Parker Jackson Wilderness Photography

Today was such a day for the birds! While these aren't the most amazing images I've ever taken, what was amazing to me was just how quickly all of these passed by in short order. When I began hik... Today was such a day for the birds! While these aren't the most amazing images I've ever taken, what was amazing to me was just how quickly all of these passed by in short order. When I began hiking, I wasn't really ready to try and photograph every.single.type of bird that passed by, but given what I was seeing and hearing - I was quickly compelled to start keeping tabs on just how many species there were. The trees were absolutely filled with chatter -- mostly from a very large group of bohemian waxwings. I actually didn't get any pics of the waxwings today because they were flying around so fast (and were roosted near private property). A big eagle flew overhead but I couldn't quite tell if it was a golden or a bald. Fifteen minutes later a bald eagle showed up, so I assume it was the same bird. But, given just how many birds came by, I'm not sure if I should trust that assumption. In any case, I spotted at least 14 species in about an hour today. I only caught 11 on camera -- a bald eagle, red tail hawk, buzzard, ? falcon, mallard ducks, white breasted nuthatch, pygmy nuthatch, dark eyed junco, crow, mountain chickadee and downy woodpecker. Those not pictured were the northern flicker, canada geese and bohemian waxwing. The geese were very upset at the arrival of the eagle, but surprisingly the mallards weren't noticeably bothered. And, there were even some bonus deer. Fun time out watching for wildlife.

Show full story +

Image Controls