I had a fantastic birthday yesterday. The weather unexpectedly cooperated so we went over to Turtleback Mountain on Orcas Island to go for a hike. My boyfriend surprised me with a macro lens for my camera, so it was the perfect opportunity to play with my new toy!
Okay, okay, Turtleback Mountain has some pretty spectacular scenic views, so I'll share a few of those with you first before taking a close up look at some of the flora and fauna from the hike.
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| The view from 950' Ship's Peak |
Here are some of my favorite macro shots from the day....
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| Grasshopper on a leaf |
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| Pine needle close-up |
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| Puffball mushroom |
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| Sap dripping down a tree |
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| Another grasshopper portrait |
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| Tiny mushroom and moss sporophyte |
The weather deteriorated while we were hiking and the wind really picked up which made birding difficult. We came across one woodland flock of chestnut-backed chickadees, golden-crowned kinglets, and brown creepers, and also saw lots of ravens cartwheeling in the wind off of Ship's Peak. I spotted several raptors, including a probable merlin, but they were all too far away or going too fast to be properly identified. So, no new year birds for the day!
After getting back to "our" island we went out for a tasty dinner and then enjoyed this special orca birthday cake!
Another year older then Monika.....
ReplyDeleteI love that cake :-) I hope you didn't have it all to yourself !
That cake is so cool! How perfect. :) A new camera lens to a photographer is the perfect gift. Great shots with the new lens and the old.
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