On a dark and dreary day, a visit to the Carty Unit of the Ridgefield NWR was just the right prescription for your humble scribe.

After nearly seven miles of hiking, hundreds of magnificent tundra swans made the outing a delight.

To add to the spectacle, bald eagles were sitting in the highest cottonwood trees or floating in the thermals.

Little songbirds flitted from branch to branch.

On a technical note, taking photos of fast-moving objects with a telephoto lens on a dark day means using a small numerical F-stop and a high ISO. In this case I had the ISO set at 2,500. The typical result, as seen below, is that more noise is introduced into the photos.

A dead giveaway (Golden-crested Kinglet)

Tundra Swans

Replica of Tribal Longhouse seen by Lewis & Clark in the area

Spotted Towhee

It takes awhile for Tundra Swans to become airborne

Licorice Ferns on a magnificent old White Oak