Took a walk through the Center for Urban Horticulture again recently, and this Marsh Wren was simultaneously the smallest bird I saw and the *loudest*.  The crows were the most numerous and, collectively, louder, but this little guy was punching way above his weight.

(Cross-posted from my site, where there are additional photos: https://andrewflenniken.com/2026/04/08/april-8th-2026-small-doesnt-mean-quiet/)

The rabbit, on the other hand, was completely silent and I would have missed it entirely if it hadn't moved.

Gear: Nikon Z 7II, Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 + 1.4 Teleconverter

#Photography #CenterForUrbanHorticulture #Bird #BirdPhotography #Nikon #NikonCreators #SigmaPhoto

I love walking and shooting in wetland areas.  The wildlife you can see in them plays a significant role in that love, and the birds there are a significant part of the wildlife.

(Full post on my site, where you can see the additional photos, and visit the Print Store: https://andrewflenniken.com/2026/02/27/february-27th-2026-i-like-big-birds-and-i-cannot-lie/)

The focus today is on the larger birds, and here we have representation from a Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, and Canada Geese.

All shots taken at the Center for Urban Horticulture.

Gear: Nikon Z 7II, Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 + 1.4 Teleconverter

#Photography #Birds #CenterForUrbanHorticulture #Nikon #NikonCreators #SigmaPhoto

Duck (noun): Any of various swimming birds in which the neck and legs are short, the feet typically webbed, the bill often broad and flat, and the sexes usually different from each other in plumage

Duck (verb): To lower the head or body suddenly

Here we have some of the nouns verbing themselves.  ;)

(Cross-posted from my site, where there are additional photos: https://andrewflenniken.com/2026/02/25/february-25th-2026-multimodal-mallards/)

Gear: Nikon Z 7II, Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 + 1.4 Teleconverter

#Photography #NaturePhotography #Duck #Nikon #NikonCreators #SigmaPhoto

I took a walk through the Union Bay Natural Area at the Center for Urban Horticulture recently, and brought my long lens along 'just in case'.  It's a good location for spotting birds of all sorts and, though we're not into migration season yet, I thought I might get lucky.

Friends, I think I did.  :)

(Cross-posted from my site, where there are additional photos: https://andrewflenniken.com/2026/02/20/february-20th-2026-eager-for-eagles/)

This pair of Bald Eagles were in the wetlands portion of the natural area, perched in two different trees near each other.  Given the time of year and their difference in size, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a mated pair with a nest in the area somewhere.  I hope to see them next time I'm there, and I'll be bringing that long (and heavy, oof) lens with me for sure.

Gear: Nikon Z 7II, Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 + 1.4 Teleconverter

#Photography #BaldEagle #UnionBayNaturalArea #CenterForUrbanHorticulture #Nikon #NikonCreators #SigmaPhoto

Today is Lunar New Year and it is the year of the Fire Horse.  I do not have any photos of horses *on* fire (good!), or made *of* fire (which would be cool), so can I interest you in a photo of horses made *with* fire?

(Cross-posted from my site: https://andrewflenniken.com/2026/02/17/february-17th-2026-year-of-the-fire-horse/)

Taken over a decade ago, this photo is of a steel sculpture called Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies, by artist David Govedare, and it is located at the top of a hill near Vantage, Washington, above the Columbia River.  From the interstate, and the parking area at the foot of the hill, it looks like a line of horses running along the top of the ridge.  A short hike will bring you up and gives you angles like this from which to admire them.

Gear: Nikon D90, Nikon 24mm f1.4

#Photography #Sculpture #GrandfatherCutsLooseThePonies #Nikon #NikonCreators

On Saturday I met some friends at the Conservatory in Seattle's Volunteer Park.  It was a cool, dreary, gray winter day, with rain spitting down on and off, which made the warmth of the greenhouse all the more pleasant.

(Cross-posted from my site, where you can see the additional photo: https://andrewflenniken.com/2026/02/10/february-10th-2026-staying-warm-conserving-heat-and-plants/)

It had been a few years since I'd last visited, and I'd forgotten how serene the conservatory is on a day like that.  If you live nearby, or have something similar in your area, it's a good break if winter gloom is getting you down.

I didn't get a shot outside, so I've included one I took in a different winter a few years ago, when it was snowing.

Gear: Nikon Z 7II, Nikon 85mm f1.8, Fujifilm X-T4, Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f2.8

#Photography #VolunteerPark #VolunteerParkConservatory #Nikon #NikonCreators #Fujifilm

Despite having lived here for 13 years now, I only recently visited the Central Library in downtown Seattle for the first time.  It is a fantastic building, architecturally, inside and out.  It is also a wonderful library: so many places to sit and read or quietly work.

(Cross-posted from my site: https://andrewflenniken.com/2026/02/03/february-3rd-2026-unexpected-library-poetry/)

I explored from bottom to top and at the highest point, in a particularly quiet and secluded place where you can look all the way to the bottom of the atrium, I found poetry.  You kind of expect to find poetry in a library, but not quite like this.

Who knows how long it will stay there.  I'm sure someday it will be cleaned away but with this photo, at least, we'll remember it was there.

Gear: Nikon Z 7II, Nikon Z 40mm f2

#Photography #Nikon #NikonCreators #PoetryInTheWild

Lots of cold, bright mornings around here lately, which means I've been waking up to sights like this.  Frost on the grass, spinning the sunlight into glistening fragments, like tiny glowing gems: sapphire, ruby, emerald.

(Cross-posted from my site, where there's an additional photo: https://andrewflenniken.com/2026/01/27/january-27th-2026-in-prismed-by-frost/)

Hard to see except at a low angle, but the window in my basement bedroom is low enough to the ground for it to happen.  Always nice when I can get a good shot while still in my pajamas.  :)

Gear: Nikon Z 7II, Nikon 70-200mm f2.8

#Photography #FineArtPhotography #Frost #Nikon #NikonCreators

Sometimes what we think we see is actually something else.  It's a matter of perspective.

Can you tell how that applies here?  :)

Gear: Nikon Z 7II, Nikon Z 40mm f2

Cross-posted from my site: https://andrewflenniken.com/2026/01/23/january-23rd-2026-up-or-down/

#Photography #Nikon #NikonCreators

One month past the solstice and the days are definitely feeling a little longer now.  I'll be happier when sunset's after 5PM, though.

Gear: Nikon Z 7II, Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S

Cross-posted from my site, where there are additional photos to see: https://andrewflenniken.com/2026/01/20/january-20th-2026-the-puget-sound-of-sunset/

#Photography #FineArtPhotography #Sunset #PugetSound #Seattle #Nikon #NikonCreators