Skagit Flats, Oct 2011

I headed up to the Skagit Flats this weekend. I didn't know it was the start of hunting season so I was pretty surprised to hear so much gunfire. The Snow Geese have arrived in the valley but not unexpectedly they tended to fly higher than usual. I don't know if I like any of the high angle shots of the geese but I'll post later if I find anything worthwhile.

As I was driving around there was a large flock of smaller birds spanning across the roadway. I set up my gear and hoped they would come closer if I was patient enough. Unfortunately they stood off and never came closer than 60 or 70 yards. At first it was hard to tell what I was looking at. Eventually I started catching glimpses of red and yellow and soon realized it was a flock of Red-winged Black Birds. Here's my favorite shot of the flock. I think it has an almost 3D, psychedelic quality. Click on the photo above to see a larger image.