Z is for… Zoology: the animal life of a particular region

Okay, I know I am pushing it with this one this week!

These are the animals I encountered this weekend around my home (region) in Washington: Top row: blue heron, butterfly and turtle.  Second row: bird of some sort,  duck, and robin with a blueberry in his beak.  Third Row: raccoons in my backyard, dragonfly and a shy puppy (Lulu) who refused to look at my camera!

I am so looking forward to the next round of ABC Wednesday!

Now head on over to Mrs. Nesbitt’s for more ABC Wednesday!

Spent Sunday afternoon with my sister Ellen and two nieces, Katie and Laura – Boy did we have a fun afternoon! We went to a Catholic Cemetery, the Queen Mary Tearoom and then the Seattle Japanese Garden! My kind of day.

Here is a quick photo highlight. I am sure my sister Ellen will get into more detail soon. I have to catch a plane…

On my way to the grocery store, I decided to do some exploring (this is becoming a habit).  I made a stop at the Saint Edward State Park in Kenmore, WA. MY OH MY what a park!

This park is a place of history.  In the late 1920s, Bishop O’Dea of the Seattle Catholic Diocese purchased the property with his own inheritance and donated it to the diocese for use as a seminary.  The seminary was built in 1931 and was named for Edward the Confessor, founder of Westminster Abbey and king of the West Saxons of England in the 11th Century.

For many years the seminary was operated as a boy’s school and seminary.  Then in the fall of 1977, the Seattle Diocese sold the 316 acres, including the seminary buildings, to the state of Washington for use as a park.  In June of 1978, the grounds of Saint Edward State Park were opened to the public.

 

 Saint Edward Park is the largest remaining undeveloped area on Lake Washington.  It is an absolutely gorgeous place with sprawling lawns and lush, forested trails.  The trails range from easiest to most difficult.  The difficult trails can get narrow and steep, but the views are amazing!  If you find yourself in Kenmore, WA, I highly recommend a long visit to Saint Edward State Park – You’ll be glad you did!

Here are some other creatures and plant life I discovered while exploring…

Let’s start with Saturday on my way to do the grocery shopping…

First stop was a stroll through Juanita Bay Park…

The weather was perfect on Saturday and it seemed as though all of nature wanted to take advantage of the warmth from the sun. The turtles were clamouring for a spot on any exposed log they could find so that they could catch a few rays.

Next was a quick stop on Lake Washington in Kirkland to get a few pictures of the mountains…

I then decided I wanted to find a cemetery so that I could get some photos for my Memorial Day post. Boy did I find a beautiful place – Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Bellevue…

And in this quiet place, my camera battery said that it would like a little plot of its own near some pretty flowers.

So, off to the grocery store I finally went!  We finished the day by doing some gardening and having a wonderful barbeque with the neighbors…

What a wonderful day I had today.  It all started when I looked out my window and saw that the Pacific Northwest was going to have a glorious sun shining day!  I geared up and headed out for my visit back to the Juanita Bay Park to explore more of this wonderful wildlife refuge.  Here is my first collage.  I even threw in a picture of me all ready for the chilly weather:

What I learned, is that there are some serious bird watchers with some serious sized cameras, tripods and binoculars out there!  WOW!  And, here I came with my camera measuring 2¾” x 2¾” square fitting in the palm of my hand along with my gorilla pod! 

“Umm, hi ya’all! Great day for photos!”  🙂

They had backpacks and gear strapped to them like they were ready to have a photo shoot with the President. I was amazed. But, these “professionals” were not going to deter my hunt for my own amazing photos.  I got me some pictures of some birds and ducks and such! 

The first set is of a Red-Winged Blackbird who was posing quite nicely for one of those “professionals”.  I inched my way as close as I could to get my own photos of the pretty boy without disturbing or scaring off Mr. Blackbird…

I then was off to see what else I could find.  Once you are in exploration mode, your senses are all at attention.  You listen, see and smell all the wonders.  You become a Sherlock Holmes of the Wilderness.  My next discovery was an American Robin.  She was perched up in a tree and I was able to get pretty close to her.

The last collage I would like to share with you is of the ducks I saw today.  These love birds were so much fun to watch.  I almost felt like I was invading their privacy…

Thanks for letting me share my day!