| March
19th, 2011 The day was sunny so off we went, sticking to a flatland trip as the mountains have had heavy snowfalls recently. We started with a hike around the Skagit Wildlife Area and continued to the city of Anacortes on the north end of Fidalgo Island. We haven't visited this area for years so it was fun to see the changes. |
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| At the Skagit Wildlife Area a 2-mile trail atop a dike led us through the natural estuary. The water level varies with the tide. |
There were lots of small birds flitting around, like this Oregon Junco.
Chickadees sang cheerfully in the still-bare trees.
And of course there were tons of speedy little mystery birds.
There was also a stiff, cold
Tim sees something!
| It's a mystery hawk. There were also lots of ducks and geese and some Red-winged Blackbirds. The birds were extremely nervous and skittered off as soon as they saw us. Perhaps it was because hunting is allowed in this area from September until February, according to the signs. Indeed, we saw duck blinds and empty shotgun shells. |
Across the Sound we caught a glimpse of the Olympic Mountains.
| On the way to Anacortes I laughed out loud at this sign. Too bad it was winter and the stand was closed. I would have loved to have seen the depiction of 'immodest'. |
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Tim spotted this sign near La Conner on Reservation Road. Whatever does it mean? I spent more than half an hour with Google but came up empty. |
| Since we last visited, the downtown core of Anacortes has been developed as the Old Town, with cafes and dining, shopping, art galleries and antique shops. I had no idea it was the Salmon Canning Capital of the World, according to this sign on one of the buildings. |
These are garbage cans on street corners!
Each one was different (and there were lots more).
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