Pacific Octopus floating in the waves. I pulled it out of the water, and it was quite heavy and slippery, and laid it out on the beach-- 6' across and in perfect condition. Normally when I see a dead octopus on the beach, which is rare, it's been eaten away by Bald Eagles, gulls, and crows. Someone said a marine biologist told her the females die this time of year, having finished caring for their eggs.
Saratoga Springs, Lake County, California
About 120 Black Brant were foraging close to shore, all chattering. They all flew off (did not see an eagle, maybe scared by people and dogs on the beach?), and then they all returned. Some of these photos show their return while I hid behind a fallen tree.
A pair of Harlequin Ducks swam and dived close to shore, plunging straight into the small waves.
Did not see the tail but an American Stoat has been staying around my bird feeders waiting for rodents.
A large male Roosevelt Elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) with a GPS collar grazed with two females in an empty lot beside the school. Nine others were nearby.
The Great Blue Heron caught a huge fish, a Polypera greeni (Lobefin Snailfish), in the murky, seaweed-filled pool created with the low tide. I couldn't believe the heron could swallow it whole! And unfortunately this seems to be a rather rare fish. Then the heron immediately began looking for another fish.
A 3/4" Pseudacris regilla (Northern Pacific Treefrog) on yarrow. The golden toes are beautiful!
This large sea star, with seven inch arms, was in three feet of water when we kayaked along the shore. We stopped and got my husband's phone out of a waterproof bag to document it. There are many Pisaster ochraceus in this area, but this is the first Pisaster brevispinus (Giant Pink Star) I've ever seen anywhere, except for a captive one at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. It appeared healthy, with one arm growing back, possibly from Sea Star Wasting.
This sea star, with four inch arms, was in four feet of water when we kayaked along the shore. We stopped and got my husband's phone out of a waterproof bag to document it. I've only seen Dermasterias imbricata (Leather Star) once, and in British Columbia.
Sunnyvale WPCP, Santa Clara County, CA, 2022-06-04
We saw four (maybe six?) Rhinoceros Auklets, one with a fish.
The male Rufous Hummingbird has spectacular, iridescent feathers. I just learned that a 2020 study in Evolution "shows that while hummingbird feathers have the same basic makeup as other birds', the special shape of their pigment-containing structures enables them to reflect a rainbow of light." These two photos were taken about 20 seconds apart.
Three male Varied Thrushes were scavenging in the garden. The day before there were five, all males.
We saw about 100 Trumpeter Swans foraging in groups of 15-20 in the agricultural fields. A few were grayish juveniles. These were the closest to the road.
I was thrilled to finally see a Snowy Owl, right here in my town, which is rare. I think this may be an immature one, with so much brown. The poor owl was continually harassed by noisy crows-- not a nice welcome to our town. Thanks to @ekingfisher for telling me!
At 8:30 am I counted 79 Trumpeter Swans at Anderson Lake! I watched and listened to their trumpeting calls for over an hour. Some still slept, some flapped wings and preened, small groups flew off, and by 9:45 there were still 16 remaining, which included seven juveniles.
We were surprised to see over a dozen Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) grazing in a field beside Schmuck Rd. I'd never seen them before in Sequim, although there are highway signs with flashing lights when they are near (the lights weren't flashing, but we were several miles from the highway). One female is seen peeking over the hill who is wearing a collar with radio transmitter. A few were on the far side of the hill, so we couldn't see them from the road.
People at Point No Point said Southern Resident Orcas were swimming by for the first time in a month. We saw five in the far distance by Whidbey Island.
This Pacific Wren was the only bird we saw at Lake Quinault.
I saw a dozen healthy adult Henricia leviuscula (Blood Star) during the minus tide.