Month: August 2013

Theler Wetlands Revisted

With all the construction going on at Theler Wetlands, I’ve avoided the area for over a month, but I wanted to eat lunch/dinner at Amy’s on the Bay so I decided to visit on a recent Saturday. The best birding areas are still blocked off, but I did manage to see a number of birds I seldom see anywhere else, beginning with this flycatcher,

flycatcher

which I think is, more specifically, a Hammond’s Flycatcher.

Once we got across the large field where they’re trying to reconstruct the wetlands and reached the river, we met John who had spotted these Black-Headed Grosbeak,

female Black-Headed Grosbeak

a bird I usually only see in Eastern Washington or Oregon.

He also spotted this Black-Throated Gray Warbler,

Black-Throated Gray Warbler

a new bird for me, or at least one I’ve never gotten a picture of before, or I wouldn’t be including this one as it doesn’t strike me as a particularly great shot.

The highlight of the day, though, had to be two Virginia Rail, though I only managed to get a clear shot of the adult.

Virginia Rail

It’s been at least a year, but probably two since I sighted a Virginia Rail at precisely this same spot. Even in the middle of massive construction, Theler Wetlands continues to support a remarkable number of species. It’s amazing that earlier generations failed to recognize their importance in the ecosystem.

I’m Not the Only One that Loves Dahlias

Another reason to love dahlias as a photographer is that they are the best place to find insects, especially bees.

Just look at the legs of this bumblebee and you know instantly why dahlias are so popular.

Bumblebee

My 100mm macro lens has renewed my interest in closeups of plants and insects.

I’d never see this kind of detail with the naked eye.

Bumblebee

But with the knowledge taken from my photographs, I’m sure I’ll see these bees with clearer eyes the next time I see them.

Originally I didn’t think this was a regular honey bee, particularly since we don’t see many around here, but after working on the photo for a while it sure looks like one.

insect

This one looks kind of like a bee,

unidentified insect

But I’m pretty sure it’s another kind of insect that has adopted the bee’s coloring to protect itself.

Every time I take a shot of insects I remember that I have a David Attenborough series of movies and accompanying book about insects waiting on my computer and on my bookshelf. It’s hard to observe any piece of nature closely and not notice how it is connected to everything else.

What I Do When I have Writer’s Block

I keep thinking there’s something important I want/need to say, but I’ll be damned if I can actually put it into words. I’ve been busy reading, having recently finished five books without commenting on a single one of them, and they’re all great books, well-worth discussing. I’m sure I’ll eventually come up with something to say; until then I’ll just have to let my camera do my talking for me. After all, when I get tired of thinking there’s nothing I love more than a walk to clear my head.

I’m even up to walking through Point Defiance Rose Garden despite having spent two hours earlier in the morning working out of the gym. I took advantage of a short break last week’s drizzle and rain to get away from my computer to check out the flowers.

Although the roses as a whole seem past their prime, the rose garden is still quite beautiful and the late roses are constantly putting out new buds.

yellow rose

Luckily, the dahlias have just reached their prime, and are ready to take front stage. Many of the latest dahlias are huge, but I still prefer the Collarettes classification of dahlia,

Collarettes Dahlia

though it’s hard to say which of these two varieties I prefer.

Collarettes dahlia

I’m not sure if I’ve ever noticed this style of dahlia before, but I think it must be classified as a â€?”waterlily” variety,

waterlily style dahlia

but it reminded me of a lotus when I first saw it.

Ain’t Nothing You Can Do

Last summer when it was clear that I would probably never see best-friend Gary Clark again and was driving to Colorado to see my son and his family, I played an old Van Morrison album I’d just purchased. The album began with

and it was impossible to get that song out of my mind for the rest of the trip, particularly when Gary’s girlfriend called me the 4th of July to tell me that he had died before I could get back to see him one last time as I’d promised before I left.

The song took on a new meaning on the return trip, and at times I would even punch the button to play it again and again. That double album has stayed in the car ever since, and though I often play my iPod instead when on long trips, I’ve listened to the album on nearly every day trip I’ve taken alone since last summer.

Of course, the song took on an even darker significance with Ted’s death in March. At least Gary’s death made â€?”sense.” At my age, friends dying is all too common. As painful as it is, it’s not as painful as losing someone in their 30’s.

However, I didn’t play the song merely to remind myself that Gary and Ted had recently died. I already knew that. No, listening to the song helped me quit trying to figure out why they had died or wondering if there wasn’t something I should have done to prevent it. I simply accepted the fact that their death’s made me sad; and that, at least, was precisely as it should be. I wouldn’t want to be someone who wasn’t saddened by the death of someone close to him.

I just read that the original singer of this song, Bobby Blue Bland died in July of this year. Apparently you can’t embed his songs in a blog, but this provides a link to youtube where you can hear the original Duke version of the song:

In fact, the first time I heard Van Morrison’s version of the song I hated it. That just wasn’t the way the song was supposed to sound. After I read of Bobby’s death I had to find it on youtube because I don’t have a computer copy of Bland’s version of the song; it’s still waiting in a stack of records in the closet to be transcribed to the computer. It’s a tribute to Bobby’s talent that I still prefer his version because judging from the number of records I own and the number of top songs on iTunes, Van Morrison is actually my favorite musician, just edging out Bobby Blue Bland.