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	<link>http://www.thefreequark.com</link>
	<description>Bay Area Nature and Seattle Nature in Photos</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 09 May 2012 18:18:41 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Sky Lanterns &#8230; and Tangential Links to Wildlife</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/05/sky-lanterns-and-wildlife/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=sky-lanterns-and-wildlife</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/05/sky-lanterns-and-wildlife/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 May 2012 05:15:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pollution & Trash]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollution & trash]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12958</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you stretch it, there&#8217;s a wildlife tie-in with just about every human contrivance. But in this case, I was actually avoiding wildlife connections &#8212; taking a break from the stress of nestlings, fledglings, entanglements and predation. My goal was moonrise over the Space Needle &#8230; a moonrise scheduled for 11pm. As luck would have [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/05/sky-lanterns-and-wildlife/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Breaking in the New [Tern] Lens</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/05/breaking-in-the-new-tern-lens/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=breaking-in-the-new-tern-lens</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/05/breaking-in-the-new-tern-lens/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 May 2012 22:02:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gulls & Terns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[caspian terns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elliott bay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[terns]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12910</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So little time &#8230; and so little sun &#8230; but I grabbed some moments during Seattle&#8217;s first crystal days to break in the new lens. It&#8217;s four years in coming &#8212; four years of anticipating &#8212; four years of honing my skills on my trusty and tough 70-300mm (f4.0-5.6). This gift from my mate is [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/05/breaking-in-the-new-tern-lens/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>I Felt Like an Osprey Paparazzo &#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/05/i-felt-like-an-osprey-paparazzo/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=i-felt-like-an-osprey-paparazzo</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/05/i-felt-like-an-osprey-paparazzo/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 May 2012 12:35:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Raptors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Animal Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ballard locks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mating]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[osprey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pacific northwest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[washington]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12901</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230; saying (silently), c&#8217;mon, Osprey, look to the sun, a little catch light in the eye, please. Shot at 600mm equivalent and cropped.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/05/i-felt-like-an-osprey-paparazzo/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Benefits of Anthropomorphism</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/05/the-benefits-of-anthropomorphism/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-benefits-of-anthropomorphism</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/05/the-benefits-of-anthropomorphism/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 20:56:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philosophically Speaking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Raptors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anthropomorphism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Corvids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crows]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feeding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nesting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[osprey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12855</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you work with or care about animals, the nonhuman ones, eventually, someone will say something like, &#8220;shouldn&#8217;t you care more about what happens to people?&#8221; That question doesn&#8217;t faze me anymore. Given our predominantly anthropocentric world view, I&#8217;d actually be surprised if people didn&#8217;t ask it. I have plenty of answers for why it&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/05/the-benefits-of-anthropomorphism/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Must-Read on USDA Wildlife Services</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/a-must-read-on-usda-wildlife-services/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=a-must-read-on-usda-wildlife-services</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/a-must-read-on-usda-wildlife-services/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:20:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ethics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Laws & Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wildlife Solutions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12847</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I knew about some of the horrible, lethal practices used by Wildlife Services, but I had no idea about the extent of usage and the abject lunacy of this implementation. This three-part series from the Sacramento Bee is a really tough read (as in painful), but I think it&#8217;s information worth knowing: The Killing Agency [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/a-must-read-on-usda-wildlife-services/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Thursday on the Beach With Brant</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/thursday-on-the-beach-with-brant/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=thursday-on-the-beach-with-brant</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/thursday-on-the-beach-with-brant/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:55:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Animal Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flora]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Geese and Swans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pacific Northwest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brant geese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eelgrass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feeding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[puget sound]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vashon island]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12813</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On the surface, Brant Geese &#8212; in this case, Pacific Brant or Black Brant or Branta bernicla &#8212; are a marvel to behold. That&#8217;s but a superficial observation. There&#8217;s a lot more to a Brant than her aesthetic, but let&#8217;s face it, aesthetics form our first impressions. Clustered together like Tribbles, they call out in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/thursday-on-the-beach-with-brant/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Meanwhile &#8230; Back at the Cell Tower</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/meanwhile-back-at-the-cell-tower/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=meanwhile-back-at-the-cell-tower</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/meanwhile-back-at-the-cell-tower/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:21:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Animal Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Raptors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[burien]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nesting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[osprey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pacific northwest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[washinton]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12775</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I last left the Cell Tower Osprey, they were in an apparent tussle over their nesting site. Photographically speaking, I chose the wrong time for this week&#8217;s visit. But, I was in the neighborhood just after dawn and figured I&#8217;d drop in for a few minutes. The only place to photograph this tower is [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/meanwhile-back-at-the-cell-tower/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why It&#8217;s Important to Look Closer &#8230; for Birds in Trouble</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/why-its-important-to-look-closer-for-birds/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=why-its-important-to-look-closer-for-birds</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/why-its-important-to-look-closer-for-birds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:03:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gulls & Terns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rescue & Rehab]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deterrents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gulls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rescue and rehabilitation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12735</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This post contains one image of a long-deceased gull, just FYI. You&#8217;d think I would have learned my lesson last year, with the dead gull I found wrapped around a deterrent wire on a nearby warehouse &#8230; or the gulls we untangled last fall from a fish-pen net. But, in fairness, this location was difficult [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/why-its-important-to-look-closer-for-birds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Osprey Noir</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/osprey-noir/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=osprey-noir</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/osprey-noir/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:32:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Animal Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bird Noir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Raptors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bird noir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elliott bay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interbay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nesting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[osprey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pacific northwest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pandion haliaetus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[washington]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12719</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I figured it was about time I added to my Bird Noir series. I was on Elliott Bay, looking out for the re-tern of the terns &#8212; Caspian Terns &#8212; when I saw this Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) flying toward me. I pre-focused where I thought she might be fishing, but she veered off to my [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/osprey-noir/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Quick Update: House Approves Sportsmen&#8217;s Act</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/quick-update-house-approves-sportsmens-act/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=quick-update-house-approves-sportsmens-act</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/quick-update-house-approves-sportsmens-act/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:34:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12715</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The House today approved the]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/quick-update-house-approves-sportsmens-act/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Showdown at the Osprey Cell Tower</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/showdown-at-the-burien-osprey-cell-tower/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=showdown-at-the-burien-osprey-cell-tower</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/showdown-at-the-burien-osprey-cell-tower/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:03:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Animal Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Raptors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nesting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[osprey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pacific northwest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[territorial behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[washington]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12669</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Three&#8217;s a crowd &#8230; even in the Osprey world. I&#8217;ll get back to that thought in a minute. There are two Osprey nesting platforms within three miles of our place, plus several others within ten miles. Last week, all of the Osprey returned to my local spots within the span of a few days. I [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/showdown-at-the-burien-osprey-cell-tower/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Speak Out Against the Sportsmen&#8217;s Heritage Act of 2012</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/speak-out-against-the-sportsmens-heritage-act-of-2012/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=speak-out-against-the-sportsmens-heritage-act-of-2012</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/speak-out-against-the-sportsmens-heritage-act-of-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:03:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fishing & Hunting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Laws & Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[laws and policy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12642</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, a friend of mine sent details on the Sportsmen&#8217;s Heritage Act of 2012 (H.R. 4089) &#8230; and today I saw similar postings in various environmental blogs. The bill will: undermine polar bear protections by allowing the importation of polar bear trophies; require federal agencies to open up more public lands to hunting; and, prevent [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/speak-out-against-the-sportsmens-heritage-act-of-2012/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Steelhead Poetry on the 18th Weir</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/salmon-poems-at-ballard-locks/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=salmon-poems-at-ballard-locks</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/salmon-poems-at-ballard-locks/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:02:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sea Scale Snail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ballard locks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pacific northwest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[poetry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[salmon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[washington]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12626</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is a postscript to my previous notes on Steelhead Youth. Every year, the audio system in the fish ladder viewing area (Ballard Locks) broadcasts a series of oral histories, each relating to a particular cycle of salmon migration. Right now in April, when you press the red button, you&#8217;ll hear about the juvenile steelhead [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/salmon-poems-at-ballard-locks/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Steelhead Youth</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/steelhead-youth/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=steelhead-youth</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/steelhead-youth/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:21:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Endangered Species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ballard locks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pacific northwest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[salmon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[steelhead]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[washington]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12615</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Puget Sound steelhead travel through the Ballard Locks at a fraction of their glory-day numbers. According to this post at the Friends of the Ballard Locks blog, two to three thousand steelhead used to migrate through the locks. Now, if visitors see just one steelhead looking back at them through the window, they&#8217;re lucky. A [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/steelhead-youth/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Great Blue Squiggles</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/great-blue-squiggles/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=great-blue-squiggles</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/great-blue-squiggles/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:18:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Herons and Egrets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elliott bay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[great blue herons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Herons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12581</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I guess it&#8217;s Composite Week, since this is my second Photoshop posting in a few days. We saw this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) fishing for sculpin (mostly) in a nearby Seattle marina. I&#8217;m always drawn to reflections of boat masts in smooth or rippled water, and I loved the way these particular reflections swirled [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/great-blue-squiggles/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Arc of the Kingfisher</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/arc-of-the-kingfisher/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=arc-of-the-kingfisher</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/arc-of-the-kingfisher/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:13:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Perching Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[composite]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elliott bay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kingfisher]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pacific northwest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[washington]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12554</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I have a few terabytes of backlogged photos I&#8217;ve never posted &#8212; many of which should probably stay archived. But, I thought for sure I&#8217;d published this one. When I searched my blog archives, it appears this image never touched the pages of The Quark. This is a banner I created last year of a [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/arc-of-the-kingfisher/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Putting Photographer-Bird Disturbance in Perspective</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/putting-photographer-bird-disturbance-in-perspective/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=putting-photographer-bird-disturbance-in-perspective</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/putting-photographer-bird-disturbance-in-perspective/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:53:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wildlife Solutions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wildlife]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12503</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today, I came upon a contentious thread about bird banding on my local birding listserv. This thread made me think of the emails I got in response to my Snowy Owl post &#8212; the post which criticized the photography field ethics we witnessed up at Boundary Bay. On today&#8217;s listserv, a member birder had concerns [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/putting-photographer-bird-disturbance-in-perspective/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cool &amp; Totipalmate</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/great-blue-herons-in-seattle/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=great-blue-herons-in-seattle</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/great-blue-herons-in-seattle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Apr 2012 08:20:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Animal Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Herons and Egrets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ballard locks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[great blue herons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Herons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nesting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12480</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It begins with a twig in the bill and the throaty croak of the swamp. They&#8217;re creatures of the marshes, the Great Blues, now on ascent to a season in the trees where nests incubate eggs, and where clumsy young legs will soon dawdle on branches until they get their wings. They call this place [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/great-blue-herons-in-seattle/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Return to Itten: Days 9 to 12</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/a-return-to-itten-days-9-to-12/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=a-return-to-itten-days-9-to-12</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/a-return-to-itten-days-9-to-12/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:42:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Studies in Vagueness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[itten's contrasts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12428</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today seems like an Itten&#8217;s Contrasts kind of day, with rainbows reflected in puddles as the sun dances in and out of Seattle downpour. I started an Itten&#8217;s Contrast series on the eve of 2010 &#8212; finishing just eight of my twelve promised posts. I&#8217;m tallying up the final four today, two years later, with [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/a-return-to-itten-days-9-to-12/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bird Photography Outtakes</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/bird-photography-outtakes/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=bird-photography-outtakes</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/bird-photography-outtakes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:23:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cormorants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ballard locks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pacific northwest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[washington]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12398</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) in Seattle, Washington. Okay, I&#8217;m pretty careful when I&#8217;m photographing around roosts. And, cormorants give you plenty of warning with all of the guano splatters below their perches. In fact, I can&#8217;t think of the last time I got hit by a big bird &#8230; so, it&#8217;s funny that on the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/bird-photography-outtakes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Say It&#8217;s Only a Cormorant Moon &#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/say-its-only-a-cormorant-moon/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=say-its-only-a-cormorant-moon</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/say-its-only-a-cormorant-moon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:34:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cormorants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Moon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ballard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ballard locks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[double-crested cormorants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[magnolia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wildlife]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12381</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8230; sailing over a cardboard sea. The sun came out and I raced down to the locks where, just a few days before, I&#8217;d seen the most perfect light on alighting herons. There&#8217;s a rookery that spans a ravine, the northern terminus of which is at the Ballard Locks. Several Great Blue Heron couples (Ardea [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/04/say-its-only-a-cormorant-moon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Beautiful Things in Humble Places</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/beautiful-things-in-humble-places/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=beautiful-things-in-humble-places</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/beautiful-things-in-humble-places/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2012 07:03:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Studies in Vagueness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ballard locks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=8334</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.&#8221; ~ Camille Pissarro. I can&#8217;t see the world the way Pissarro did, let alone paint it. My own mother creates watercolors like Georgia O&#8217;Keefe&#8217;s, but I can&#8217;t draw a stick figure in proper perspective. In other words, were it not [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/beautiful-things-in-humble-places/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Our Wolves, Our Humanity</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/our-wolves-our-humanity/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=our-wolves-our-humanity</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/our-wolves-our-humanity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2012 06:16:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fishing & Hunting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mammals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wolves]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12356</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I decided, when I started this blog, that I would limit the content to things I&#8217;d personally photographed or experienced. For the most part, I do that, digressing only occasionally. I made that choice because on any given day, I read about, hear about, or other wise encounter wildlife issues that either trouble me or [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/our-wolves-our-humanity/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Too Much House, But Still Some Goose</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/too-much-house-but-still-some-goose/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=too-much-house-but-still-some-goose</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/too-much-house-but-still-some-goose/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:47:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Geese and Swans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bathing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[canada goose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lake union]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[preening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[south lake union]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wildlife]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12296</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In 1905, the Duwamish native Cheshiahud told The Seattle Times that he could no longer catch trout in Lake Union because “too much house now &#8212; they all gone.” 1. Seattle&#8217;s city-central lake was then known to the Duwamish as meman harsh, or &#8220;little lake,&#8221; surrounded by marshes and streams that fed both the lake [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/too-much-house-but-still-some-goose/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Going Wide With Wildlife</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/going-wide-with-wildlife/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=going-wide-with-wildlife</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/going-wide-with-wildlife/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:11:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pacific Northwest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cormorants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gulls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pacific northwest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pigeons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wildlife]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12265</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I loved my first zoom lens so much, I would have kept it around my neck and under my pillow 24/7 were I not worried about the integrity of the front element &#8230; and my neck. I suspect that a lot of wildlife watchers like myself feel profoundly altered after shooting through their first tele [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/going-wide-with-wildlife/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>15</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How Do You Feel About Wing Tags?</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/how-do-you-feel-about-wing-tags/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=how-do-you-feel-about-wing-tags</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/how-do-you-feel-about-wing-tags/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:47:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hawks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Raptors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[red-tailed hawks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[studies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[union bay natural area]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12246</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Edited 4/4/12 to add: I got an informative note from the biologist associated with this study, and he was kind enough to give me some background on the hawk pictured here. It&#8217;s a juvenile female who was tagged last August 2011 at SeaTac Airport. She &#8212; along with the other hawks who are trapped and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/how-do-you-feel-about-wing-tags/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>From the Primordial Soup of Lake Union: American Coots</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/from-the-primordial-soup-of-lake-union-american-coots/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=from-the-primordial-soup-of-lake-union-american-coots</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/from-the-primordial-soup-of-lake-union-american-coots/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 2012 08:44:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ducks and Others]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle & Vicinity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[american coots]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lake union]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wildlife]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12198</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[American Coots creep out of lakes like creatures of the bog, drawing up mud with their lobed toes as they march, single file, from the water to their feeding grounds. I once watched hundreds emerge, one by one, from the low-tide flats at San Leandro Marina in California, forming a line of black baubles from [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/from-the-primordial-soup-of-lake-union-american-coots/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Staging &#8220;Nature&#8221; Shots</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/baiting-and-staging-nature-shots/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=baiting-and-staging-nature-shots</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/baiting-and-staging-nature-shots/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:28:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bug Nation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12135</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A friend of mine recommended 500px as an alternative to Flickr. Between Flickr, Facebook, Linked In and my inactive Twitter account, I&#8217;m maxed out on social networking, something I&#8217;ve never been all that hot on, anyway. But, I meandered over to 500px because the interface is supposedly beautiful, and the community gets rave reviews. The [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/baiting-and-staging-nature-shots/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>12</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Utility Pole Eagles</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/utility-pole-eagles/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=utility-pole-eagles</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/utility-pole-eagles/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:47:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[British Columbia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Raptors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Faves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bald eagles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[british columbia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[canada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pacific northwest]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12089</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Back in the Bay Area, if someone had described to me a place where Bald Eagles huddled on every utility pole like pigeons or Starlings, I would have thought it must be Alaska &#8230; or somewhere along the Samuel Morse telegraph lines of the mid-1800s. I didn&#8217;t expect that just two hours north &#8212; through [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/utility-pole-eagles/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>&#8220;Windstalk&#8221; Energy and Birds</title>
		<link>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/windstalk-energy-and-birds/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=windstalk-energy-and-birds</link>
		<comments>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/windstalk-energy-and-birds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 10 Mar 2012 21:50:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ingrid</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Renewable Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[masdar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[renewable energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[windmills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[windstalks]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thefreequark.com/?p=12063</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I came upon this story on my local birding list this morning. It&#8217;s a Discovery News piece about Windstalks &#8212; windmill alternatives &#8212; designed for the automobile-free, green city of Masdar, outside of Abu Dhabi. Windstalks, conceived by the New York firm Atelier DNA, won second place in the 2010 Land Art Generator competition which [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.thefreequark.com/2012/03/windstalk-energy-and-birds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

