The young eagle on the left challenged the nearly adult on the right. Their talons tangled and then they fell out of the sky.

They say that one can never really go home because things change from what they were long ago. I suppose 20 months isn’t that long, but it has been for me. I am happy to be home on the Peninsula. I am happy to be able to see and enjoy the birds of the Peninsula. It is the best of the best in many ways, in my opinion. Not just for the birds, but for community as well even during covid and having to maintain distance and wear a mask. However, the birds and wildlife of the Long Beach Peninsula are second to none. I love it here.

The yard birds were the first welcome of many I received on my first day back. Dark-eyed juncos, pecked away on the lawn for seeds. Some just perched in the branches of the salal and other shrubs as if to say, welcome home. Spotted towhees bathed in the birdbath while the fox sparrow and two song sparrows waited in the shrubbery for their turn. To top it all off two red-tailed hawks flew into the tallest conifer so they could watch for breakfast. It was windy and rainy so they hunkered down close to the trunk but there was just enough space between the branches to make them visible. Later a bald eagle soared into the yard. Clearly, it was also on the hunt for lunch. What a welcome!

The winds and the rain were welcome, and along with the birds the welcome sign was out wherever I went on the first and second days of my return. The Ilwaco harbor was alive with several horned grebes wearing their black and white of winter. They were accompanied by one lone pied-billed grebe. Thirteen great blue herons were feasting in Baker Bay at low tide and a few double-crested cormorants flew in to rest on a dock to dry their water-soaked wings. Soon, a belted kingfisher dropped by to say welcome. At least it felt that way to me. It hovered above the choppy water as it looked for lunch but seeing none retreated to the safety of a high pole perch harbor side from which it could continue to scout for prey.

A bald eagle with its gleaming white head, even in the rain, was bathing in a large puddle of water in the Tarlatt field off 95th. After the bath, it flew to the top of a tall conifer to dry its wings. It sat for what seemed like an eternity which was welcome because it provided many good photo opportunities. Suddenly, a young eagle came out of nowhere flying swiftly. It dove at the almost adult bird in a challenge. They battled it out in the air. Their talons locked for a moment, they separated and went on their way. A spectacular sight!

The Port of Peninsula at Nahcotta didn’t disappoint. Common loons were swimming and diving for food. Scientists indicate that the common loons that breed in Alberta spend the winter here on the coast. At least one was a juvenile. I wondered whether it might have been one of the baby loons I photographed on my “loonatic” adventure last July in Alberta. Two red-throated loons were also feeding in the port. The viewing was superb from the parking area. As the wind and rain continued two back-bellied plovers that sought refuge in the rocks came out on parade for a few minutes before ducking back into their refuge. A killdeer had also taken refuge in the rocks.

My homecoming was everything I hoped it would be and then some. The welcome I received from the birds was very special, and a young elk and a few black-tailed deer were in on the welcome too. It is lovely to be on the Peninsula again. I am home.

Happy birding!