Go with the Flow

February sun in Northwest is a nice surprise and makes me feel energizing. It may not last through the entire day, but I rush to embrace it after the cold and gloomy winter. This is my first visit to the park since rainy season started. I came to look for cyclists and joggers to take some panning shots.



Morning fog was still dwelling. When I looked around, there were barely bicycles and joggers. Trees are still veiled in the fog. The only subjects around are the geese. I have photographed enough ducks and geese and have very little interest in them. A lady walked by with a bag in her hand. I greeted her, but did not intend to generate a conversation until all the geese were suddenly following her. Aha, food.


Happy Valentine

The look on their faces is comical and I was tempted to follow them along.

Somehow a few geese began to follow me. The only explanation I have is, they mistook my camera as a food item of some sort.  This couple even posed for me to have their Valentine portrait taken. I found them entertaining.

Several bikers came by, but it was still very foggy and I was too happy with the results…

I heard birds and saw movement in one old oak tree. And I spotted intrusive something on a limb, something is not supposed to be there. I was taught to look for something does not belong and here it is. I found a hawk !

Hawk, Eagles and Vultures are all predators. If not living in Northwest and have seen them around, I would never take a close look at them. Hawk has that piercing sharp eyes, but I think hawk’s face is as cute as a baby. The close-up image tells me what he was watching me like a hawk.

In the last three years,  I took one decent shot of hawk when he was standing on top of a dumpster. I have since been longing to snap a shot in a more natural environment and here it is. I was thrilled as you can imagine. It will be better if it is not backlight and not in the shade.

I love birds so much that I can be very easily distracted by their chirps and sound. I could see at least 6-8 small birds in a smaller tree chasing each other and having fun except that they were all in the shade and I could not identify them. I was under the trees, but they were still far away from the ground. It bugged me that I was looking at them but could not tell what they are. Then, I heard woodpeckers, two of them. They moved so fast that I must have taken 15 shots of them before I got couple clear shots.

Hawk is my trophy for the day. I wanted to walk away, but I could not give up the desire to identify all the birds I saw.  Even I cannot take clear pictures, I still want to know who they are. Luckily I’d waited long enough and was able to find the answer. There was a pair of House Finches, male and female. There were also two different kinds of sparrows, the black-headed and the song sparrows, all together 6 of them.

When condition is not as expected, go with the flow. I expected to bring back some panning shots, instead, it turned out to be a birding day.