I have not had very many opportunities to take wildlife photos during my time here in the state of Washington, so I was particularly delighted when I spotted some birds during a trip to Anacortes on Wednesday.
There were quite a few cormorants hanging around a dock area, including the one in the first photo below. I think it is a Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), although I am aware that are some additional cormorant species on the West Coast of the US, so I am a little uncertain about my identification.
As I was exploring a lake a little later in the day, I spotted a tiny Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) in the vegetation. I had a 55-250mm lens on my camera, the longest lens that I brought with me on this trip, so I did not think I would be to get a decent shot of the elusive bird—normally when I am photographing birds I use a 150-600mm lens. I was pretty happy with my kinglet shot, the second image below.
The bird in the final photo is a male Bufflehead duck (Bucephala albeola) that I spotted at the same lake. He was a good distance away, but I managed to capture a hint of his colorful iridescent plumage—you may need to click on the image to get a better look at his coloration.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Fantastic shots, Mike. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Tricia.
It looks like a Double-crested Cormorant. It’s fascinating to see them drying their feathers in the sun — if there is any up in the Northwest!
Thanks. I was in Washington, outside of Tacoma, for almost two weeks and did not see very much sunlight. I guess that the cormorants have to drip dry rather than relying on sunlight to dry their feathers. 🙂
Impressive shots, even if it wasn’t your optimal lens. You even got a bit of that illusive red-crown on the kinglet.
Thanks, Eliza. Sometimes when I tell people that gear is not super important, they roll their eyes. Photos like these, I think, show that patience and persistence and a little skill are of greater importance. I was tickled when I saw that I had captured a little bit of the ruby crown. 🙂