u/nimbus888

The younger eagle dove for a fish (but missed) then as it flew away, an adult went in to steal what it hoped was a fresh catch.

I put some small branches next to the hummingbird feeder on my back deck. There's good lighting opportunities in the morning and late afternoon where I snap away. :)

I took these late June on the Puget Sound Express out of Edmonds. Sharing for anyone interested in taking the birding tour themselves.

• Weather was great so got lucky there
• Their "office" is basically a shack in a parking lot. :) Not complaining, just mentioning so people don't look for a "real" office
• I got there about 30 minutes before starting and probably 70 people (out of a little over 100) had already checked in and were waiting in line
• The captain gave a short spiel before letting everyone board; most people couldn't hear him because the line was so long
• It seemed some groups had reserved tables otherwise it was first come first served; with a little over 100 people, I would say there was probably still around 20 empty seats
• The boat was nice; seemed modern, clean
• It took about an hour to get to the destination (Smith Island), we stayed for a little less than an hour, then an hour back
  • The boat is fast; so fast, if you go out on the top deck at full speed, it's physically painful trying to keep your eyes open (let alone your gear from flying off you)
• Once we got to the island, the top deck was pretty crowded
  • Suggest getting out there as soon as you can if you want to ensure you're at the railing
  • At least on my trip, the front right side seemed best but birds can be in any direction
• My primary goal was to get photos of puffins; we saw probably 5-6 in total
• I saw 5 new lifers during the trip (although didn't get good pictures of each)
  • Brandt's Cormorant
  • Common Murre
  • Heermann's Gull
  • Tufted Puffin
  • Rhinoceros Auklet
• Also saw a ton of various gulls and double-crested cormorants, a few dozen harlequin ducks, a bald eagle
• Did not see any whales; there was no guarantee of seeing any but I was still hoping for it
  • I did see a surfaced navy submarine, though :)