Bald Eagle Sunset

Yesterday afternoon on a walk I finally confirmed a sighting of a rufous hummingbird (142). This guy was unmistakable - a male displaying by diving into huge U-shaped arcs from about 50 feet in the air. 

My parents arrived for a visit in the late afternoon, and I went with them out to Mar Vista, the amazing place on the west side of the island where they are renting a cabin for a few nights. It's one of the first places I stayed when visiting San Juan Island during the early years of my time here, and I still count it one of the most beautiful spots on the island and a site I love to visit. Shortly after getting out there, I heard my first savannah sparrows (143) of the season, singing their buzzy song among the tall prairie grass.

The visit with my parents was interrupted several times by bald eagles. At one point there were six to eight of them soaring over the water. They kept going down as if to catch something, but were never successful as far as I could tell. Several of them came to shore and would periodically perch in a big snag just outside the cabin window. As the sun began to set, the photographic opportunity was amazing. Here are a few of my favorite shots, showing two and then three bald eagles silhouetted by the April sunset: