Monika Wieland Shields

@orcawatcher.bsky.social

584 Followers 303 Following

Killer whale researcher, author, and photographer 🐳 Hockey fan, bird-watcher, part-time crusader 🌟 San Juan Island, WA 🌅

Collage of photos showing a sunset on the west side of San Juan Island, a s’more, and a picnic shelter
A firework exploding over the Friday Harbor marina
A wildflower gone to seed alongside a dirt road with grassy hills and blue skies in the background.
A black bear cub stands on its hind legs in front of some greenery
A grid of nine images of different wildflowers photographed in the Yukon in June 2026
A cloud burst over mountains with boreal sweet-vetch in the foreground near Destruction Bay, Yukon Territories, Canada
A series of five shots of the same mountain range in different lighting and weather conditions
Mountains lit up by 11PM summer light in Alaska
A receding glacier on a sunny day in Alaska
Three orcas surfacing side by side
A horned puffin at the Alaska SeaLife Center
Black-legged kittiwakes sitting on nests on a rocky wall and flying to and from their nesting colony
A mountain goat doe and kid traverse a steep, rocky cliff
Watercolor painting materials spread out on a desk in front of a sunlit window
Mountains and clouds reflecting in a flat calm lake east of Anchorage, Alaska
Looking out the windows of an Alaska State Ferry over the Strait of Georgia at sunset
A sculpture of a frog by a pond
A pencil sketch of a gray whale mom and calf
A trail leading into an oak grove with new spring growth all around
An oak grove in late afternoon sunlight
Red and yellow tulips
Pear blossoms, fairyslipper orchid, and red paintbrush flowers
A black and white photograph of a mudflat with pools of reflective water
A Washington State ferry in front of the snow-capped Olympic Mountains in Puget Sound.
Sunset-illuminated clouds framed by silhouetted trees
Mouflon sheep lambs on the hillside of Spieden Island in the San Juan Islands, WA
A male California quail sitting on a piece of wood on the ground with some brown grass around him
Deep red aurora looking straight up at the sky
Pre-game lights on and around the ice at Climate Pledge Arena before a Seattle Torrent PWHL game
Looking off the back of a boat into golden and silver lighting with clouds and the boat wake
A pied-billed grebe in an algae-filled slough
A pinkish winter sunset in the San Juan Islands as seen from the Washington State Ferry
Amanita muscaria mushroom, also known as fly amanita
A Siberian cat lounging on the street
The Patos Island lighthouse with a snow-capped Mt. Baker/Kulshan in the background
Tahoma (Mt. Rainier) in late afternoon winter light with water in the foreground and clouds above
A black and white landscape photo with a dock
A northern fur seal holding its flippers in the air to thermoregulate while also peeking above the surface of the water
Sunset-illuminated clouds over Smith Island, Washington
A campfire crackling at a campground with dimly lit water and silhouetted trees visible in the post-sunset light
Glassy waters reflecting patterned white clouds and a bright blue sky
The player boards of an in-progress game of Finspan
White clouds in blue sky reflecting in glassy blue seas with a forested island along the horizon
An island cliff is sunset lighting with a boat wake trailing in front of it
Lime Kiln lighthouse with a starry sky
A Lisa Frank-style cartoon of an orca wearing a crown with the first verse of Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" superimposed.
A humpback whale fluking in front of a red RIB
Bright orange daisies in a planter box with water droplets on the petals
A picture of a dappled brown horse in a field with yellow flowers and a red barn in the background
A newly fledged American robin perches on a deck railing
A suspension bridge with green grass in the foreground and snow-capped mountains in the background
A snow capped mountain peak at the end of a long empty highway
A red fox surrounded by greenery
A red fox in the grass
A tall cloud in a blue sky reflecting in calm seas with islands in the background
A collage of Marc-Andre Fleury with each NHL team he played for and a congratulations banner
A red-necked grebe