Five from the field trip

[holyoutlaw]

Yesterday (as previously mentioned) the Bird class went for its second field trip. Here are five pictures resultant therefrom.

Chaotic flock of birds

These birds were too far away to ID even with the teacher's scope, but we watched them perform for several minutes. This is only a section of the whole.
Big Ditch Access, Skagit County, WA


The Moon

About 9 a.m. The cloud cover rolled in within an hour or so, but we stayed dry up north until we were heading back to the rendezvous point.
Stanwood, Skagit County, WA


Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Hey! Look at me! Don't pay attention to those stupid snow geese! They're a mile away! I'm right here! Posing and everything!
Fir Island Farm/Hayton Preserve, Skagit County, WA


Black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus) foraging in a clustered wild rose (Rosa pisocarpa) bush

Chickadees are very industrious in their foraging, hopping from branch to branch with little flutters.

Also, I can't hear the word "chickadee" without hearing W.C. Fields saying "my little chickadee."
Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Preserve, Skagit County, WA


Banded woollybear caterpillar (Pyrrharctica isabella)

The banded woollybear can be found in the fall looking for a place to overwinter. Supposedly, you can tell the severity of a winter by the width of the red band. It can also be found in the spring, looking for a place to pupate, but no one says it predicts the severity of the summer.
Skagit County, WA