Thursday, May 9, 2013

Camping Trip–Deception Pass & Fort Casey

It's been a while, but we finally went camping again. The destination: Whidbey Island and Deception Pass. We started out by heading to our campground, Cranberry Lake. We set up camp then headed out.


Our first real stop was Fort Casey State Park. As soon as we parked, we had no problems seeing the old fortifications. We initially walked on and around the old building. On our way back, we actually entered and did a little exploring. Quick note: If you want to explore Fort Casey, bring a flashlight. Unfortunately, my GPS cut out on me, so I will have to guess a bit when recording distance and some pictures will not be properly geotagged when they are finally uploaded. Apparently, GPS doesn't work best when exploring underneath thick concrete. In the shrubs between the fort and the beach, we encountered a couple deer. Closer to the water, we could see some more birds. Most were Gulls and Auklets. We also saw Starlings, Barn Swallows, Eagles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Goldfinches, Crows, a Savannah Sparrow, a Robin, a Snake, a Cowbird, a White-crowned Sparrow, a Pine Siskin, and Violet-green Swallows.
SignFort Casey State ParkFort Casey State ParkBald EagleRhinoceros AukletsBrown-headed CowbirdLadybugChallenge 19 - Plow/WrittenWhite-crowned SparrowViolet-green SwallowFort Casey State ParkAdmiralty Head Lighthouse Dangerous Area SignFort Casey State ParkFalling Can Be Deadly SignWord Challenge 19-Writtenword challenge 19- For our sakesFort Casey State ParkAmerican RobinFort Casey State ParkDon't Climb on Bank SignSpiderDanger SignPlant Recovery Sign Cow ParsnipFort Casey State ParkChallenge 19 - For our sake/WrittenAdmiralty Head LighthouseClimbing Prohibited SignFort Casey State Park
We headed back towards the highway. We stopped at a small park near the ferry terminal. Apparently, this is considered to be a part of Fort Casey State Park. A bunch of Guillemots were sitting on an old dock along with some Cormorants and Gulls. In the water, we added a couple Loons to today's list. Other birds included Eagles, Swallows, Pigeons, and a Crow.
Pelagic CormorantsCommon LoonPigeon GuillemotLeave Plants and Animals Sign
Further down the road, we started seeing signs for Ebey's Landing. We pulled in and visited an overlook. We spotted a Goldfinch then looked towards the water. Unfortunately, my 500mm lens wasn't enough. There were quite a bit of birds, but I can only say that I'm sure that some were Sandpipers.

We also made a short stop at a prairie overlook. We made a quick look and didn't notice anything. Instead of waiting, we decided to move on. As soon as we started pulling away, I noticed an Eagle landing next to another. Then we reached a stop sign. An Eagle was on top of a pole with another on the pole behind it. After turning, we saw two more on the ground and another flying around. That means that there were definitely at least seven different Eagles in that area.

We made one last stop before heading back to camp. This was at Fort Ebey State Park. We didn't feel like we had a whole lot of time to properly explore the park. We visited the old gun battery, but that was pretty much it. During that time, we managed to see a Garter Snake, a couple Towhees, a few White-crowned Sparrows, a Robin, and a few Goldfinches.

Now I am back at the campsite, and added a Rufous Hummingbird to today's list. Much like a Downy Woodpecker, a pair of Flickers, and a Junco, I'm not going to bother to post these sightings. The same could be said for a Heron, a Harrier, Hawks, and a Killdeer seen from the car.
Rufous Hummingbird Downy Woodpecker
EDIT: Mallards also hid from us when we recorded sightings during this trip, but they were seen as we headed back at the end our vacation.






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