Quick Shot – Columbia National Wildlife Refuge
Last weekend, I drove to Spokane to see my Dad. Rather than take the interstate the whole way, I drove a slightly longer, but more scenic route, that took me through the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. I was hoping that spring had brought wildflowers to the refuge, but I was too early in the season (I think the wildflowers in eastern Washington are late this year – does anyone have a wildflower report for the area?). No flowers, but wonderful dynamic skies, as I hope this shot shows. I didn’t have much time for photography, it is a five-hour drive without stops after all, but did get a few “keepers.” Enjoy this quick shot of the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Washington.
Whitney Gardens – Hidden Gem
A week ago, on a trip with Tanya and her mother, we stopped at Whitney Gardens and Nursery in Brinnon, Washington. This place is hidden gem for photography, especially in the spring when the rhododendrons and azaleas are blooming.
Whitney Garden covers 7 acres in the small town of Brinnon along the west shore of Hood Canal. They have a huge collection of azaleas (about 220 types) and both hybrid (about 700 varieties) and species (about 150 varieties) rhododendrons as well as camellias, magnolias, and many other plants. The rhodies start blooming in February and the color peaks in early May. When we were there last weekend, there was plenty of color to photography, though you could easily see the place will be a riot of blooms later next month. With many deciduous trees and bushes, it is probably also colorful in the fall, though I have only been there in spring time.
There is an admission fee of $1 per person. The garden is open year round, with garden viewing hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. February through October and until 4:30 p.m. in November through January.
I captured the photo above, and the first three below, last weekend. The remaining images below I took several years ago in mid-May. The garden will be in its prime soon; don’t miss it.
Quick Shots – Steptoe Butte
Earlier this week, Tanya and I spent two nights in the Palouse. I’ve posted about the Palouse before (see this post from last summer about the Palouse in its “brown phase”, and these two posts from three years ago – one about the Palouse in general, including Steptoe, and one concentrating on the church at Freeze, Idaho), so for now, I’ll just post a few images I took from Steptoe Butte. More from the trip later. Meanwhile, enjoy these images taken from Steptoe Butte last Monday evening.
Passing hay truck on farm road below Steptoe Butte
Typical hills as seen from Steptoe near sunset
Wildflowers on Steptoe Butte
Fields and hills west of Steptoe Butte
Farmhouse and barn below Steptoe Butte
More typical hills and fields
A Fine Spring Evening
Not only have I not posted in awhile, I haven’t had time to get the camera out either and it was starting to make me antsy. So yesterday evening, I grabbed the camera and drove down the hill to take a few shots of Mount Rainier and the sunset from Ruston Way here in Tacoma. These shots were taken from a spot about a mile from my house. I still want to get out for a full day with camera in hand, but for a short while, the hour I spent last night scratched my photography itch. Do you have a special, go-to spot when you just have to get out there an click a shutter button for awhile?
Mount Rainier just at sunset
Looking northwesterly toward the Olympic Mountains
Mount Rainier about 20 minutes after the sun set (in the blue hour)
Of Geese and Daffodils
February is a time of two seasons in western Washington. Winter still rules in the mountains (see my last post) and spring arrives in the lowlands. One of the best places to see the meeting of the seasons is on Skagit River delta west of the town of Mount Vernon. Between the South and North Forks of the Skagit River, lies Fir Island – home to thousands of snow geese every winter. Just north of the North Fork lies thousands of fertile acres, many planted with spring flowers.
The snow geese generally arrive in November and are gone by April, with the peak number from mid-December through mid-January. At their peak, there are easily tens of thousands of geese present on Fir Island. Besides the geese, trumpeter swans and tundra swans also migrate to the area. Like bald eagles? Plenty of them as well.
The field north of the river have a few geese as well, but are mainly known for their spring daffodils and tulips. By the time the tulips arrive, the geese are gone, but if your timing it right, you can see the snow geese and blooming daffodil fields on the same trip.
Six years ago, during the first weekend of March, I went to the area and found a huge flock of geese and acres of blooming yellow daffodils. Last week, friend and I made the trip, hoping to duplicate my timing of 2010. And we saw thousands of geese, a few swans, and a dozen or so bald eagles. Unfortunately, we were a bit early for the daffodils – they were just starting to bloom. I would guess that this week and next may be prime blooming.
To see the geese and swans, head north from Seattle on Interstate 5 and take the Conway exit (exit #221). Turn west off the freeway, and at the roundabout in Conway, get on Fir Island Road. The geese can usually be found in the fields either north or south of Fir Island Road a mile or two after you cross the Skagit River. The geese spend the night on the water, and fly back inland during the morning. Last week, we arrived a little before sunrise, a bit early for the geese. But by the time we had finished taking a few sunrise shots, we heard honking on the air. We watched geese fly in in groups of 2 to 200, most landing at a field a few hundred meters off the road. Later in the morning, a few bigger flocks (maybe a 1,000 birds) flew in. It was an amazing sight.
With luck, the flocks will land close to the road and you can get good shots with a 70-200mm zoom lens (as was the case when saw them in 2010). That was not the case last week for me, and I found myself wanting something in the 400 to 600 mm range (which I do not own). I shot with my 70-200mm with a 1.4x teleconvertor.
Want the best of winter and spring in the Puget Sound lowlands – take my advice and try the geese and daffodils of the Skagit River delta in late February and early March.
One of a dozen or so bald eagles we found.
Geese flying in shortly after sunrise.
A flock flying in later in the morning with Mount Baker in the background.
Daffodils – just starting to bloom. No need for a big telephoto lens here!
It got cloudier as the morning progressed, but that made for some dramatic clouds over the daffodil fields (Olympic Mountains in the background).
This shot is from 2010 when the geese were much closer to the road and my 70-200mm lens was plenty big to get some “wing” action.
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