Brown Pelicans migrate each year to the Northwest from their breeding areas in California. I have the best luck finding them in September. Though they can be found anywhere along the Washington coast they seem to really collect in Grays Harbor. From the north jetty you can, on the right day, see hundreds of these birds.

The Osprey is a fine looking bird, with brown and white plumage that reminds me of the coat of a Springer Spaniel. They fish for a living, and don't stoop to scavenging. They can hover stationary over the water observing their prey, their signature move, then at the appropriate moment dive. They hit the surface not with the sleek grace of an olympic diver but with a crash. More like a bellyflop or a modified cannonball, as if hoping to improve their odds by stunning the fish with their impact. Once airborne again they'll pause briefly in flight and, like a wet dog, vigorously shake the water from their feathers.

Winter is here. The days are short and the nights cold, and the Swans and Snow Geese have migrated back into the northwest. Trumpeters are the largest native birds in North America. They are beautiful and powerful flyers. The grayish birds in the clips are cygnets (juveniles). They'll be pure white by the time they return next year.