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The Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest is a biodiversity hotspot. It covers the inland waters from Vancouver Island and the southern coast of British Columbia, and along the inland west coast of Washington state, south to the state capital of Olympia. One of the many islands within the Salish Sea is San Juan Island, and it's my favorite. I've been going there for about 30 years. My primary draw has always been the orcas, but there are so many other wildlife to see on and around the island. It's truly incredible.  I love to share the wildlife with others and have been taking my family, friends and tour groups there every chance I get. Now I've teamed with NANPA, North American Nature Photography Association, to lead a photography tour June 3-6, 2025 to explore the island and the surrounding waters. If you love to photograph wildlife, here are 10 reasons why you should join me on this photographic journey for Wildlife of San Juan Island. 1) Southern Resident Orcas - aka SRO's. My original draw to the island, these endangered resident orcas, J, K, and L pods, follow the salmon through the Salish Sea. They have been studied since the '70's when the photo ID method of photographing their dorsal fins was developed and is still used to study the families and population.  2) Bigg's Orcas - aka Transient orcas. This is another subpopulation of orcas which feeds on marine mammals. They don't intermingle with the southern resident orcas. Below is Jack, T137A, porpoising after an encounter with a sea lion.  3) Stellar Sea Lions - The largest sea lion native to the Pacific Northwest. The males can weigh up to 2,500 pounds!  4) Harbor seals - aka sea puppies. They are often seen playing around the coastal bull kelp and haul out for a long rest on the rocky coastline. And they are just so darn cute!  5) Whales!! Gray, Humpback, and Minke whales spend the summer feeding throughout the Salish Sea.  6) Birds! In the trees, along the shore, and throughout the Salish Sea. Check out my previous San Juan Island tour for our bird list.  7) Photographing from a Zodiac boat - They're fast, steady, and are low on the water which puts us at eye level with wildlife. When we stop for a wildlife sighting, the boats are very stable so we can stay focused on our subject. When the captain gets a sighting report, we can get there quickly. And they're so fun!  8) Photographing from a kayak - Peaceful and relaxed exploration of the coastline. As we quietly glide along the surface, we'll be ready for intimate images of wildlife without disturbance.  9) Foxes! Red foxes are not only red, but gray, black, and blonde, too. Early summer we can see young fox kits playing and honing their hunting skills.  10) Sunsets - Beautiful sunsets contouring the mountains on Vancouver Island and reflecting colors off the waters of Haro Strait. And there's always a chance whales or orcas will pass by.  I hope you'll join me on this amazing photographic journey.
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I finally made it to White Bluffs. It’s an amazing location to hike and explore geology, wildflowers, wildlife, and grand views. I highly recommend going.  During the Missoula Ice Age, glaciers and melting ice carved out the basin, leaving behind the exposed layers of ancient sediment and the path of the Columbia river. The white sands seem misplaced as they are surrounded by a freshwater river and a desert sagebrush habitat.  Many wildflowers flourish in these dry conditions. Mule’s ear, Larkspurs, and Linearleaf phacelia are sporadically found along the trail. Even the dainty Wingnut cryptantha thrive in this dry and exposed habitat. We found evidence that deer had been there a little earlier. Quite often you may see raptors flying overhead or near the water. This particular day we caught a quick glimpse from the ridge of a waterfowl as it flew along the river’s edge below. Across the Columbia River, buildings of the Hanford Site dot the former agricultural and indigenous peoples’ land.  The trailhead is about an hour’s drive from the Tri-Cities and there are two ways to get there. One route is to take 240, then turn east on 24 for about 20 miles. There’s a small entrance road on your right. Follow the packed gravel road for about 2 miles to the parking area near the boat launch. The second route goes through Pasco. Take Broadmoor to Taylor Flats, then turn left on Ringold Rd. You can go to the Ringold boat launch to catch the south trailhead. But if you want the north trailhead, turn right on Ringold River Rd. It’s approximately 9 miles to the parking area and trailhead. A Discover pass is required. There is no porta-potty by the parking area and doesn’t appear to be one at the boat launch, either. There are plenty of shrubs near the parking area, though. Be sure to take plenty of water and a hat as it gets quite hot and there are no trees along the trail for shade.  The north trail will take you up along the hillside for 2 miles and then you’ll reach the white bluff sands. There is no trail through the sands so you may walk wherever you like. Take only pictures and leave only footprints for the winds will remove your footprints later.
Enjoy the hike. I’m sure the wildflowers will change throughout the season and wildlife visitors will vary as well. The views, however, will remain. For more information on the geology of White Bluffs, please click HERE. Cordova is a quaint coastal town located between Anchorage and Juneau, just east of Prince William Sound. Here I share with you 10 reasons why you should join me in this amazing destination this summer.
Travel dates are August 6-14, 2022. I'd love for you to join me. Click HERE to register.
San Juan Island is always beautiful and is one of my favorite places. During my wildlife photography tour last month, we were provided with plenty of wildlife to photograph. Although the weather predicted was going to be wet, we did not let the rain deter us. Prior to arriving on the island, high winds and a small craft advisory was predicted for our scheduled day of sailing. Luckily, we were able to adjust to a day earlier. All attendees caught an earlier ferry and once the rain let up, we set sail. The conditions were great, and the clouds eventually allowed some sunlight to break through to provide us with a fabulous rainbow.  Remember, no rain, no rainbows We encountered many seabirds throughout the day including Heerman’s gulls, glaucous-winged gulls, marbled murrelets, and rhinoceros auklets. Mature bald eagles watched the water from their high perch on the conifers while harbor seals rested along the rocky shoreline. We were treated to a special encounter with 2 humpback whales who were later ID’d as BCY0458, “Raptor”, and MMX0007, “Bond”. They are likely on their way now to either Hawaii or Baja. Safe travels, my friends.  Many, many gulls  Humpback whale fluke, diving The following day, the wind and rain did not keep us inside. We were dressed properly for whatever the elements wanted to throw at us, and we kept our cameras dry with a rain cover. Even though the majority of cameras are weather sealed, we were not taking any chances since we were going to be outside all day. Luckily for us the rain was light and sporadic.
 Wooly bear caterpillar. To watch a short video of him, click here. Our 3rd day started with a presentation on marine mammal acoustics at the Whale Museum. After some additional time to tour the museum, we met our presenter at Lime Kiln lighthouse. Here we were able to listen to the hydrophones that are installed along the coast to monitor when the Southern Resident Orcas and other marine mammals such as Humpback whales are nearby. We had a tour of the lighthouse which included the lantern room. While we did not spot any orcas that sunny afternoon, we had a spectacular view of Haro Strait.
Species list from our weekend
Glaucous-winged gull Heermann’s gull Marbled murrelet Common murre Rhinoceros auklet Bald eagle Northern harrier Golden crown sparrow Brown creeper Western grebe Herring gull Ravens Belted kingfisher Pigeon guillemots Pacific loons Bonaparte’s gull Great blue heron Anna’s hummingbird Wooly bear caterpillar Red foxes Rabbits Humpback whales Harbor seals Fallow deer European deer I wrote this blog for NANPA (North American Nature Photographer's Association).
Click the link below to check it out. Dragonflies are an intriguing insect. They're pretty, colorful, and quick fliers. When perched, they often blend into their surroundings making it tricky to see them. When viewed up close, however, they suddenly become a more prehistoric looking creature. Their big, bulbous head consists primarily of two large compound eyes which contain thousands of lenses each. This allows them to see almost every angle except immediately behind. They have several neck muscles which allows them to move their head sideways 180 degrees, back 70 degrees, and down 40 degrees.  This excellent vision allows them to catch their prey in flight. The legs capture the prey and bring it up to their mandible, or jaw, which is full of serrated teeth. They’re voracious predators, yet hugely beneficial to the ecosystem and people because they primarily prey on mosquitoes and other flying insects.  Their heads are such an interesting design. Even with those big eyes and wicked set of teeth, they always look like they’re smiling. Could they be happy because of the quantity of prey?  Unlike other insects, dragonflies have 2 sets of wings. Wingspan ranges from 2-5 inches depending on the species. Fossilized dragonflies, dating as far back as 300 million years, had a wingspan of 2 feet! That would be similar in size to the sharp-shinned hawk, American kestrel, and least tern.  They’re super fast, reaching speeds up to 60mph, and are experts at maneuvering. The 4 veined wings, which can move independently, allows the dragonfly to fly forward, backward, sideways, up and down, hover, and stop on a dime.  The wings are attached directly to large muscles on the thorax. Looking up close at the wing and muscle attachment on the thorax, it appears quite mechanical and reminds me of Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy.  Dragonflies are most commonly found around wetland areas such as the Yakima River and Amon Creek Natural Preserve and also visit backyards that are near other water sources like irrigation canals. But they have a short life span, ranging from 2-weeks to 2 months, depending on the species. There is quite an abundance and variety of species currently at Amon Creek. If you have the opportunity, I strongly recommend going for a short hike to see all the different dragonflies.  Please enjoy this video of the dragonfly showing its head movement. When I hear the word bison, I immediately think of Yellowstone National Park. Large herds of bison roaming the snow-covered grasslands, plowing their heads through the snow to reach the frozen vegetation underneath. But I’ve discovered there are several other locations across the US to view wild bison, such as Montana, Kentucky, California, North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Utah. Just east of Syracuse, Utah, about 30 minutes north of downtown Salt Lake City, is a wonderful place called Antelope Island State Park, a mountainous island surrounded by the Great Salt Lake, and connected to the mainland by a 7-mile long causeway, the original sandbar, the only link to the island. Antelope Island is home to a free-roaming herd of 500-700 bison. The lowlands of the island are covered in a shrub-steppe habitat which offers a variety of vegetation for the 1,000-2,000-pound herbivores to forage on.  My daughter and I spent the afternoon on the island while she was attending her online courses. Not far past the visitors center, we found several bison resting and grazing among the shrubs and grasses, a safe distance from the edge of the road. It was so exciting and felt like we were in our own mini Yellowstone! We didn’t have 2 feet of snow but it was barely above freezing and we could see the bison’s exhaling breath as he slowly moved among the shrubs. A cyclist we had passed earlier stopped by our car and asked if he could ride alongside our car when we were ready to move on because the bison were now at the edge of the road. Bison are quite unpredictable and are known to suddenly charge for no apparent reason so I was more than happy to assist him in getting past the bison safely.  Adult bison are the largest mammals in North America, measuring 6 feet tall at the hump, and 9 feet in length, roughly the same size as most cars. And don’t forget their 2-feet long sharp horns. Given their massive size, they are still able to run up to 40 miles per hour. Bison use their heavy heads as snowplows in deep snow and swing it side to side while grazing the shrub-steppe and grasses. They get the strength needed to move their 50-75-pound head from the large pile of muscles in the hump that stretch over the shoulders. Antelope Island covers 28,000 acres and is 15 miles long and 5 miles wide. Exposed rocks on the southern end of the island are 17 billion years old, the same age as rocks in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. While the bison don’t wander into the upper mountains, they can be found along the base, grazing on the grasses. As the sun begins to set, the pink sky glows on the snow-covered Wasatch Range behind us. As we start our return drive across the causeway, we see a bald eagle sitting on the frozen lake. An afternoon on the island was the best school day for my daughter, and it was a great afternoon for viewing bison, too.  Last weekend I finally traveled outside of the Tri-Cities. And not just to the next county. I ventured all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah. My daughter and I went to visit my son who is a freshman at the U. We decided to check out a couple of wildlife refuges along the way. Friday's stop was at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge in Caldwell, Idaho. It was a good rest stop, only a handful of visitors, and there was cellular service so my daughter could attend her online classes. I walked along the sagebrush trails while she attended her classes. The bees were busy collecting more pollen before cooler fall temperatures kicked in and prepped them for hibernation. Notice the orange pocket, or pollen pants, on this little guy.  We left SLC Monday morning and our wildlife refuge stop was at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, only one hour north in Brigham City, Utah. This refuge is viewed primarily by driving the 12-mile one-way loop. There are observation platforms but on our first stop, I got out of the car and discovered that there were millions of mosquitoes, so it was decided that we'd view with the windows up. After squishing several mosquitoes that invaded our inner car sanctuary, we headed for the loop drive in search of the white-faced ibis. It was noted on the refuge's web page that the ibis should still be there through the end of September, so I crossed my fingers that we would still find some. We saw several birds along the drive including white pelicans, sparrows, and western grebes. Our visit must have been between seasons as there were some individuals rather than large flocks. On the last turn of the loop route, I caught a glimpse of a small group of birds along the edge of the pond. With the sun not very high in the sky and the tall grasses blocking light, I could just make out their silhouette. I almost missed them because they blended into the vegetation pretty well. I believe we found the end-of-season stragglers of the largest population of white-faced ibis in Utah.  Because of the mosquitoes, I had to shoot with the lens against the window. And because of the lighting, we can't see the white marking on their face or their red legs and red eyes. While we can see their distinctive curved bill, we can't tell that it is also red. This long curved bill makes it easy to probe the mud in the shallow water for aquatic invertebrates.
I was still quite excited to see this small crew of white-faced ibis. Their habitat range is west through Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, and through the mid-western states from North Dakota to the Gulf of Mexico. They'll spend the winter in Mexico and along the coast of eastern Texas and western Louisiana and then return to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge next April when they'll mate, nest, and raise their young. And when I head down to SLC in the early summer to help my son move from the dorm to an apartment, I'll add some travel time to see the white-faced ibis again. And I'll wear mosquito netting. Whether you’re going on a short photo walk around Bateman Island or a longer hike in the Cascades, these tools should always be in your camera/hiking bag.
I hope you find these tools helpful for your camera bag. Do you have any additional items you take with you? Please share.
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Hi!I'm Diana and welcome to my Wild Places Blog. Here I'll share adventures of finding wildlife, new images, and talks about gear. 
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