In terms of a birding destination, I have mixed feelings about Highline State Park. It is a beautiful location, and it draws a wide variety of birds, which certainly makes it worth visiting. In addition to being considered a birding hotspot, though, it is also a recreational hotspot, with camping, boating, fishing, and swimming all part of the experience. For photography, I generally prefer this park, and really any state park, in the off-season, when the pace is slower and there is more room to watch what the birds are doing.

That said, birds appear under nearly any situation. The irony is that the more accustomed they become to people, the closer a photographer can sometimes get. And close is nearly always good. A busy park may not offer the same feeling of solitude as some of the quieter places I visit, but it can still provide good opportunities if I am patient and willing to work around the activity.

The size of the lake makes a telephoto lens especially useful, and in some cases essential. A few of the shots in this gallery simply would not have been possible without that optical reach. The Trumpeter Swans in the photo on the left are a good example. I took that shot in mid-winter when the lake was frozen, after spotting the pair far out near the middle of the lake. Without the longer lens, they would have been little more than white dots on the ice. There have been exceptions, of course. The Red-breasted Merganser and the Wilson’s Phalarope both appeared in the water almost directly in front of me, as if to remind me that while preparation matters, nature still has a way of surprising me.

I intend to return to Highline several times throughout the year. As with all these favorite places, every visit holds the promise of a new shot, or perhaps a bird I have never encountered before. Even in a familiar location, the season, the light, the water level, and the movement of the birds can change the experience completely. That possibility is enough to keep me going back.