Winter is birding season in Puget Sound...especially in river deltas. Raptors, geese, swans, and other waterfowl become abundant in the delta areas. Both the Skagit and Nisqually deltas are within 60 miles of Seattle making a day birding trip easy....except for the dreaded I-5 traffic. Always bring a passenger for the car pool lane..it will lessen the pain. :) The image of the Golden Eagle is the first sighting for me in the Skagit in over 50 trips. Short-eared Owls are common now in the Skagit and being
daytime hunters makes it perfect. Snow Geese and Trumpeter and Tundra Swans are abundant in winter.
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| Long-eared Owl |
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| Bald Eagle |
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| Northern Harrier |
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| American Bittern |
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| Northern Harrier Female |
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| Golden Eagle |
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| Golden Eagle |
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| Northern Harrier |
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| Rough-legged Hawk |
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| Rough-legged Hawk |
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| Short-eared Owl |
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| Short-eared Owl |
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| Short-eared Owl |
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| Pissed off Short-eared Owl |
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| Snow Geese |
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| Snow Geese |
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| Snow Geese |
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| Snow Geese |
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| Juv. Snow Geese |
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| Bald Eagles on kill |
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| Golden-crowned Sparrow |
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| Mt. Baker |
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
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| Trumpeter Swans |
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| American Wigeon |
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| Great Blue Heron catching vole |
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| Great Blue Heron with vole lunch |
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| Green-winged Teal |
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| Hooded Merganser |
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| Frozen Nisqually backwater |
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| Mt. Rainier |
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| Peregrine Falcon |
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| Ring-billed Gull |
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| Northern Shovelers and Mallard |
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
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| Tundra and Trumpeter Swans |
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| Trumpeter Swan |
