More Eagles

Last Sunday found me out in the Dungeness area doing a photo assignment for my digital photography class. It was near sunset and I thought I'd check out the Cline Spit to watch the sun go down and see if I could pick up an image or two. Glad I did.

As I approached from the east on Marine Drive I noticed a couple of cars parked near the eagle's nest that I wrote about in my last post. Obviously they were trying to get a cool sunset image or just enjoying the evening with other birders. I decided to continue to the Cline Spit. As it is only a few hundred yards further west from the nest, I wasn't expecting what I came across. Five eagles were riding the stiff breeze that was pouring into the Strait from the west, hitting the bluffs to create an uplift of air for the eagles to ride. And they were riding the wind and doing aerial acrobatics like crazy! I stopped the car quickly at the intersection of Cline and Marine, jumped out of the car and started shooting. After a little bit they decided to either land in a tree or go harass a bunch of seagulls that were floating together near shore at the boat ramp of Cline Spit.

 

Eagle landing in tree on bluff overlooking Cline Spit near Sequim, Washington

 

I waved to some people in a car who passed me while shooting. The look on their face was not one of friendly appreciation that I had parked the car in half of the lane and they had to go around me. Oops! Back in the car and down the hill I went to see what the eagle that was chasing the seagulls was up to.
He gave me plenty of opportunities for good shots as he cruised with the wind back and forth up the beach and each time he returned to the same spot where all the seagulls had circled the wagons so to speak and would dive down toward the swimming gulls and scatter them. A couple brave seagulls took turns diving on the eagle as it went up the beach and turned back to make another run on the floating gulls. It reminded of a time many years ago when I was fishing in a boat off the Dungeness spit and another eagle was leisurely flying down the beach line when a flock of seagulls came up to meet it and started to do the same thing. Taking turns diving on the eagle and staying just above and behind it. One much braver soul decided to come a bit closer than the others and, well you know what happened, the eagle like the aerial gymnast that they are, did a lightening quick 180 degree turn with his body. Dang, if he didn't grab that gull with his talons and did another 180 and rode that poor gull all the way down to the beach for a quick lunch. Of course this made his friends go berserk! It didn't seem to matter to the eagle as he tore into his lunch.

So remembering what had happened years ago, I was looking for the same kind of reaction from this eagle to his would be tormentors if they got too close. Not this evening though. I did get a couple shots of him diving on the other gulls.
After a while he got tired of playing this game with the seagulls and let the wind pick him up, shooting him high in the air and then took a perch near where the other eagles had landed along the bluff line.
All in all a good trip out to the Dungeness to enjoy one of nature's wonders... the eagle.
                        

 

 



Where are the Eagles?

Several years ago I was doing 'road patrol' in the Dungeness area in my county truck. I noticed a couple of photographers set up along the road with cameras and tripods near a dead snag. Sure enough an eagle was perched high in the branches of the tree. I stopped and traded small talk with them. They came over from the Seattle area to photograph our wildlife, great scenery and had been looking especially for the elusive bald eagle. Fortunately they happened upon one in a snag near the road. Eagles make great subjects for photographers. And we have our fair share of them here on the Peninsula. But where are the eagles when your from out of town and don't have a clue where to find them consistently?

I was watching King 5's, Northwest Backroads, a program that highlights the less traveled areas of the state. This particular show had a clip of the Skagit River and its eagle population. It featured a guide that floats the Skagit and targets the eagles along the bank for photographers and bird watchers.
Cool idea. Unfortunately, unless you travel to the Forks area and book a salmon or steel head fishing trip your unlikely to see eagles from a raft or drift boat in Clallam County. Which I have in the past, as my son is a fishing guide and we have seen many an eagle on the Hoh and Sol duc Rivers. But most people coming to the Peninsula are day travelers looking to score a cool eagle image like the two photographers that I ran into on the road. So where are the eagles in the Dungeness area?

First off, long lenses are must when doing most bird imaging. Eagles are no different. The longer a lens the better. I would recommend a lens no shorter than a 300mm for ideal capture. A 200mm will work if you have a camera that has a high pixel count that one might crop the shot and not lose resolution. I shoot with a Canon 100-400mm lens that gives me the flexibility to change my compositions quickly. A solid tripod is another essential. Hand holding a 400mm lens is not smart, unless the birds are in flight. Higher ISO and image stabilization helps in these cases.


Juvenile eagle in flight.

 



My first spot I would take you to is on the backside of the Olympic Game Farm on the Lotzgesell Road. Which can be accessed by going north on the Sequim-Dungeness Hwy from Sequim, all the way to where it turns into Anderson Road and crosses the Dungeness River heading west. Just about a mile from crossing the Dungeness you'll come to the Lotzgesell Road. You can only turn left as it T's into Anderson. Continue past the Ward Road (Entrance to the Game Farm is on Ward) about 3/4's of a mile till you hit a sharp 90 degree turn on Lotzgesell, you'll be looking at the Olympic Mountains now. You will have been been traveling next to the Game Farm's back fence all this time. Now when you turn south at that 90 on Lotzgesell you'll come to a very small road called Jim Lotzgesell Road. It is before the second 90 degree in the road and just before a cemetery on your left. Pull into Jim Lotzgesell Road, stop and look up. You'll see a very large fir tree that is on the Game Farm property. The chances are there will be a least one eagle if not two hanging out in that tree. They are waiting for a hand out from the Game Farm. Your long lens will come in handy for this shot.

Second spot is also accessed by traveling north on the Sequim-Dungeness Hwy and instead of turning left on Lotzgesell Road, continue another 1/4 mile to Marine Drive. Here you can only make a right turn toward the water. You will pass the entrance to the old Dungeness Oyster House, now made into a county park named the Dungeness Landing Park. Continue around another hard left that takes you along the bluff above the Dungeness Spit and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There is a couple of tiny turn outs that you will want to stop and shoot the spit and the New Dungeness Lighthouse before your view is gone by a stand of fir trees on the bluff. This is where our next shot is. Just last week I was out with other photographers shooting mama eagle feeding her young eaglets.

Mama eagle feeding youngin's

 

Unfortunately I couldn't see the little ones as yet, but in the weeks to come they will be out of the nest and hanging out for all to see. You will probably see more than one car parked across from the nest. But if you don't, it is between where you enter the wooded section on Marine Drive above the Dungeness Landing Park and the road that leads down to Cline Spit County Park. There is a wide section of shoulder on the south side of the road to park on. But please take care when shooting not to go into the wooded section where the eagles live, as it is private property and the owners get kinda grumpy when you trespass. The people who own property across the street of the nest have been extremely tolerant to photographers and bird watchers so we don't want to give them any reason to change their mind about stopping for an interesting shot of an eagle family do we? Well there you go. You not only have a couple of great spots to look for eagles, but other Peninsula subjects to compose that perfect photograph as well. Good hunting!



Country vs City

I'm very fortunate I live where I live. Some would say I live in the country with dairy farms within an easy drive, the Olympic Mountains almost in my backyard and of course the Olympic National Park just a stone's throw away. Well, maybe they'd be right. And I like that. But it wasn't always that way.

I grew up in Los Angeles during the 50 and 60's. It was the city. City life is much different than country life. At least it was back then. My dad made a decision that when he retired he would move his family away from the city and into the country. He grew up in Lake Stevens, Washington and decided to bring his family back to Washington. The place? Sequim. That was in 1971. He moved the family away from the city into an area that is so different today than it was back then. Those dairy farms were everywhere. Sequim was known for them. A lot has changed though. Sequim has become more like a city than ever before. We have the box stores now, Walmart, Costco, Home Depot and alike. The state is finally getting around to making Hwy 101 four lanes all the way to Port Angeles! I remember when 101 ran through the heart of Sequim. That was before the bypass.
And those dairy farms? Well, some are still here. But most have been sold as their owners passed away and their heirs decided there was more money in the land than in the hard work of raising cows for milk. Now the Dungeness area is dotted with two and three story monuments of success, built by retirees who come from all points of the compass looking to get away from the city and find a place in the country. Do I begrudge them for wanting to find a better place to live? Not at all. I can't really. We came looking for that same thing over 40 years ago. And the real settlers who came in the 1800's and homesteaded the area? They really are no different than those of the 21st century who are looking for a place in the country to call their own. It is just much easier to do these days than it was back then. But the drive to find a place in the country is evident in most of us I think. Not all of course. The city has its draw. Lot's of things to do. Bright lights. Fast pace. Oh yeah, and work. Unfortunately, that is what draws a lot of people to the city in the first place. Work and opportunity.
That is why you see so many retired folks coming to the Peninsula and not so many working types. The retirees come with money and the working folks come looking for work but find little unless it is to service those retirees with money. They will come to take less paying jobs just so their children can live in the country and have a quality of life not found in the city. I'm speaking in general of course. There are always exceptions both ways.
So what's the point of this blog? Well now I'm the retiree. Last year I retired from Clallam County Road Dept. I spent 20 years building and maintaining Clallam County's east end roads. It was a very good job with great people to work with and for. But times do change and now I'm heading in another direction. One that maybe I should have taken many moons ago.

You see I have loved art since sitting in front of the tube watching a program in the early 60's hosted by artist Jon Gnagy. Jon was a bohemian looking dude with a goatee with a love to share his talent with others. I bought his art kit and would sit with it on Saturday mornings, drawing along with Jon. It was my start in art, you might say. Through the decades I never lost my love of art, although it may have been put on a shelf occasionally. Now I find myself back in school 42 years after graduating Westerchester High School in LA. I'm taking an AAS degree in multimedia graphic design at Peninsula College in Port Angeles. Which includes my favorite subject .... photography. I want to get better and that is what aim to do.

And because I live on the Peninsula with the Olympic Mountains in my backyard and the Olympic National Park a stone's throw away I find great photo opportunities close to home. And as I have ran to and fro across the Olympic Peninsula and beyond, like Jon Gnagy, I want to share my experiences, photos, and tips that I have acquired in the last 15 years photographing this incredible area. So stay tuned and see what comes up week to week on this blog. I'll try to make it worth your while.

Things to do in May on the Peninsula

So what's up for the rest of May on or around the Peninsula?

On the southeastern part of the Peninsula we have two events that you might be interested in.
First is the Shrimp Fest on May 25th and 26th in Brinnon, along the Hood Canal. Craft and food booths, belt sander races, exhibits and of course lots of awesome, tasty fresh Hood Canal shrimp! Love that stuff!

The second is the 7th annual Olympic Art Festival. It too is held on the 25th of May in Quilcene, which is about another 15-25 minutes from the Shrimp Fest up Highway 101 on your way to Port Townsend. This is a free event that features local artists, photographers and wood workers. So you can make it a day and hit them both.

If your a photgrapher, you'll find an abundance of rich subjects along the Hood Canal. Highway 101 runs like a serpent around the canal and you have many small towns with unusual names like, Hamma Hamma, Potlatch, and Lilliwaup. There are three state parks to check out. And if you like to photograph waterfalls there are two. One is the 229 foot Rocky Brook Falls. It is also just outside of Brinnon. Take the Dosewallips Road and go three miles to the Rocky Brook Bridge, pull over and a short (but sometimes a slippery) hike will take you to the falls.
The other is outside of Eldon at the south end of the canal. I wouldn't recommend this fall's if your not in a 4x4, as the road is horrendous. It is called the Hamma Hamma River waterfall. It is off the Forest Service road #25.

The Hood Canal is the only fjord in the lower 48. Kayakers will love all the spots to explore by water, along with divers and hikers. And of course bring a camera. Check it out!

Elwha Dam Removal and the Elwha River Valley

Have you been following Elwha Dam Removal project? I try to, as it affects many species of fish and wildlife, as well as fresh water to the city of Port Angeles.

The Elwha River Valley in the Olympic National Park is one of the most pristine places on planet earth. The river flows forth from the Elwha Snowfinger, a snowfield high in the Olympic Range where when the snow melts it splits into two rivers, one the Queets to the south and the Elwha to the north and then into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

For you fellow photographers, this area is one of the must see stops when exploring the Olympic Peninsula and the National park. I have been photographing the area for about 15 years now and watched as seasonal rains and floods have reshaped the river over and over as they have done for millennium.

One of my favorite places to go, especially when I have visitors from out of town is Madison Falls. It is about 50 foot high and right at the entrance to the park's Elwha River Valley. There is a asphalt path that winds about 300 feet from the parking lot to a viewing area at the base of the falls. Easy walk for any age and hiking ability. It is wheel chair accessible.






Madison Falls, Elwha River Valley



 

You can spend a great deal of time exploring the Elwha River Valley. One of my favorite times to visit is in the fall when the leaves start to turn. Maples trees fill the valley with color in October and the weather is crisp. Here is an image that was taken a few years ago near the Altaire campground:

Elwha Maples, Elwha River Valley

So if your visiting the area, it is about 11 miles west of Port Angeles. You turn left onto the Hot Springs road off Highway 101 just before you cross the Elwha River on 101. The Hot Springs road will take you to the entrance of the Olympic National Park and the Elwha River Valley. Of course there is a fee to enter the park. But it is well worth the price of admission. Don't miss it!

So what about the dam removal? Well things are not going too well with the project at the moment. Apparently, someone misjudged the amount of sediment behind the two dams that have come down and the silt has clogged the fresh water treatment plant that will eventually feed Port Angeles with fresh water. Not only that, salmon smolts released from the Elwha hatchery have been killed by the sediment in the water. Not good. We'll be keeping an eye on the project and hope it can cleaned up quickly and those 100 pound King salmon will return to the river.

You can read some of the latest news from the Peninsual Daily News in Port Angeles right here:  Dam Removal News
If you want more information on the dam removal check this National Park Service blog out: Dam Removal Blog.
Pat Neal is a North Olympic Peninsula fishing guide, local historian and humorist. He wrote a column on the history of the Elwha, including the dams and it is quite interesting to read. I include it here: Pat Neal Blog 

First Post

Welcome to the first blog of Christopher Enges Photography!

My purpose in creating this blog is share the awesome beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and especially the North Olympic Peninsula, along with the Olympic National Park. This would include local news, seasonal photography and unusual tidbits from the area.

For example, May on the Peninsula brings the Sequim Irrigation Festival. This year was the 118th festival. It ran from the 3rd to the 12th. The Sequim Irrigation Festival is the oldest festival in the state of Washington. The image of the parade was taken on Saturday the 11th of May across from the old Clallam Co-op building. Thousands of visitors pack the sidewalks from one end of town to the other. The Logging show, Street Fair, and Carnival are just some of the many festivities available to visitors of the festival.

So I hope you'll join me and check in to see what's up for the future events, local news and awesome photos here on the Olympic Peninsula!