A Fine Day in the Skagit Valley, part 2

While viewing the shorebirds in the Skagit Valley on Sunday, I spoke with another birder who had been out since dawn.  He had seen only small Snow Geese flocks scattered about the farm fields.  Tina and I headed down Best Road, then Moore Road, randomly driving up and down along the fields looking for white blobs.

We found a dozen or so Trumpeter Swans in a field, and stopped to take pictures of more swans flying in to join them.

We also took note of dilapidated barns, with a view to sketching them on a return trip in summer.

The only Snow Geese we saw all day flew in to a field far far away.  We drove around looking for closer access, without success.

So we had to be satisfied with whatever birds happened to be closer in:

You couldn't throw a stick without hitting an eagle or a hawk on a tree or a telephone pole (not, of course, that you'd want to hit one....).

Next, we headed farther north to the town of Edison (2010 census population: 133).  We ate lunch at the Edison Cafe, and then checked out the river across the street from the cafe.  Beautiful spot:

I spotted a dove fly up into a tree here:

As you can see in this photo, it was a Eurasian Collared Dove.

We noticed a "main street" of two blocks or so in bustling downtown Edison which looked interesting, so we stopped there to explore.  Turns out this tiny town has quite the quirky shopping experience.  Who knew artsy boutique stores and wine/cheese shops could survive in a one-horse town?

Well, apparently they can -- stay tuned tomorrow for a break from the birds and a visit to the unusual stores of Edison, WA.