birds

Great Blue Heron

/ Seattle Park Lover / 2 Comments

 

echolake5-5-15 130_20150714060734400

Great blue herons are a relatively common bird in Washington, yet I am still just as excited to see one today as the first time my mom pointed one out to me when I was a little kid. A lot of the excitement comes from how incredibly large they are. When you’re accustomed to seeing crows and robins on a typical day, a heron by contrast seems like a prehistoric goliath.

They are so exotic-looking that it seems like you should have to travel to another part of the country, or at least trek out into the wilds, in order to see one. Yet there they are, smack in the middle of the city and suburbia, wherever there is a wetland or body of water. Great blue herons are magnificent birds.

Photo taken in May 2015 at Echo Lake Park in Shoreline.

Photographing Birds – A Newbie’s Lament

/ Seattle Park Lover / 1 Comment

Since getting a digital bridge camera with a long zoom lens six months ago I’ve discovered I really enjoy photographing birds. But it’s a new hobby that is not without its pitfalls.

We all get used to seeing the “normal” birds, like crows, robins, chickadees, Canada geese, and mallards. They are the species most adapted to urban and suburban living and the least shy around humans. They are also easy to identify. It can leave one with the impression we have boring birds, and that all the really interesting birds live in other parts of the country.

But once you start pointing a long lens at more distant birds you realize, holy heck, we have tons of neat birds in the Puget Sound region!

Continue reading →

Welcome to Park Preview!

/ Seattle Park Lover

A guide to Seattle area parks with a special emphasis on accessibility and photography.

All previews have a Things to Know section and photos at the end if you’re just looking for quick facts and aren’t interested in the detailed descriptive information. Parking and admission is free at all areas previewed unless stated otherwise in the preview.

Blog Key

Type of Park

Viewpoint = The view is the main reason to visit.
Local = A park primarily used by people living or working in the surrounding area.
Trip = A park unique enough to warrant going out of your way to see.
Destination = A very large park, usually with a wide variety of attractions/activities. People come from all over the greater Seattle area to visit it.

Other Terms

Preview = A post about a specific location with full details and photos.
Tangent = A post usually related to parks, birds, or photography in some way, but not a preview.
On the Road = A post about a location outside of Seattle and its immediate suburbs.
Combo Outing = A section in some previews with suggestions of other nearby locations to visit on the same trip.

Finding Info

To find the type of park you’re looking for use the Categories section. For a list of all parks previewed so far use the Preview category. To find a park by name use the Search function. The Links section provides links to maps, city park pages, and a few blogs of interest.

All content, including all photographs, of the Park Preview Blog is copyrighted by the blog owner, except where otherwise noted. Do not use Park Preview content without permission.