I had the opportunity this week to visit Whidbey Island with my wife, and we stopped at several places to do some bird watching.  Not only did we see some great birds, but also saw some other interesting wildlife. I did not realize how many wonderful birding locations there are on Whidbey Island until this trip – we were only able to visit a couple of locations, leaving a number of other places to visit the next time we get there. This post includes some photos from the first day of our trip an another post will detail the second and third days of our visit.

The picture above of a Rufous Hummingbird, and the picture below of a Violet-Green Swallow, were taken at Greenbank Farm, a wonderful place with walking trails, a wetland, a duck pond and many plants that attract hummingbirds. (It also features a great Cafe with fantastic pie.)  There were Rufous Hummingbirds and swallows zipping all over the place!

Our second stop was Crockett Lake, on the shore of which quite a few Northern Harriers were on patrol looking for a meal.  There were also a number of herons and shorebirds to be seen as well.  Crockett Lake is near Fort Casey State Park, which apparently is also another great birding location.  We visited the old lighthouse at Fort Casey, but didn’t get a chance to hunt for any birds, so that will be a birding location for another trip. Below are several photos of one of the Harriers at Crockett Lake.

Finally, on our way back from Fort Casey to our hotel on the south end of the island, we drove by the Naval Outlying Field Coupeville, a Navy airfield which is located right next to the main highway.  This gave me the opportunity to photograph one of the other winged things (besides birds) that I love to photograph – aircraft.  Below is a photo of an EA-6B Prowler as it was practicing touch-and-go carrier landings at the field.