State of the State of Washington

[Birdsong]

First baldy for me:

Spotted towhee:

Never make a towhee angry--apparently they see red:

Same old bird, different environment. This is when tide was out:

Nesting material among the horsetails:

And finally my little chickadee:

[Dbl]

That first shot is very well done, great detail and good exposure!

[Catmendo]

I totally agree with dan, nicely done! Love those big baby blues on your little chickadee!

[dockothebay]

Very nice series - the eagle is excellent. I believe your little chickadee is my favorite species though -- grandkids!

[panthrcat]

terrific images! the eagle rocks!!! and that cute little blue eyed chikadee is gorgeous

[MN Shutterbug]

I'd say that you had a very successful trip. That bald eagle shot is great. I love the way he's framed by the pine tree. You even captured the catchlight. Your little chickadee is quite adorable, too.

[fishinchicks]

Nice series. Love that last one - what a cutie!

[Birdsong]

I love the way he's framed by the pine tree.

Funny--that is the pine tree right outside my window/door. Because of the distance between branches, what it normally frames on a clear day is Mount Reinier! I had been trying to capture that in water color all weekend. Unfortunately, the horizon was still clouded when the eagle arrived. Wouldn't that have been a photo-op???

Thanks for your comments, all. Dan, I printed off your instructions on layers/ luminosity and sharpening. For some reason my eagle shots all halo immediately on that lead wing edge with anything more than 20/7. But I seem to be missing a step in your process. I gave up and lassoed this one last night, just to have one finished. I will get my Kelby manual out.

[ShawnZ]

Fantastic song sparrow image with the sparrow collecting nesting material. I love the choclaty look to the northwestern song sparrow. The eagle image is also very nice and I agree with X about the way the bird is framed by the pine boughs.