Category: Theler Wetlands

It didn’t take long today before I realized it’s been awhile since I’ve been at Belfair, nearly a month it turns out. First, the Redwing Blackbirds weren’t busily defending their territory around the pond. Of course, it took seeing this

juvenile Red-Winged Blackbird to make me realize they weren’t defending their territory, because the chicks have left the nest.

I didn’t manage to get a decent picture of a Goldfinch perched on a Canadian Thistle, but I did get this picture of one feeding two chicks that seem considerably larger than her

which probably explains why she won’t stop long enough to get her picture taken.

Of course, it’s not only the birds that are busy raising the kids, as shown by this doe and her fawn trying to decide which way to go

when she got caught on the trail between two walkers. I was surprised when the two of them didn’t bolt off the trail. As it turned out, I ended up backtracking nearly a quarter mile before the doe decided that she would deign to let the two of us pass. Even then, I had to shush the fawn off the trail so it would follow its mother rather than trying to pass me on the very narrow path.

One of the best things about being stuck in the house while it rains for a week is that nearly everything looks fresh and brilliant when you finally get out.

Belfair was certainly no exception yesterday with new flowers breaking out everywhere like shooting stars,

simple Columbine, or

rich, delicious Chocolate Lilies.

There were even new visitors

like this Western Wood-Pewee I’ve never seen before.

Amazingly, this juvenile Red Breasted Sapsucker already looks as large as his mother.

Sometimes when you’re stuck inside you begin to confuse pictures of birds with the real thing, but this robin loudly reminded me that there’s no confusing art with the real thing, though that may be less clear to you while sitting in front of your computer trying to figure which, if any, of these is the Real Thing.

God Bless the rain, and all it does for us.

Lots of rain again this weekend, but I managed to get in a short hike at Belfair while Leslie entertained friends from Portland.

Though I missed the best shot of the day, a Green Heron flying about six feet over my head, I finally managed to get a clear shot of this guy, which is most likely a Swainson Thrush, or Salmonberry Bird, judging from this.

It was also the first day I’ve seen a Two-Tailed Tiger Swallowtail when I had a camera in hand:

Of course, even if you don’t happen to get a good wildlife picture there are beautiful flowers like these at the visitors’ center that make it easy by standing still:

In other words, it’s hard to have a bad day at the Theler Wetlands in Belfair.

Summer must be running about two weeks later this year than last year if the flowering of plants is an accurate measure of the seasons.

Here’s the picture of a Tough-Leaved-Iris I showed last year:

Here’s the picture I took Tuesday:

And here’s the way I think I saw the flower but was unable to capture with my expensive digital camera.

Of course, neither of these pictures quite captures the way I felt when I suddenly discovered tough-leaved-irises many years ago while hiking a familiar trail on the Columbia Gorge, which might, in turn, explain why I somehow thought that these common-everyday Feral Pigeons must be Banded Pigeons or Mourning Doves, not feral pigeons, when I first spotted them at Belfair: