Somewhere.

     Well, someone ruined it for us all. Today I am not sharing my locations, just the things I saw in the places that I visited because this is getting out of hand.
     Snowy owls are a hot topic among birders, especially in an urban/suburban setting where the population of people is high and so is the interest in such birds. Birders generally follow a code of ethics created by the American Birders Association. Most follow, but many don't and some folks, especially those who are not birders, disregard it all together. And this shouldn't just be limited to owls, but all birds. We all know some birds are more "sensitive" than others, with respect to birds who are nocturnal or nesting, especially.
     Today I went out, mostly had the place to myself-- thought I saw some other birders in a group who I kept away from, I was feeling like a solo adventurer today and found myself a beautiful snowy owl. I kept my distance, snapped a few pictures with my big lens, observed for 5 minutes and moved on because there was much more to see and I wanted to be respectful.
     Unfortunately as I headed back to my vehicle the bird was surrounded by the now revealed to be a photography group. Eventually some of the group left the bird while two remained. One of the two remaining photographers was waving their arms encouraging the bird to open its eyes or fly (which it did the latter).
     This bums me out so badly. Birds of prey are my favorites and it hurts to see people doing this to them. And gosh, forget about nesting season for terns and plovers on the beach. It also hurts me because I know so many great photographers who DO respect their subjects just there are quite a few bad eggs out there who ruin it for us.
     So, to be respectful of these critters, I will not share locations today.

For those who are not aware, I usually utilize a 200-500mm lens so not only am I able to maintain a respectful distance and grab a memory.... but I also have fabulous shoulders and arms. It's a work out.
All images are processed and cropped in Lightroom so I can make things like this happen without causing much disruption to the owl, as indicated by closed/mostly closed eyes and it's floofy, un-alert posture.

The only movement I observed with this juvenile/female (plumage can go either way depending on age) was some head twists, rotating to look behind and above.

On such a grey day, this bird matched the environment quite well... and unfortunately matches the littered bags, buckets, and jugs too...

(Warning, anthropomorphism alert)
Also, an un-disturbed, respected owl subject just has this look of pure joy on its face. It's like a real life emoji.

Also floofy and the cutest badass bird ever-- the American Kestrel. Most birds were floofy today (yes, floofy is an acceptable word in my world) because it was pretty cold outside.

I enjoyed observing this smallest falcon in all of North America as it looked around from it's perch hunting. As if hovering would be (and is) a chore, this post would surely do the trick.
It dove down from its perch twice while I observed and came up empty taloned.

Birds have superb vision and can see in a spectrum that we cannot, ultraviolet. I presume voles live in this area and as voles go about their day, they piddle along the way, marking their trails with their scent. The voles are also leaving a breadcrumb trail for a kestrel as their urine reflects ultraviolet light, illuminating a path to a meal for a kestrel. With cloud cover, I wonder if it is harder for a kestrel to do this. I would guess not since one still gets sunburnt on a cloudy day, that one being me.

And like the snowy owl, kestrels are sexually dimorphic. Snowy owl adult males are almost entirely white while females are larger and barred. American Kestrel adult males are colored with slate blue wings, a rust-colored tum tum, and rufous backside- females are barred mostly tans, browns and blacks.

Got all my gulls in a row... except they are all ring-billed was hoping for maybe an Iceland, glaucous, black-headed - but no. Just ring-billed.

Male bufflehead, preparing for a dive. Food was good here, even the gulls stopped raiding the trash to feed in the water or among the rocks and seaweed.

My favorite part of the bufflehead. Seems unassuming and dapper in his black and white--- but there is a little party in him too. Catch him in the right light and you'll find it.

A male red-breasted merganser was busy diving, coming up empty. I walked past him one way, then on the way back...

... He nabs a crab AND swallows it whole.
NBD.

Love me some purple sandpipers, they made up for the lack of any "rare" gulls.

I hope that all have the chance to see wildlife and observe it. But please remember to be respectful, maintain a distance, and consider the habits of the animal (is this its resting time? Is it tending to young? Is food at a minimum due to local conditions? etc.) as to not cause it unnecessary stress and movement; and it shouldn't stop at birds.
Everyone has a right to connect to nature I just hope all consider the creatures they are trying to enjoy.