mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 07/10/2026For the first time on Mt. Rainier, I was close enough to Rocky Mountain goats, which are native to area, to photograph them. Fall colors were the icing. 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 07/10/2026In the chilly morning on Mt. Rainier, we didn't see any marmots, and like other hikers, we though they had denned for the winter. But, as afternoon temperatures rose, the furry sun worshippers came out to enjoy the warmth -- and dinner menu. 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 06/10/2026There are at least eight species of gulls around Vancouver Island. This little guy was a new one to me -- Bonaparte's gull. 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 06/10/2026While looking for grizzlies, we came upon a pod of humpback whales. This is a mama and calf beginning a dive. 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 05/10/2026This bald eagle was close to maturity, so I was surprised when he allowed two crows to steal the last of his meal. He must not have been hungry. 020
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 05/10/2026When I first saw Lillian, she was so light in color I wondered if she could be a spirit bear, but no, she was a grizzly. 010
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Classic Pacific Northwest wildlife! The banana slug. This one was shy. (Vancouver Island, BC) 010
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 04/10/2026The last time I saw a loon was in Ontario, and now here's a cousin near Vancouver Island, BC. 040
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 03/10/2026On a Mt. Rainier hike I kept saying that I had gotten everything except a sooty grouse. Then, near the end, this. 010
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 02/10/2026This unusually large black bear is known to visit this weir at the Quinsam Fish Hatchery in the afternoons. Fishing made easy. 020
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Near my house there are lesser yellowlegs, so I have wondered if greater yellowlegs looked the same -- just larger. To my untutored eye, yes. (The bills are supposed to be different, too.) 020
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 01/10/2026A highlight of the camping trip was spotting a mink and then finding its den. 051
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 01/10/2026The unique beak shape of a kingfisher inspired Japan's high-speed bullet trains. (Vancouver Island, BC) 010
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Grizzlies live on the mainland of British Columbia, but a few swim to the north end of Vancouver Island during the summer and fall to fish the streams and rivers. This is becoming increasingly common. 020
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 30/09/2026The (real) camping photos begin with this immature bald eagle majestically ensconced at the top of a spruce tree. (Vancouver Island, BC, Canada) 011
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 09/09/2026"Maybe I can put a little more food in my left cheek." (golden mantle ground squirrel) 011
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 08/09/2026This busy marmot finally took time from his eating schedule to have his portrait done. 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 06/09/2026As they reached for goodies, several times I was SURE a marmot would tip over, but I didn't see it happen. They were like the toys with weighted bottoms that can't fall down. 010
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 05/09/2026I felt these two chipmunks were giving me a life lesson in how to have fun. What a pair! 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 02/09/2026There was a tasty plant behind me, so this marmot kept coming closer and closer until I had to move. 020
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Cascade Mountains as viewed from above Panorama Point, Mt. Rainier. 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 30/08/2026Bear grass blooms only every 3-10 years, but I love it so much, I planted some in my yard. This one was on Skyline Trail, Mt. Rainier. 020
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 30/08/2026Yellow-pine chipmunks are so light (1.1 - 2.5 ounces [30 - 70 grams]), they can run to the end of fir branches. 010
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 29/08/2026I've been seeing black bears at higher elevations, not by the huckleberry bushes. Perhaps the berries aren't ripe enough. 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 29/08/2026All the marmots sought out black seedheads on a specific type of grass, passing up lots of other options. 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 28/08/2026If you stay on the Skyline Trail on Mt. Rainier, this is about as close to the Nisqually glacier as you can get. 010
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 28/08/2026This marmot was on urgent business. He wanted a new place to eat. 010
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 27/08/2026At altitude, during the third week in August, the huckleberries had started to turn already. 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 26/08/2026This is not your usual "stone bridge." I guess it's a stepping stone bridge. 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 26/08/2026When you are trying to photograph them, insects can move quickly. (Seven-spot ladybug) 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 25/08/2026I was about to photograph the spent pasqueflower when this squirrel jumped up onto the boulder. Startled me! 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 25/08/2026This osprey started to drop his fish and had to quickly grab it. How embarrassing that would have been. 020
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Rhododendron albiflorum, aka white-flowered rhododendron, is the sub-alpine version of Washington's state flower, Rhododendron macrophyllum, aka coast rhododendron. 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 23/08/2026These two yellow-pine chipmunks, playful and affectionate, were obviously a pair. 000
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 21/08/2026The round circle below this cedar waxwing's eye might be an infection. 010
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Some of the squirrels on Mt. Rainier are looking downright chubby. 010
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 18/08/2026This is the smaller Reflection Lake to the east with a classic view of Mt. Rainier. 010
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 17/08/2026This hoary marmot seemed to be enjoying the sunny day. 020
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 17/08/2026American ospreys are snowbirds. They live in North America during its summer and in South America during its summer. 131
mjhaught @mjhaught.bsky.social · 15/08/2026I should have some rosy spirea in my yard as it is, theoretically, ignored by deer. On second thought, given the deer in my yard, it wouldn't make any difference. They would eat it. 020
