Nancy Crowell

Snowgeese in the air and on the ground and traffic jam behind.

Sunday’s goose jam on Fir Island Road. Chaos! Cacophony! Birds! Tourists!

A dog standing next to a stick library.

I have been busy working for our local paper covering important stories like this one: laconnercommunitynews.org/2026/01/12/a...

My favorite hawks are back! Spotted three different rough legged hawks today but only this one was actively hunting. #birds

I was watching and photographing other birds today when two great white egrets popped up out of nowhere and flew by. What a treat! #birds #birdnerd

Spent all day yesterday birding in gray light and soft drizzle near the water. Oyster catchers, whimbrels, dunlin, loons,grebes,mergansers loads of #surfscoter #birds

Northern shrike flying to perch with beetle in beak.

I was watching this northern shrike the other day. It was repeatedly diving and returning to its perch. When I downloaded my pics I finally saw what it was snacking on. #birds #birdnerd

Much to my surprise & delight, I found another Northern Hawk Owl during my recent two-week trip through Alaska!

The naturalist aboard told us researchers were particularly interested in documentation of the horned puffin flying with a bill full of food. If true, this suggests it might have mated with a tufted puffin - and there might be a hybrid chick! These images are the first to confirm this behavior!

When our local weekly paper ceased publication in Dec a group got together and tried to buy it. Negotiations fell apart so they formed a nonprofit and started over from scratch. Led by publisher Kari Mar, our skeleton crew published our first print edition last week. Print is not dead here.

Would you drive across the border to see a bird? A friend and I did that last week when we went up to Canada in the hope of seeing this northern hawk owl in the metro Vancouver area.
How far have you gone to see a bird?
#birds
#birdingisforeverybody
#birdphoyography

This is a pic I took of Tom and his wife Alexa about the firetruck they rode in the parade.

Yesterday Tom Robbins died. He was my neighbor. A couple of years ago our town held an appreciation day for him, which included a parade, a Spam-carving contest and other silliness. I just hope our town can hang on to that spirit of childish joy and wonder.

@murray.senate.gov thank you for standing up and speaking out against Vought’s appointment. Please keep it up! These people must be stopped.

I have mostly been reading on BlueSky, not posting. Kind of like this little meadowlark chonk - just hanging around. I heard BS might be creating a photo app. Anyone heard that?
#birds
#photography

I have been thinking of getting the Z 1.4 converter. Does it work well on the zooms?

Until I moved to the PNW solstice didn’t mean much to me. Now it’s a date I genuinely look forward to each year. With the arrival of winter comes the promise of spring. Happy solstice!

Bird Wise Observations: Photographer Nancy Crowell — Be Bird Wise What does Be Bird Wise mean in practice among the various human observers of the wild birds populating our Skagit Valley landscape every fall and winter? Who are the observers of the birds and what ar...

We have a movement here in our valley called Be Bird Wise. They are trying to make people more aware of best behavior when they visit to see the thousands of snowgeese and trumpeter swans. I love that they are extending their reach. www.bebirdwise.org/blog/localph...

Snowy owl

Snowy owl

Snowy owl

Imagine having a snowy owl hanging out in your backyard. Imagine dozens of long lenses pointed at your backyard/house. #owparazzi
#snowyowl
#birdsofwinter
#celebrityguest

I haven’t figured out to do a thread on this platform yet, but I wanted to say more about short eared owls. They are killed by car strikes with some regularity. We need to do better to allow our fellow creatures to live.

This short eared owl pops against the background of a red barn. But this picture tells a story too. These birds are in decline due to lost habitat. They must navigate manmade interferences, like barns and roads with fast moving cars as they hunt in the ditches next to them.
#birds

A trumpeter swan in flight

We get about 15K trumpeter swans overwintering here each year. I love listening to them chatter in the fields and watching them fly in. When the light is right their feathers take on this ethereal look.
#birds
#birdwatching
#birdphotography
#birdsofwinter
#migratingbirds
#trumpeterswan

Thanks!

American kestrel with vole in its talons

American kestrel flying with vole in its talons.

Male American kestrel in flight

American kestrel flying with vole in its talons.

I combine birding with errands whenever possible, which is how I found this colorful American kestrel male hunting for his breakfast the other day. It wasn’t long before he successfully caught a vole and flew off to eat in peace. #addbirder

Is that a frisbee golf hole?

Today I spent some time watching & shooting pics of birds. Then an amazing rainbow appeared. It lasted almost half an hour and the entire thing was visible. I couldn’t capture it, though, because I didn’t have my phone or a wide angle lens. Instead, I waited for the dunlin to fly past the colors.

Last March I got to photograph thousands of sandhill cranes on the frozen Platte River in Nebraska. #naturerules

Trying to keep up with everyone flocking here, but if I don’t follow you back right away it’s not personal. I will get there!

If not, I’m leaving!