A morning for the birds

I always enjoy a visit to Deception Pass State Park, but my Monday morning journey was extraordinary in terms of birds. There were Canada geese and mallards at Cranberry Lake; bald eagles perched in a treetop between lake and surf. There were sparrows, crows and of course, seagulls and cormorants. There was a hawk flying toward Deception Island, and although I didn’t see them, I heard red-winged blackbirds. Then, on a short walk on the northeast bluff of Whidbey I saw a varied thrush and two more eagles gliding above the forest treetops: a young one and mature eagle moving west over the bridge. Blue skies and beautiful birds — a wonderful combination.

One eagle joins another

Scanning over the shoulder

Lake as bathtub

Riding high on the water