Tag Archives: log boom park

Eagles and Ospreys Over Kenmore

Trips to Log Boom Park are usually to see the floatplane activities from Kenmore Air’s base but it also gives the potential for some other airborne photo subjects.  On one trip a short while ago, the conditions were a little harsh with strong lighting from overhead, but the local fauna was helping out.  Getting eagles there is not too unusual but the warmer weather does mean the possibility of ospreys showing up and they did oblige.  No close action as they were fishing but they did get some food from the water and even occasionally managed to fly our way while carrying their successes.

Log Boom with Mark

My buddy, Mark, was heading through the region on his way south but he had a little time to kill.  We agreed to meet up late in the afternoon to see what the traffic was like at Kenmore.  He comes from Vancouver, so floatplanes are not a novelty for him, but a different operator is some variety I guess.  I am always happy to watch floatplanes.  I got there a little before him and got a couple of extra movements but there was still enough happening once he showed up.  Log Boom Park provides a good spot to watch the planes from, but the summer can be trickier as it becomes a popular spot for the local kids to hang out and swim.  Fortunately, the day was cooler, so we weren’t surrounded by kids.

Most of the planes approached from down the lake and came straight in but there was one Cessna that decided the southerly wind necessitated the approach over Kenmore.  I would like more of those to be honest as they provide some interesting angles, but it was just the one this time.

Stormy Skies Over Lake Washington

One damp weekend day, I went to Kenmore to visit the camera store.  After browsing in there for a while, I headed down to Log Boom Park just to take a look at the Lake.  A storm shower had just passed through so I decided to try my luck in staying dry.  As I walked down to the water, my gamble did not pay off and it started to rain again.  However, I was able to stay out of the worst of it and take a couple of shots across the lake.  The clouds near us were really menacing but there was clearer sky in the distance.  Quite a range of exposures to accommodate.

Ospreys Galore

A trip to Log Boom Park in Kenmore is usually because I am after floatplanes.  However, it is a great source of wildlife and some of the ospreys in the vicinity were keen to be photographed.  You get plenty of ospreys and eagles in the area but they are usually fishing a bit further out into Lake Washington and not so close to the shore.  However, a few of them were circling right overhead and even looking at some fishing opportunities in around the jetty.  It would be rude to not try and get some shots of them!

Picking Up More Than You Can Handle?

After work one evening, I headed to Log Boom Park in Kenmore.  I was thinking I might shoot a few floatplanes as they returned at the end of the day but I hadn’t timed it right for that and didn’t see any.  However, the local wildlife was busy including a few bald eagles that were out hunting on the lake.  Some immature eagles were out and about but a couple of adults were also trying their luck.  I saw one of them start to dive down on a target and followed with the camera.

The eagle struck its target and grabbed it out of the water successfully.  However, it hadn’t fully appreciated just how large a fish this was.  It was a beast and the eagle started to try and climb away without success.  This fish was too heavy for it.  That wasn’t going to deter it though.  It had caught dinner and wasn’t intent on letting it go.  Flapping furiously, it tried to gain speed and altitude.  Speed was fine but altitude was a different story.  Instead, it adopted a new tactic.  Dangling the fish beneath it, the tail of the fish was slapping on the surface of the water.  This seemed to provide a little support and the combination proceeded to skim across the surface of the lake.  Only when at the shore was a final surge of effort put in to pull up on to an awning where the eagle landed and laid out its catch.

Great Blue Heron Spotting

I posted a photo of a cormorant sitting on a post in Lake Washington in this post.  More recently, the same post became the resting place for a heron.  I had plenty of time to inch closer to get a better shot of the bird.  The background was rather distracting so I ended up crouching in an strange position in order to get a cleaner background.  The heron seemed content to wait for me to get the shot.

This Didn’t End Well (Another Sinking Feeling)

I posted a shot of a boat that was partially submerged in Renton in this post.  I came across a similar sight in Kenmore recently.  This boat was tied up to the outside of the marina but was clearly in a bad way.  I don’t know what happened but I am going to make a guess.  The water level in the lake is very high at the moment.  There are many wooden piles out in the water that are normally above the surface but they are currently all submerged.  I wonder whether the boat’s owner did not know they were there and punched a hole in the hull?

Ducks Take a Bath After a Busy Day

Walking back in to Log Boom Park from the pier, you get to the shoreline which is a popular spot for the ducks.  They clearly like the shallow water and the multiple spots where they can come out of the water to rest.  As I was approaching, they seemed to be in agreement that it was bath time.  Every duck was taking a turn at washing their plumage.

I figured I would take a chance on the shots.  Slow shutter speeds were worth a go.  The problem with this is that the ducks are moving a lot so the chances of getting a sharp head/eye are a bit limited.  However, if that does work out, the flapping of the wings should look more interesting than trying to freeze the action.  Making use of the high shutter rate on the camera is a good way of improving the likelihood of some success and, I was okay with getting a few that worked out.

It’s a Cluster of Cormorants!

This was an evening that I was out hunting planes.  I did have some success, but I got a lot more shots of birds than planes.  The cormorants were out in numbers and they obviously know I like them.  Log Boom Park in Kenmore has a concrete pier that goes well out into the lake.  At the end of the pier are pilings from a previous version of the pier.  They provide a nice spot for birds to rest and the cormorants had taken over the place.

The light was not in a good place for getting a photo but it was still worthy of a shot or two.  Some of the cormorants were stretching their wings to dry out.  They have a prehistoric look about them at the best of times but when they stretch the wings out, they really do look like a pterodactyl.  The concentrated group of cormorants were in a bad spot for the light but, fortunately, one of them was feeling antisocial and was on a different post.  The light was a lot better for this guy!