Monday, April 25, 2011

Dinner at Padilla Bay Reserve

Before we left home to look at the daffodils, we got some sandwiches for our dinner. After a nice ride around the daffodil fields we decided to head for Padilla Bay Reserve - to have a picnic for our dinner. Padilla Bay is a magnificent wildlife area in the delta of the Skagit River, in the Salish Sea.


The SALISH SEA extends from the north end of the Strait of Georgia and Desolation Sound to the south end of the Puget Sound and west to the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, including the inland marine waters of southern British Columbia, Canada and northern Washington.

Click to enlarge the map - near the middle you find Mt. Baker - Bellingham is just west of Mt. Baker, and Padilla Bay is a bit southwest of Bellingham.

This is one of our favorite wildlife viewing areas. We parked down near the water to eat our sandwiches - it was still too cold to eat outdoors at the picnic tables, but we had good views of the water and birds.

Our first birds were the crows - walking along . . .



One up on a post . . .

As the crow flies . . .



This one had a lot to say . . .






Herons wading in the flooded fields nearby . . .


Pintail ducks . . .



And a sparrow or two . . .


I think these shots are what convinced me that I needed more "zoom" in my camera - so I'm looking at one with 35x zoom - wouldn't that be fabulous!?!

As the sun was setting the reflection was full of ducks . . .


Then in a field we saw this beautiful fellow. We hadn't seen a pheasant in several years, but couldn't get close enough for a really good shot - he was way out in the field . . .


And this wonderful Heron flew across the road and landed in a blueberry field . . .


There were some horses eating dinner in the field . . .




And a mother and pony. The farmer was in the field with a rope - and I suspect the mother was running to protect her baby. They were coming at me so fast that I couldn't get all of her in the picture . . .





On the way home through Bow and Edison we came upon a small farm with lots of sheep and goats . . .




And this rooster that kept racing back and forth - really fast . . .



The lambs and goats loved the wood pile . . .



Spectacular day!





22 comments:

Crispy said...

Great pictures Jo. Looks like you avoided some rain for once too :0)

Crispy

Anonymous said...

Beautiful pics!! A breath of fresh air!!
Have a Great Day!!
Marilyn

Peggy said...

What a wonderful, wonderful day!!

regan said...

Wonderful pics....what a great outing!

“Old World Goodies” said...

Isn't it amazing what we have available to us...Mother Nature can be soo "Beautiful".
Thanks for sharing

Purple Pam said...

What a wonderful photo journey. Thank you for sharing them.

Julie Fukuda said...

Love the pictures. Thanks for sharing.

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Any time there are animals involved, it's a lovely day for me, too, Jo! Oh, what wonderful pictures and wonderful animals! I love shorebirds, but those little goats just send me! There is a farm that sells miniature donkeys, and while I didn't have my camera with me, my English guests did and took loads of photos! They had other little mini animals, too. Just SO cute.

Loved going on this outing with you, and after I want to catch up on your other post!

XO,

Sheila :-)

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Jo, I left messages below, but in case you don't see them, Many Happy Returns for your birthday (belatedly) and the year to come!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Judy S. said...

Just got caught up on your blog, Jo, and enjoyed all the photos. Now Birch Bay is on our list to go visit.....thanks!

Deb Shucka said...

What a gorgeous day you had! I'm thrilled to find a new wildlife place to visit - don't know how we missed this one. Thanks.

Teresa said...

Wonderful pictures - I sure enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing.

Sharon T in Napa said...

thanks so much for sharing such glory Jo!!

Lila Rostenberg said...

Great photos! what a wonderful outing! Yes, I think you could use a zoom lens!
[then I could see the little sparrow even more clearly! LOL!]

Lili said...

Picnics are so much fun, you guys like doing the same things we do. Oh Jo, I just love my 20x zoom, I cannot imagine having a more powerful 35x, that's exciting I hope you get one soon! The pics were all so lovely though, I just love wildlife. ~Lili

Nancy said...

You really did see a lot. You will love having more zoom to your camera. Sometimes you just can't get close enough and need the power. Nancy

Elenka said...

Looks like a spectacular day.
Hope all those mommies are celebrating Mother's Day with their kids.
Happy Mother's Day to you!

Rowan said...

What a wonderful place this looks, I love your photo of the foal and it's mother running towards you.

Pondside said...

Don't we just live in the most beautiful part of the world?
There's a wonderful song, written by a Canadian woman, all about the Salish Sea. Have you heard it? If not, I'll try to find a link for you.

I loved your story of doubling back to help out the woman and child on the street. :)

Anonymous said...

such wonderful photos , I'm you newest follower,, thankyou for visiting my blog,,

Celestial Charms said...

Such beautiful photos. Love the ones of the crows, as I'm kind of obsessed with crows. :)
Thanks for the pesto freezing tips, I appreciated that.
Maureen

JoyceAnn said...

Love the pics , especially the pheasant. Sounds like a wonderful outing.

~ Be Blessed ~