The lake wasn’t frozen, that was just the name of it. At Sunrise, the alpine portal on the northeast side of Mount Rainier, these pikas seemed to be everywhere – collecting grass for their winter stores. This one just sat there giving its signature shreek of dismay to warn everyone else of me, the intruder.
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Category: Wildlife
2026-6-10 Barred Owl Portrait
I’ve been painting these barred owls here in our little meadow. This one seems young, hanging out in the Douglas-fir in the front. 6″x6″ canvas using oils. These little studies help me understand background colors that work with the subject.
Chickadee – Snowy Day
Red-footed Booby
Our local celebrity for the past month, a red-footed booby. How did this exotic bird get here? It’s believed the juvenile booby arrived in Port Townsend by hitching a ride on a cargo ship after becoming separated from its flock. It’s hanging out with some Herrmann’s gulls. Will the booby join them on their migration […]
Northern Pygmy Owl
I rarely see these small and unobtrusive owls and when I do they’re generally sweeping in to pick off a small songbird in our yard. Sometimes they win, sometimes the songbird wins. On this particular occasion I was alerted by quite a commotion of Stellar’s Jays circling a tree. I grabbed the binoculars for a […]
American Pika
This little guy was gathering grasses for his winter cache. They don’t hibernate and rely on their season’s supply of herbs and grasses to get them through the cold winter months. They’re well adapted for the alpine climate with dense fur. You’ll generally hear a pika before seeing them. Their high pitched whistle acts as […]