Ken's Birding Trip to Washington state

In mid-April, Ken went on a week-long birding adventure to the northern tip of the Olympic Peninsula in the state of  Washington.  He had received a mailing from the local Audubon Society in Sequim/Port Angeles, Washington, advertising their annual bird festival.  He was grateful to receive my best wishes, and then jumped at the chance to see birds he had never seen before.  He had a delightful birding expedition and was thrilled to add about 25 new birds to his life list while enjoying his "lone wolf" adventure. Of the 110 bird species sited by all the participants in this year's bird festival there, Ken saw 103 of them.  I'll let him tell you about the pictures:

This picture is looking out from inside the light house on the New Dungeness Spit.

This is some of the items that have been found along the beach near the New Dungeness Spit Lighthouse and are on display in the lighthouse. Some incredibly interesting and random specimens. Some of the items were from as far away as Japan/Korea.

A selfie looking along the shoreline of the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the New Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. In the distance, you can just barely make out the beginning of the New Dungeness Spit. The weather that day was typical of the weather most of the week: cloudy, with light rain, and periods of sunshine here and there.

A view from Ediz Hook Reservation for Native Birds, looking back toward the town of Port Angeles and the mountains of Olympic National Park in the background. This was an incredibly productive place to spot new bird species during my visit there. Every time I went to Ediz Hook (a spit of land sticking out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca), I found new life-lister bird species. Many times, I got some incredibly close, clear views of these beautiful birds.

New Dungeness Lighthouse.

An "up-close-and-personal" look at the light in the New Dungeness Lighthouse.

The view from the New Dungeness Lighthouse, looking down the New Dungeness Spit, along which I walked in order to reach the lighthouse.

My view as I descended the stairs leading down from the lighthouse' lamp.

A friendly immature Bald Eagle that I came upon while hiking along the spit, going out to the New Dungeness Lighthouse.

View of the coastline cliffs in the New Dungeness Wildlife Refuge, with the New Dungeness Spit in the distance.

One of my first Black-tailed Deer sightings!

Many of the bushes were just beginning to blossom.

View from the ferry. looking at the Seattle, Washington skyline.