Today was a unexpectedly nice day in Seattle. Rather than the deluge of rain predicted, it was party sunny skies all morning.

So, of course, I went out and took pictures. I won’t repost most of them here, but I had two nice conversations with different people today, both of whom pointed me toward things I might not have otherwise noticed.

One was several great blue herons nesting across the water on the Magnolia side of the Ballard Locks. Not an artistic picture, but interesting nonetheless:

The other was on staff at the Locks, in the Army Corps of Engineers. He told me there was a resident belted kingfisher pair, approximately where they were nesting (couldn’t get there), and the male’s normal hunting grounds. Sure enough:

Oh, also, Northern Shovelers not only look quite silly, they’ve got fascinating bills:

They sift the water using those “combs” in their bills.