Olympic National Park - April 2015

Back when I was in school, I remember reading the cover of a National Geographic edition that had the picture of a Snow Owl in flight. The picture was part of a feature on the winter sights from the Olympic National Park in the northwest part of Washington State. The park we visited was very different from the one that left such strong impressions on my mind, but as rewarding as I expected. We even happened to visit the park on a weekend marked as the Olympic Bird Fest, which gave us the chance to meet some birders and attend some events. My favorite sightings were of the Bald Eagle and the Anna's Hummingbird.

308. Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

309. Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)

310. American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

311. Brant (Branta bernicla)

312. California Gull (Larus californicus)
Looks very much like a herring Gull, except an almost indiscernible difference in size, and the blank ring on it's bill.

And here's the juvenile of a California Gull

313. Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

314. Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)

315. Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)

316. Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)

Female

Male

317. Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

318. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

319. Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)

320. Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)

321. Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

322. Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)

323. Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius)