Taking short trip to Seattle

[Ken_from_MD]

Will be staying near the SeaTac airport. I noticed a park near the hotel called Black River Riparian Forest. Is this a decent place to go for some wildlife opportunities? I did a little search on it, what I found discusses Blue Herons and a pair of Bald eagles.

I also noticed that two of the articles I read mentioned that you shouldn't go alone or at least have a cell phone and be aware of your surroundings. Is this due to the terrain or to crime in the area? Will I be a some sort of target with the big white lens?

Another nearby option seems to be Seahurst Park. Is this one worth going to? I might only have a few hours on one afternoon to do anything so I don't think that any of the zoos will be worth it for the short time I have. I may do some night shooting in the city, but I will have few daylight hours. Will it be safe to walk around in the city with a camera? Any other suggestions?

Thanks

Ken

[ibdb]

Will be staying near the SeaTac airport. I noticed a park near the hotel called Black River Riparian Forest. Is this a decent place to go for some wildlife opportunities? I did a little search on it, what I found discusses Blue Herons and a pair of Bald eagles.

I also noticed that two of the articles I read mentioned that you shouldn't go alone or at least have a cell phone and be aware of your surroundings. Is this due to the terrain or to crime in the area? Will I be a some sort of target with the big white lens?

Another nearby option seems to be Seahurst Park. Is this one worth going to? I might only have a few hours on one afternoon to do anything so I don't think that any of the zoos will be worth it for the short time I have. I may do some night shooting in the city, but I will have few daylight hours. Will it be safe to walk around in the city with a camera? Any other suggestions?

Thanks

Ken
The area around the airport, like in many cities, is not one of the finer places you'll find. I'm not familiar with the particular park that you mention there, so I can't say for certain.

As to walking around the city with a camera, you should feel quite comfortable, as long as you use reasonable, everyday precautions. I've wandered all over much of downtown Seattle with my gear and never had anyone give me any trouble at all.

Will you have a rental car? Is there something in particular you like to shoot? There are some other areas not too far from the airport that I've been to on many occasions without ever having the kind of security warning feeling you found for the Blackriver site.

[ibdb]

I just looked up the place you'd mentioned.

I grew up a few miles from there, and my parents still live nearby. I'd consider that an extremely safe area. I thought you were somewhere much closer to the airport.

I've never been there -- but now that you pointed it out I may have to swing by and see what I think. :D When are you going to be here? Maybe I'll be able to give you a report.

[Ken_from_MD]

Thanks for the info. I'll be in that area the first week of February.

I mainly prefer wildlife photos, but I'm new to photography so I'll shoot most anything. I figured some night shots of the Space Needle would be cool, or maybe downtown around the fish markets. I was in Seattle about 20 years ago, so I am sure much has changed since then.

My hotel is very near the Blackriver Park, that's how I found out about - it was on the Google map I am using for directions.

[ibdb]

The Pike Place Market is always a great place to go. I can never get enough of it.

The iconic view of the Space Needle, Seattle Center, and downtown is probably from Kerry Park. If you search POTN, I'm sure you'll be able to find some samples taken there. The other hot spot would be across Elliot Bay from Alki.

I've got a few shots in my gallery from Alki and a few of the Market -- but nothing from Kerry Park at the moment.

Check the "Urban Life" section -- http://abergseyeview.zenfolio.com.

Another place not too far from where you'll be staying is called the Kent Ponds. There are a number of raptors there -- Harriers, Hawks, etc. I've also found a good number of Heron in that area.

This shot was taken there a couple weeks ago:

http://abergseyeview.zenfolio.com/img/v6/p955666395-4.jpg

[ibdb]

Went by the Black River Riparian Forest today. Curiosity got the best of me. While I can see how it's probably a lot more interesting when the Herons are there, I wasn't all that impressed today. The "park" is a barely improved trail along the banks of the wetland. There were at least 50 Heron nests easily visible, which was cool. There was one Bald Eagle in a tree, and another that I saw overhead as I was leaving. There were a couple dozen ducks -- looked to be three different species, though I haven't looked anything up yet to confirm IDs (I'm lousy at IDs without a book). It was a long way to everything -- shooting with a 100-400 @ 400 with a 1.4TC I was still at the outer limits of what I'd even lift the camera for, and I honestly don't expect much from the shots.

If you don't have a lot of time to go anywhere else, it's certainly worth a few minutes. If you've got a few minutes, I'd guess that Gene Coulon Park (also in Renton and about 10 minutes or so away) may be a better bet. It's a much more developed park on the shores of Lake Washington, with some nice walkways and a large number of ducks almost always to be found. I saw a report of 50+ Great Blue Herons found there today.

[Ken_from_MD]

Thanks for all the info ibdb. Looks like my flight is a little later than I had planned, I don't arrive in Seattle until 2:30PM, then need to drive to the hotel. It seems that Kent Pond is closed on Mondays, so that one is out. Given what little daylight I may have to work with I may forgo trying to travel with the bigger lens and just try the night shots downtown. I may try Kerry Park one night and Alki another.