I sometimes think that one of the reasons I love going to distant places like Malheur or The Canyonlands is that I see home in a new light when I return. Don’t get me wrong, I love visiting different places, but there’s no place like home, and by home I mean the Puget Sound area.
On returning to Theler Wetlands I was greeted by a Great Blue Heron,
though I’m not sure it was actually welcoming me back.
I was surprised by a small flock of Black-Bellied Plovers,
the first I’ve ever seen at Theler.
I managed to get my first decent shot of a Rufous Hummingbird,
though they’ve been around for a while now.
I also saw my first American Goldfinch,
and was repeatedly serenaded by Orange-Crowned Warblers.
It was enough to make me wonder why I would ever want to leave the area when there was so much beauty at hand.