Category: Special Places

Exploring Birding: AI vs Real Photography

On my recent trip I met John and the monthly birding group that visits Theler Wetlands  on the Second and Fourth Thursday of every month. The photographers in the group were all trying to capture shots of the seldom seen Crossbill. Naturally I joined in, but was generally frustrated because the birds were too close for my camera to focus or I had so many branches between me and the bird that my camera wouldn’t focus on the Crossbill.

This is the best shot I could manage out of twelve photos taken, and it’s one I would normally just trash, certainly not post.

While I was trying to polish the photo and make it as presentable as possible I remembered a Adobe promotion I’d gotten recently and wondered what kind of picture of a Crossbill I could get using their AI.

The first images I generated were pretty cartoonish,

but after several iterations and a more detailed description I got this picture,

and I’ll have to admit that it’s a better shot than I’ve ever gotten of a Crossbill.

And it took less time to generate than I spent trying to improve the photo that I took.

Which leaves me with the question of why should I carry a heavy camera around when all I have to do is make a list of the birds I see on a walk and then use AI to generate them.

Heck, why walk at all when all I have to do is imagine what birds I would see if I went on a walk and then generate them in Photoshop ?

Would a reader know the difference or would they just think I was a fabulous photographer?

Luckily, I know my body would feel the difference, and I am too stuck in my ruts to give up birding. Getting out in nature is both physical exercise and a form of meditation that I can never get from my computer or iPhone.

Perhaps I should end this with a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh:” “When you walk, if you enjoy every step, if every step nourishes and transforms you, then every step is a prayer.”

Birdwatching at Fort Flagler: A Cold Day’s Journey

It has been so long since I posted pictures on my blog that I had to spend hours updating apps that I use. Then I had to remember/figure out exactly how they worked.

I finally managed to process several shots I took at Fort Flagler on a very cold, very windy day. I knew that the weather wouldn’t be ideal when we went, but I was a little surprised how few birds we saw, probably because they were hunkered down out of the wind and as far away as possible from all the people out taking advantage of the sun.

There all forms of beauty, but this shot of Mt. Baker taken from Ft. Flagler seemed to represent the whole day — sunny, cold, magnificent.

We walked much further than usual before seeing this Sanderling in Winter plumage running up and down the shoreline.

A little further along we saw an equally confident Black Bellied Plover in its Winter plumage.

When I’m birding, I try to ensure I do not disturb the birds. However, it was impossible to get past these shorebirds without causing them to take flight.

As expected, we found a flock of Brant at the end of the peninsula.

On our way back to the car Leslie spotted three Black Oystercatchers where we often see them. They blend in so well with the rocks they forage on I’m not sure we would ever spot them except for those bright orange beaks.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see the Harlequin ducks where we usually see them. They were far offshore, challenging my new 200 to 800 mm lens. Luckily, that didn’t stop us from enjoying their beauty.

We got back to the car very cold and a little disappointed that we didn’t see as many birds as we usually do, but it still felt great to get out on a sunny day, especially since it was the longest I have walked since I came down with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Carpe Diem!

Exploring Emmons Moraine Trail on Mount Rainier: A Delightful Wilderness Hike

Continuing our Thursday on The Mountain Schedule, Leslie, Paul and I explored a new area of Mount Rainier, the Emmons Moraine Trail.  Personally, I was a little skeptical about the hike because I didn’t think it was high enough to get the kind of views that we usually get.  Turns out, perhaps for the first time in my life, that I was wrong.  

Most of the hike took place in old-growth forest while following the White River up to its source, so it was relatively cool, a good thing because the combination of heat and altitude gain have been challenging for me lately, particularly heat. 

Luckily, the trail was criss-crossed by multiple creeks which added to the beauty of the hike while reinforcing the air-conditioning. 

There were parts of the trail that weren’t forested that seemed considerably warmer, but we hardly noticed the change in heat because of the beautiful views 

and, especially, the flowers that carpeted the small meadows like this Lewis Monkeyflower 

or, a personal favorite, Indian Paintbrush.

Sometimes if you looked up in a clearing you could see the cliffs that the Wonderland Trail follow. 

After two miles we finally arrived where you crossed the White River.  It turned out to be too narrow for Leslie, and I will have to admit that I was a little apprehensive in two or three spots on the climb up to the trees.   

We decided to go to the base camp instead, which would have made it a 6 mile round trip. Less than a mile up the trail, though, I decided that was enough for me.  My hip was beginning to tighten up, and I was showing the effects of this week’s heat and a lack of sleep and decided that discretion was better than exhaustion.  We ended up only going 4.2 miles with 935 feet of elevation gain.  

Despite not making it as far as I would have liked, it was a delightful hike. The trail is well-maintained, probably because it starts on the edge of the only campground on the North side of the mountain. Though we met people both going up and coming down the trail, it never seemed crowded, and it definitely felt like you were in the wilderness while hiking.

You Never Know What You’ll See at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge


Whenever Leslie and I visit a wildlife refuge both of us shoot photos out of both sides of the vehicle.  Most of the time we see roughly the same birds, but that definitely wasn’t true while visiting Bear River.  In fact Leslie was seeing birds on her side that I didn’t see either day, like this Night Heron,


this large flock of swallows,


this Snowy Egret,


and, more importantly, Grebes


with  babies.

Leslie was seeing so many more birds than I was seeing that she even volunteered to change sides with me.  I declined, but ended up trying to shoot photos out her window, but not always with the best of results.   

As frustrating as it can be when you don’t see birds that others have just seen on a refuge, it’s definitely part of the experience. Every visit to a magical place like Bear River, is a new experience.