Bird Photos, Nisqually NWR, WA 10/2/2011

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Headquarters Marsh

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Willows and field which get flooded with freshwater in the winter

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Surge plain - salt marsh overflowed periodically by the Nisqually river

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Area opened to salt water last year

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Snowberry

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Great Blue Heron

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Great Blue Heron

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Great Egret

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Cackling Canada Geese, numerous during our visit

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Cackling Canada Geese, darker, smaller and shorter-necked than typical Canada Geese. The yellow neck band on the lead bird reads '5' followed by perhaps a '*'.

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Greater White-fronted Geese

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Mallards munching duckweed

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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American Wigeon

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Eclipse Northern Pintails

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Female Northern Harrier - grayish-brown above, buff w/ brown streaks below

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Female Northern Harrier - grayish-brown above, buff w/ brown streaks below

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Juvenile Northern Harrier - browner above than adult female

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Juvenile Northern Harrier - orangish brown below with minimal streaking, much brighter than adult female

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Only a few of us saw this accipiter fly overhead. By size and flight my initial ID was a male Cooper's but from this photo in the field the extensive streaking and wrist angle indicated a Sharp-shinned to other birders.

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Upon further consideration Shep and others decided on Cooper's based on the scalloped tail feathers (central feathers are the longest) discernible in this photo.

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Peregrine Falcon by headquarters, probably female. This was the first of four peregrines we found in the refuge.

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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The headquarters Peregrine Falcon in flight

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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The headquarters Peregrine Falcon in flight

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Virginia Rail preening in the sunshine. Great views through scopes, not so great at 400mm even w/ 1.4 extension. Northern Pintail in foreground, Mallards preening.

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Greater Yellowlegs with worm

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Greater Yellowlegs, banded on left leg

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Glaucous-winged Gull, probably 2'nd year based on overall grayish plumage, but apparent barring on uppertail coverts might indicate a first-year bird.

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Ring-billed Gull

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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American Crow - smallish size probably due to Northwestern Crow genes

Bird Photos from Oct 12, 2011 outing at Nisqually NWR

Shep Thorpe leads a group of birders around the refuge every Wednesday. I joined them with my camera and managed to get photos of a few of the 60 or so species we found. All photos taken with Nikon D300 using 200-400 f4 lens, ISO 250-400.

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Savannah Sparrow in dead blackberry thicket in new saltmarsh area