Time Out for a New Lifer Species

A view towards Olympic National Park

Wednesday I decided to have another at viewing the Thick-billed Murre in Port Angeles. So, for a third... forth? - time this week I took a ferry out of the Seattle area, driving the northwest route to the Ediz Hook Bird Reservation on the tippy top of Washington State.

The harbor view facing Port Angeles where I searched for the Murre

I was rewarded with - far off, but distinguishable - view of the Thick-billed Murre.

Thick-billed Murre

Woe, is me, the photo to the right is not mine and more's the pity. The bird was so far across the harbor I could ID with my spotting scope, but my iPhone's camera seemed to be dead set against digiscoping the bird properly. How I hate missing a chance to photograph my first viewing of one of my lifer species.









Other birds in the area was a HUMONGOUS flock of Long-tailed ducks. I only have ever seen them in California where occasionally one of the ducks winds up. Having never seen more than one Long-tail at a time, seeing a long floatilla of 30-something ducks, even at long distance range was marvelous.

Again, not my photo, as when I visited, ducks were too far off for photos

Other highlights to reward my long drive was a single Red-necked Grebe, lots of Pigeon Guillemots including many juvenile birds which are gray while their parents are studies in black and white. Never having seen juvenile Guillemots before, at first I thought I may have discovered some wildly exotic vagrant. Oh well! Thank heavens I always have an ID book at the ready. There were also Harlequin Ducks for which I always admire. And these photos are mine, mine, all mine!

There were Harlequin Ducks a plenty - like this drake and hen

They don't make any sea ducks more striking than Harlequins

I proudly, OK, somewhat vainly, recorded my Thick-billed Murre sighting with Cornell University's E-bird on the spot. The bird brings my ABA area life list up to 606. Whoo hooo!

In Seattle

A view from behind Pikes Market, downtown Seattle

On Monday, as planned I met up with my high school buddy, Diane. We had a lot to catch up and as soon as we saw each other it was chit-chat City. Diane is in Seattle to attend a conference for school psychologists.

Diane in our B&B kitchen

We stayed at an AirBnB townhouse in Seattle and loved it. AirBnB is a new fangled concept in the states, but an old one in Europe. You stay at the home of a private citizen, which in this case was a sweet, generous and kind young couple at a townhouse near downtown Seattle. I'll never forget that wild and crazy floor plan of that townhouse! We were provided a stocked shelf in their fridge, cereals, breakfast bars and such, as well as full use of the kitchen. We fixed ourselves some eggs and toast for breakfast.  






While Diane was off to her conference on Tuesday, I visited the famous & huge, Pikes Market in downtown Seattle. Pikes Market is sort of a 24/7 combination grocery store, farmer's market and mall, that has been a staple of Seattle since 1907. The market has several floors and is built on the side of a hill. I walked and rode elevators all over the place, visiting a dizzying array of shops of every kind.

I first visited the market with Fran Zalkin, back in 1981. The most memorable bit was being stunned by my first viewing of geoducks (pronounced 'gooey-ducks') which resemble a line up at a bathhouse in San Francisco. I am shocked to find there are no longer any geoducks at Pikes. I think they are now too rare expensive for this venue. Happily there are loads of other items to peak one's interest at Pikes.

This view set me hankering for some hot chowder

Turkey eggs! I want turkey eggs at my Farmer's Market!

The view through Pikes Market

I am told, this little piggy, that obviously went to market is called "Rachel". She's the Pikes Market mascot and is made of bronze.  There is an annual event called 'Pigs on Parade' that raises money for a Pikes Market social services charity. She's raised $100K in donations to date.

I observed lots of people sitting astride Rachel, posing for photos. Those are her trotter tracks passing the ground in front of her. Each track is etched with the names of charitable donors & their sentiments.

The labels here are a hoot

Genetically speaking, even the tiles outside the rest rooms were entertaining at Pikes,










I bought lunch at a little shop across from the market. The shop makes its own cheese on the premises. If you don't believe it you have only to look through their store front window, to watch the artisan craftspeople whipping up a batch of cheese, right before your eyes.

A little store front cheese making

Monday night Diane enjoyed her Panna Cotta dessert

Monday night, Diane and I walked to Marjorie, one of numerous restaurants nearby the B&B. Talk about living high on the Rachel... I mean, high on the hog.

We enjoyed a scrumptious din-din including sinfully yummy desserts. Um... we intend to dine in a similar manner for the remainder of the week. How could not give into the local culture ala Fraiser? Today we dined at Anchovies and Olives, enjoying another dining adventure.

What a fun day. As Frasier says, Good Night Seattle!

Twilight Hunting

Werewolf Country

Having watched the first Twilight movie last night, I headed out of the Fork's Motel today, on a photo scavenger hunt. I went forth with a list of spots to hit, that I got from a free, locally available tourist guide.

I stopped by the Fork's Chamber of Commerce, where I found Bella's red pick-up truck parked outside. I noted I was not alone in my scavenger hunt for Twilight fun.

Is that Edward and Bella in the doorway?

 



Next I stopped to get pics of a downtown shop that probably derives a lot of its income from Twilight.

Love the Northwest Indian artwork over the shop. I took a left turn after passing the shop and headed to Bella Swan & Edward Cullen's high school.  Being Saturday, school wasn't in session so there were no students about.

Forks High School

There wasn't any obvious Twilight stuff - signs, or posters - to be seen. I headed next for the medical clinic where Bella was taken in the first movie, after Edward kept the car from squishing her. It is a real hospital with a real emergency room and I kept clear of it, but searched for something touted in the tourist guide. Bingo! Edward dad, Dr. Cullen's parking space! 
 

No sooner had I taken the shot, then a Twilight tour van drove up. A single young lady got out and proceeded to take a b'jillion shots of Dr. Cullen's space. I didn't get a pic of it, but at one point she turned to face me, giving me the biggest, happiest, ear to ear grin I think I've ever seen! She was yet another, thrilled to her toes, Twilight fan.

I wasn't the only one checking out the Twilight Sights

I hunted, but I could not for the life of me find the Cullen's home. I was a bit bummed, but I had a bit more luck in finding the Swan residence in a cute little Fork's neighborhood.

The Swan Home

Next on my list was the First Beach. In the movie, Bella and her high school chums hit the beach. She was told the Cullens (vampires all) didn't come to the beach due to a treaty with the local Indian tribe.  The border the Cullen's are not to cross is pretty obvious to all. Hum... wouldn't that have been Bella's first clue there was something weird about Edward?

Back up Vampires!

 First Beach is plenty awesome, even if there weren't any vampires littering up the beach. Took loads of photos but you can see most of the area in this video I shot. It isn't too long.


Yeah, kind of dreamy, eh?  Here's a few more pics from the first beach area.

I need to be in Seattle on Monday so after leaving First Beach, I headed south, with a stop at Olympic National Park's Hoh Rain Forest along the way.

The green patch on the left is an old, lichen covered telephone booth

I took the time to drive up to the Hoh Visitor Center, but I didn't do any hiking there are anything. I did do a bit of birding there though.

Ring-necked Ducks

Nap time for Mallards

Lots of brown female Hooded Mergansers, but no drake mergansers

The river along the Hoh Forest

Ended the day in a fairly large Washington town of Aberdeen. So, that was my Vampire/Werewolf adventure. I survived - unmolested by either Vampire or Werewolf.  Whew!