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06/23/24 - Hama Hama Oyster Saloon

We celebrated a friend's birthday at the Hama Hama Oyster Saloon in, of all places, Hama Hama. It was a pleasant enough drive south on 101 past Quilcene and then along the coast. We didn't see a sign for the Saloon, so we zoomed past the restaurant on our first try, but we quickly realized that there is really only one Hama Hama oyster restaurant down by the flats. Before our friends arrived we walked a bit north along the flats where the oysters grow to the Hama Hama River.

The restaurant is an outdoors space. We placed our order at the kiosk and then settled in at our table. This was right by the Hood Canal and sheltered by two large wooden boards forming something of a pup tent. We drank our champagne - we brought our own and paid the corkage fee - and after a bit our oysters arrived, raw and shucked with a mignonette and roasted nicely. We also had some really good bread and butter. An eagle settled in to watch. It was great catching up with our friends, and everything was delicious as it often is when dining al fresco.


The oyster flats down by the Hood Canal

Seen around

The restaurant

The mountains just visible

Still snow on the peaks

Heading along the flats

The snow melts and feeds the river.

The Hama Hama River

A foreground tree

The river is bigger than it looks.

The restaurant

A visitor

An oyster gabion

Keywords: eagle, oysters

12/14/23 - Bird Watching at Dungeness DIke

We did some bird watching at Dungeness Dike. We saw a few eagles, hawks, a heron and, of course, lots of ducks.

The Dungeness River

The river awash

Gray sky

Two eagles

Two eagles up close

The scene

The marshland

Autumn color

A heron

Ducks

An eagle in flight

A hawk in a tree

An eagle in a tree

Probably a hawk

That hawk again

An eagle in a tree

That eagle again

More ducks

Gray skies bring out the fading color.

Keywords: ducks, dungeness, eagle

11/05/23 - Dungeness Dike

Dungeness Dike is another great place to watch the changing seasons. The new configuration hasn't been accessible for a full year yet, so we're still getting a sense of it. Meanwhile, we've been seeing a good number of fishermen out for cut-throat trout, something new it seems. They must be in season.

The Dungeness River and a winter sky

The marshy fields

More fields and mountains

Another look

And another

Some fall color

Wetlands and gray skies

An eagle in a tree

Last bit of color

More of the new wetlands

Another view south

The marsh seen with an iPhone

Bright iPhone colors

The iPhone is better at capturing fall colors here.

Another iPhone scene

And another with lots of cloud drama

More color and drama

Keywords: dungeness, eagle, autumn

11/03/23 - Ultra Zoom - iPhone vs Sony

We have a new iPhone Pro Max, so we also have a new camera. This model of iPhone has a much more powerful zoom than most smartphone cameras, so we took a couple of pictures with it to compare against those taken by our usual Sony DSC-HX99. They're both pretty good cameras, but at an extreme zoom, 25X, the Sony seems to deliver a better picture. That's not surprising. The Sony has a much better set of lenses and much more space to play with. The iPhone only has a 5X optical zoom, but it has a higher resolution sensor. They both have ridiculous image processing software, but what doesn't nowadays?

The Strait of San Juan de Fuca as a filler shot

iPhone - Port Angeles blowing off steam

Sony - Port Angeles blowing off steam

iPhone - zoomed in

Sony - zoomed in

iPhone - an eagle seen from the Dungeness Dike

Sony - an eagle seen from the Dungeness Dike

iPhone - zoomed in eagle

Sony - zoomed in Eagle

Keywords: dungeness, eagle, port angeles, software

04/29/23 - Dungeness Dike and Rising Waters

We were back at the Dungeness Dike to check out the rising river. The whole point of replacing the old dike with this new one was to let the river flood freely. Well, it's working. The waters were much higher and the flood waters deeper. The fields were full of mustard. Hawks and eagles were about. We'll see how high the waters get when the spring melt starts in earnest.

A new branch of the Dungeness River

Old Towne Road and the Olympic Mountains

Higher waters

Marshlands

Higher water here as well

Some of the new dike

A future forest

Open fields

Mustard and mountains

More mustard

And even more mustard

Following the path of the old dike

Further along

Through the fields

Mustard flowers and forest

A spring scene

Maple flowers

Some kind of hawk

Yes, a red tailed hawk

More along the trail of the old dike

More forest

Welcoming forest

Mount Baker in the far distance

Keywords: dungeness, eagle, spring

07/21/22 - Dungeness Dike

There are big changes along the Dungeness River down by Towne Road. The southern part of the old dike is gone, and a new road is coming through. We're taking advantage of what's left of the dike, and, now that it is summer, it's lush and overgrown. We spotted two eagles or perhaps the same eagle twice. It was a short walk, but a pretty one.

A sunflower at Chi's Farm on Towne Road near Old Olympic

Another sunflower

And another

The summer dike

Lush and overgrown

An eagle sighting

Some marshland

A bit of the river

More lush summer of foliage

The dike again

Another glimpse of the Dungeness River

An eagle above

Zoomed in a bit

Keywords: dungeness, eagle, summer

01/09/22 - Marine Drive - Eagles and Swans

We took a walk along Marine Drive in Sequim. The air was clear. We could see Mount Baker, a giant meringue, in the distance, and people were out in kayaks in the waters below the bluffs. There were two eagles in what we call the "eagle tree", an adult and a juvenile. There were also swans in a field of East Anderson Road. They come every winter, and the field was full of them.

A juvenile bald eagle

An adult

Mount Baker

Kayakers near Dungeness Spit

The swans

A swan closeup

Another closeup

Keywords: birds, eagle, mount baker, sequim, winter, marine drive

01/06/20 - Dungeness Dike and Points North

We saw a number of eagles along our walk on the Dungeness Dike. It's a good relaxing hike on a nice soft, flat surface. Then we crossed the Dungeness River heading west on Anderson Road and took a short walk north towards the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. It was a broad flat marshy field with a trail that seemed to lead all the way to the strait, but we didn't get that far. We'll have to come back and explore some more.

Seen from the Dungeness Dike

An eagle on the water, blurred by a confused autofocus

A clearer eagle

A Dungeness River side spur

Fields heading north to the strait

Fields and sky

The trail

Keywords: dungeness, eagle

03/12/19 - Various March Birds

This hasn't been a good year for hiking, but it has been a good year for bird watching. The eagles are easy to spot from the Dungeness Dike, and we saw a hummingbird in a bush right near the trail. There was a woodpecker on the forested part of the walk to Dungeness Spit, and a big hawk in a tree as we headed west from the Morse Creek parking lot.

A red tail hawk

Just some trees, unless you look closely

They're full of eagles.

A hummingbird at rest

A hummingbird in motion

The sea and sky off Dungeness Spit

A woodpecker at work on the trail

Keywords: birds, dungeness, dungeness spit, eagle, morse creek

03/14/18 - Dungeness Spit at Low Tide

Every two weeks or so, there are some great tides at the Dungeness Spit. We recommend planning any long walks on the spit when the low tide gets down to three feet, but lately, the daytime low tide has been getting down below one foot. That means lots of broad beach, and there is lots of sand for easy walking. The light house is only five miles out. What are you waiting for?

For our Dungeness Spit tide tables . Good, low, daylight tides are marked in green.


Wide, sandy beach

An eagle on the driftwood

The orange cap marks "my spot"

Good, easy walking

A view from above

Keywords: dungeness spit, eagle, tides

02/27/16 - Dungeness Dike Eagles

It’s eagle season, and one of the best places for spotting them is along the Dungeness Dike off of Towne Road in Sequim. It’s not a long walk, but it pays to keep your eyes on the sky and tree tops. The trail roughly follows the Dungeness River and borders a broad open pasture. Sometimes we see eagles flying high. Sometimes we see them perched on tree tops or flying above the river. There is a cluster of trees towards the south end of the fields that they particularly like. On our last visit, there were at least a dozen eagles perched there.

How many eagles can you see in this picture? Click for a better image.

There’s one.

How many here?

Two eagles

This one is easy.

Another eagle

Did we mention that they like tree tops?

There are also some pretty views of the river and its side channels.

Another view

Keywords: dungeness, eagle

02/13/16 - Good Sand and Good Tides

A few posts back we noted that the good winter tides have returned at Dungeness Spit. Now the good sand is coming back. There are still a few rocky stretches but a lot more sand has been deposited which makes the spit a lot easier for walking. There are some good mid-day tides coming up on the 25th, 26th and 27th, so if you’ve been meaning to get out to the lighthouse, this may be good time to start planning.

The view out on a wintry day

The view back - Click for a better view of the mountains.

The view from above on the walkway down to the spit

Some driftwood

An eagle perched

Keywords: dungeness spit, eagle, tides, winter

01/30/16 - Eagle Season

The eagles have been gathering along the Dungeness River. The last time we took the Dungeness Dike walk that starts off Towne Road the trees were full of eagles.

One eagle posing - click for a close up

Another eagle

Yet another eagle

Keywords: dungeness, eagle

02/27/15 - It Fell Off A Ship

We were out hiking on Dungeness Spit when we saw an unusual piece of driftwood up ahead. It still had most of its bark on and it had an unusual shape. As we approached we realized that it was a bunch of logs tied together with steel cables. They were pretty big logs too. Presumably it was a shipment of some sort that found its way into the water. It's a long way from being proper driftwood. It was probably going to get washed out with the next tide for some aging.

That curiosity aside, the real high point of our hike was seeing a young eagle perched on a log with a crystalline view of the mountains in the background.


A strange parcel

Viewed up close

Recently marked

The spit and the mountains

A young bald eagle

Keywords: dungeness spit, eagle

01/28/15 - Third Beach

Now that we are getting the good winter tides, we decided to check out Third Beach out near La Push. Our last visit out this way was to Second Beach which features a lovely forest walk from the trailhead near the highway down to a wild crescent of beach adorned with rocks, sea stacks and tide pools. Third Beach is similar, but the forest walk is longer, over a mile before the descent. There are long level stretches where the rain forest forms almost a dry bog, very wet, but all the moisture absorbed by the rampant vegetation. Then there is the 200 plus foot descent to the beach.

The trailhead is near a stream that runs out to the sea here. There are glimpses of the sea stacks and ocean as one approaches. Then comes the wall of driftwood. Usually the wood is bare and aged, but this year we've had storms so there were a few freshly fallen trees in the heap. It was an easy clamber as clambering goes, and in a few minutes we were on the gritty sand. We headed left, to the east - the beach faces south - where we could see a row sea stacks, but first we had to cross the stream. It was deep and the current was fast moving, so we waded across down towards the sea where the flow widened.

From here it was easy going. As we approached the headland, we could see a waterfall splashing down the rocks. We paused to check out the rocks and tide pools and then continued. Despite the region's reputation for grayness, the sun was brilliant. We checked the bluffs for eagles but saw none. The bluffs behind Third Beach aren't as high as those at Second Beach, and there is a headland trail that leads to beaches south for those walking to Oil City, that is, other people, not us.

Walking on sand, even relatively well packed sand is tiring. When we got back to the trailhead, we saved our energy for the climb out rather than exploring the west end of the beach. Third Beach is a bit more of a workout than Second Beach, but just as rewarding.

A glimpse of the sea stacks, artfully framed a la the Northwest School

The driftwood barricade: Take it one log at a time.

The rushing stream: We waded down by the sea.

Rocks and sea stacks

Another view: Look carefully and you might see the waterfall.

Alders on the bluffs

Here you can definitely see the waterfall.

The view west, our return

A last glimpse

A spot of mud with a thoughtfully placed plank

Brilliant rainforest

Keywords: third beach, tides, winter, waterfall, eagle

01/17/15 - Marymere Falls

We were out at Barnes Creek and checked out Marymere Falls. Often in the winter the falls are surrounded by an array of ice crystals in spectacular patterns, but we've been having a warm winter, so all we saw were the falls. We took a slow motion video with our phone camera. Click on the picture of the falls to play it.

We took the usual Marymere Falls circuit, no climb up to Storm King for us today, but we did wander a bit up Barnes Creek proper and enjoyed the views of the creek and the walk through the forest. We went as far as a little waterfall right along the trail.


A bald eagle perching en route to Barnes Creek

Click the image for a slow motion view of Marymere Falls.

Sunny day

A little waterfall

Water below

Keywords: barnes creek, marymere falls, winter, waterfall, eagle

10/04/14 - Hobart Harbor and the Waters Around Bruny Island

We spent our day in Hobart on the water out on a Seafood Seduction tour. Our guide was Robert Pennicott who took us out on one of his faster boats to raid the wild waters south of town and eat what we could find and then some. It was quite a cruise with choppy water and high sea cliffs along the way. We passed by his old house, where he began his nautical career after convincing his parents to buy him his first boat and setting up a seafood business to pay for it. We also passed by his old elementary school which had an excellent view of the water which was probably more useful for his future career than whatever was on the blackboard.

We stopped by an oyster farm and grabbed a bag of local oysters, then stopped to check out a salmon farm surrounded by a cloud of seagulls and one curious looking seal. Then we anchored off a private island where Robert and his daughter Mia set out to catch us the rest of our dinner. She grabbed a bunch of spiny sea urchins and he came back with some wonderful abalone. The sea urchins we ate raw, the abalone with garlic, ginger and spicy chile peppers. A few lobsters who had "just come along for the ride" joined our feast and were quite delicious.


The cliffs

More cliffs and choppy water

One of the sea caves

A salmon farm

Watching for escapees

Where we anchored for lunch

Our host and hostess preparing to catch dinner

A sea urchin

A sea eagle

Abalone

Our lobster friends

Keywords: australia, eagle

07/07/14 - Farmers' Market Update

Here's another photo update on the Port Angeles Farmers' Market. Now that it is summer, the market is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10AM to 2PM, and there are all sorts of wonderful vegetables, berries, fish, meat, bread, sausages and now cider on sale.

River Run Farm has great potatoes and oversized napa cabbage.

Eaglemount Wine and Cider with their wares from Port Townsend

Eaglemount Wine and Cider

Johnston Farm with all sorts of peas and greens, but no oats

Berries at Spring Rain Farm from Chimacum

Keywords: farmers' market, johnston farm, port angeles, eagle, spring rain

05/08/14 - Seen In Port Angeles Harbor

We often take the Olympic Discovery Trail west from the Morse Creek parking lot. It's about a mile from the parking lot down to the water. Perhaps another half mile west there are a few rocks out in the Strait favored by the local river otters. There was one out there today, enjoying his catch of the day. While we were watching we noticed an eagle flying low. It dived towards the otter who slid off the rock into the water. The eagle resumed his course west. As soon as the coast was clear, the otter returned to the rock with his fish in his mouth.

Also of note were the snails. We often see slugs along this trail. This is the Pacific Northwest, one of the great slug habitats of the continent, but we see snails much less rarely.

The view from the trail

One of the local river otters, dining al fresco

Either a snail or a shell collecting slug

Keywords: morse creek, otters, slugs, eagle

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