Hello March

Everytime I start wondering what will be in my next post, nature provides answers.

I've been feeding hummingbirds for 9 months.

I can't think of any human invention that can
move around, with the same precision, as these little birds.

Hummer pics are easier to capture at sunset when
they are heavy feeders.

I wonder what shutter speed will capture the wings
without motion. I'll experiment with that.

I tried this feeder for a few days.
It did not seem as popular with the birds as the other feeders.

It is hard for me to identify individual birds.
I'm fairly sure this one is new in the last week or so.

I believe this is a female Anna's hummingbird.

Although hummers are almost always moving, in some way, there
are times when they are perfectly still for several seconds.

The usual routine.

While watching for hummers I happened to notice this
American Robin cleaning up in a pool of water.
Fascinating: Although European and American Robins have
different appearances, the breast color is precisely the same.

My view to the west gives me a nice look at colorful sunsets.

Sometimes it's hard to pic a favorite of just one sunset.

March 1, 2021

A break in the clouds creates a spotlight effect.
Not noticed when snapping the photo ... see below

A solitary sailboat.
Wondered what it was like to be in the spotlight on the boat.

Some hazy conditions help define the foothills in the Olympic
Mountain Range to the west.

This view looks over Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island

The morning view to the west is especially nice when
we have the sun illuminating the
fresh snow cover on the Olympic Mountains.
Beyond the mountains it's a cloudy day.

A container ship arriving in Seattle with an exceptionally
small load of freight.

A Matson freighter departing, probably from Tacoma,
the port south of us. It looks like this ship had a rough winter.

A house in the neighborhood. (No, not mine.)
I admire the landscaping.

In my view to the northwest is this place 
known as "The Admiral's House"
It has a beautiful setting right above Elliott Bay Marina

Impressed with the blooms on this tree.
So colorful and the blue sky made a neat background.

Lastly ...

The 2021 Iditarod is underway. 46 mushers are competing to see who can be first to finish this year's 852 mile race. I'm watching online at iditarod.com

The 2021 Iditarod started on Sunday March 7
The event was streamed live on Iditarod.com

Map of the 852 mile race which is from Deshka Landing, Alaska
to Flat and back to Deshka Landing.

Closing thought ...

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

   — Albert Einstein

Around the World - 1891

Globe Circling Excursion 1891
Arranged by Canadian Pacific Railway Company

One Covid Silver Lining ... Plenty of time to browse through my collection of vintage travel temptations. I call them "temptations" because they were advertisements designed to encourage travel at a time when travel was truly for the most elite adventurers. The world was still beyond the reach of all except the most well-to-do. It fascinates me to consider how adventurers would choose and carry out a journey at the dawn of the travel industry. The image above is the cover of a brochure issued in 1891 to tempt travelers to take an excursion around the world via ships and trains. Published by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.

Cost of the trip in 1891 = $600  Cost in today's dollars = $15,853.

Travel time = About 90 days.

Here are a few of the inside pages ... (Click on images for larger view)

1891 - Rail & Steamship Tour

One of the Ships - Empress of India

Map --  A Tour Round the World

Ports O' Call

Sailing Times **Probably**

This page is one of my favorites.
Can you imagine a time when traveling and 
spotting other ships was an activity worth recording?

More ships and skies ...

Matson freighter departing.
Bainbridge Island waterfront in the background.

For any first time visitors ... John likes to watch ships come and go in Seattle and snap photos of some that interest him.

C M A  C G M small freighter.
Cloud shadows and bright sun made the view unusual.

Early morning departure.
S M Line
Departure at dawn with deck edge lights still on.

Just after sunset behind the clouds ...
looking across Puget Sound to the west.

Late afternoon, mostly cloudy sky with breaks and
sun blasting through created an unusual scene at
this OOCL Container ship departure.

A sky photo I like from my archives of 2011
back in the Treasure State (Montana).
Along a remote mountain road.

A sunrise from 2011.
This shot is looking east from the Madison
Valley in Southwestern Montana.

Birds ...

American Robin on a snow day.
February 13th

My hummingbirds are a daily fascination.
February 3rd

Have you been watching the hummingbird babies?

Hummingbird Spot, on YouTube, has been live streaming, an Allen's Hummingbird's nest. The mother hummer laid 2 eggs about the size of jelly beans.  😊  Crowd sourcing named the mother, Emerald, and her chicks are Ruby and Sapphire. If you've missed the live stream, here is a short time-lapse video of the first 10 days of the life cycle ...

Now, if you missed the streaming of the first few days, you've probably missed the eggs hatching. So, here is the video that follows Emerald from warming her eggs to hatching two beautiful baby chicks...

Details:  Emerald's first egg was laid on January 19 and the second on January 21. The first egg hatched at 1:29pm on February 7. The second egg hatched at 10:40am on February on February 8. [Update March 4 -- Ruby, the first chick to hatch, flew out of the nest on March 4th. Sapphire is still in the nest alone this evening.] [Update March 15th. Sapphire flew out of the nest on March 5. Between March 5 and March 15, we think the same mother bird made some improvements to the nest. On March 15th, about 8:09am we saw a new egg in the nest. Hummingbirds usually lay 2 eggs, so we will be watching to see what happens over the next couple of days. To watch the live stream for this click here.]

If you enjoy critters like I do check out Eileen's Saturday's Critters.  Thanks, Eileen, for hosting and sharing.

Closing thought:  It looks like we are starting to see light at the end of the Covid tunnel. Take care and stay safe. Thanks for stopping by John's Island. Oh, and lastly, I may be getting ahead of the curve with the YouTube below, but let's think positive!

😊

Snowbirds

Our first big snowfall of the season started last night. The low temperature here was 26F (-3.3C). For my hummingbirds I have 3 feeders available. Two of them were frozen up this morning. I placed a heater ... yes, heater ... on the 3rd feeder and it did not freeze up. See more below about the heater.

Anna's hummingbirds are now regular winter residents in Seattle.
The shot above is actually taken through my window.
This bird is a regular at my feeders.
The hummer is resting in a tree about 6 feet away
from one of my feeders.

We had at least 6 inches of snow, probably more.
This much snow overnight is quite unusual for Seattle.

This hummer is in a tree in the front yard about 50 feet from the feeders.
Their routine is to feed for a few seconds, jet down to the tree, and
rest there for several minutes. Repeat.

→ Click on images for a better view. ←

This is my first year to keep feeders available for hummers all winter.
I did my homework on what to do about preventing feeders from
freezing up in cold weather.

The "heater" is actually just a small light bulb in
a small container that clips on the the rim of the feeder.

Of course, the light needs power, so must be plugged in.
Luckily, I do have a power outlet on my deck.

Of my 3 feeders this was the only one that did not freeze up last night.
Our low temp was about 26F (-3.3C)

Of the 2 feeders that did freeze, they were also covered
with snow. I took them down, and refilled them with fresh
nectar. The hummers took to them immediately.

A few nights ago at sunset I happened to catch 2 hummers
on one feeder. That is rare because they are not good at sharing.
I've noticed that late in the evening and early in the morning,
when they feed heavily, they are more likely to share a feeder.

The American Robins are back this morning.
More about them in a previous post,
Birds of a feather.

If you enjoy critters like I do check out Eileen's Saturday's Critters  Thanks, Eileen, for hosting and sharing.

Closer look at one of the American Robins.
This one looks healthy to me.

Still love to see the marine traffic and "spot ships."

My view looks out over Puget Sound to the west.
In this shot, Washington State Ferries are spotted on their
run between downtown Seattle and Bainbridge Island. 
The one on the left is westbound and the other is heading 
to Seattle. Those houses on the shoreline of Bainbridge Island must
have a wonderful view of Seattle. They are small but pricey!

A Maersk Line freighter is departing Seattle in this shot.
At the bottom ... Elliott Bay Marina, home to 100s of sailboats.
Above the ship, in the distance, Bainbridge Island, WA and
the Olympic Mountains.
Maersk website

A very unusual piece of marine traffic. 
There were 3 tugs guiding this crane.
I believe this is the largest barge based crane I have seen.
The tugs provide a bit of scale.

They took several minutes to spin this equipment around
before docking it at Pier 91.
Spotted on February 11th

Not to miss skies ...

Looking southwest just before sunset.
February 9th

Taken a few minutes after the previous photo and after the sun
got below the clouds.
February 9th

Closing Thought ...

Winter Skies and Hummers

There's something I really like about sunset after
a clear, cold winter day.
January 22nd

Hummingbirds are very active around sunrise and sunset.

I've been surprised at how much they feed
just before going off to sleep.

Note how little feet fit perfectly on feeder rim.

Clear skies in Seattle but a storm brews in the west
as the day comes to a close.
January 25th

After a night of heavy snow, a clear morning sky
brightens the Olympic Mountains to the west.
February 3rd

Looking across Puget Sound to the west.
At sea level, mostly on the right, entrance to Eagle Harbor,
Bainbridge Island. In the distance, the foothills leading
up to the Olympic Mountains with a fresh coat of snow.
February 3rd

Coming in for a landing.
Male Anna's hummingbird.
One of several at my feeders every day.

Touchdown

If you enjoy critters like I do check out Eileen's Saturday's Critters.  Thanks, Eileen, for hosting and sharing.

Anna's hummingbirds are now regulars all winter in Seattle.

To all my friends and followers ... Take care, be well, and stay safe! Thanks for stopping by John's Island.