Ship at the Refuge

I woke up early (for me) and decided since rain is in the forecast for a goodly portion of next week, I better hightail it up to Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. So that's what I did. One doesn't realize how close the Columbia River is to the refuge as you can't see the river from there. But the refuge snuggles up right next to the Columbia and today I saw this ship slide by in the distance and this actually is the best most interesting shot I got today.

The Wildlife refuge is a beautiful place but most of the time you are looking into the sun and the lighting gets really, really tough. I noticed that there are more songbirds and I really could hear them singing as I drove slowly along the route. The red-winged Blackbirds were all over the place and I have many really, really bad pictures of them. This is the result of me not really knowing how to deal with lighting problems in photography. And I realize that to fully take advantage of photographing these birds and wildlife that inhabit this area something like this would come in handy.

I did see some birds that are new to me. I believe this is Mr. and Mrs. Ring Neck Duck. Not far from them was Mr. and Mrs. Hooded Merganser. These ducks were on the right side and remember all photos are taken from inside the car. Then I get into the trees and I'm looking for anything that moves. A bird flies in front of the car and settles into the trees to my left. He is looking away from me. I snap a few and happened to catch him as it turns to leave. It's a beautiful tree swallow.. Then I noticed little birds in the dry grasses. I get this guy and it is a marsh wren.. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think this is a peregrine falcon.

Now you know why I thought the ship sailing by the refuge was the best photo. But I really like this landscape of the refuge. The reflections are so beautiful.

All in all, a collection of some really awful bird photos. I'm still trying to figure out when the best time of day and weather to see this place at it's best. Any ideas??