Wild Fidalgo

This Columbian Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) is one of several that have visited my yard here in the middle of Anacortes, Washington.  They appear to be abundant all over Fidalgo Island.  My previous home on the south shore of the island was literally on a deer trail.  They were daily visitors year-around.  I have now lived in town for three months, and observed the same behavior here.  I recognize three adult does and one young buck along with three fawns from this season. This mature gentleman that visited yesterday afternoon was new to the yard.  His thick neck and well-developed antlers indicate a male ready for the mating season.  He came out of the woods chasing a doe.  When she eluded him, he spent some time in the lawn appearing befuddled.  He looked around as if trying to decide what to do next.  You will notice something else peculiar about this guy, as I did. Some kind of net material was firm...

In the neighborhood where I lived not so long ago, we had our own Bald Eagles' nest.  It is invisible from the ground.  It's possible that the people living in the houses at the base of the tree are unaware of its presence.  These days, if you own property that hosts an eagle's nest, you might not be allowed to build there.  In this case, the houses were there first.  The birds came and built a nest right over them.  Seattle hosts several nesting pairs within the city limits.  It might be a myth that eagles won't tolerate humans living in their nesting areas. If you know where to go and look, the nest can be observed, but it still isn't easy.  You must venture onto private property.  My neighbor kept me up to date on the goings-on there with reports and photos.  We knew there were two youngsters in the nest this year. In early morning August 1, I returned to the old neighborhood.  I went hiking on Kiket Island in the Kukut...

Since I last posted here, I moved to a new house.  I am now living in Anacortes, right in the middle of the city.  Interestingly, this place doesn't seem to be any less wild than the rural location where I was before.  This doe and fawn are just one of the families that pass through here every day.  These are indigenous Columbian Black-tailed Deer , Odocoileus hemionus columbianis .  I had just come home from a hike and spotted them in the cul-de-sac in front of my house.  I took this photo from the car. Here's a shot taken through my living room window the other day.  She just decided to take a rest in back yard.  I regularly see two does with fawns, one with twins and one with a single offspring.  I also see one with no offspring, and this may be her. Then, there was this guy that passed through the back yard early this morning.  I have motion-activated video cameras around the house that are catching a lot of the goings-o...

I was back in Deception Pass State Park this week watching crows at West Beach again. This pair of Northwestern Crows (Corvus caurinus) came marching by in an orderly, military manner.  Their steps were in perfect unison as if a marching band was playing. Zooming in on the above photo reveals feathers and fibers being carried in their beaks.  I presume these are being collected for use as nesting materials.  This is apparently a cooperative effort by the pair. Northwestern Crows could be classified as shorebirds. They nest and make their living around salt water beaches and estuaries.  It is common to spot them foraging for mussels, clams  and snails on rocky beaches at low tide.  They are distinguished from American Crows by a smaller size and deeper voice.

Two days ago, we experienced a fairly significant wind storm.  It is an odd time of the year for this.  Such a storm is typical for November, but not April.  Early yesterday morning, I headed over to West Beach in Deception Pass State Park to see what the surf was like.  The conditions there can be just like open ocean. Off the Strait of Juan de Fuca it was still windy in the park, with only moderate surf.  Next to Cranberry Lake, I encountered a pair of Northwestern Crows (Corvus caurinus) .  One was perched on the bench of a picnic table.  He was preening wet, spiky feathers.  Apparently, he had just finished a bath in the lake. "Do you mind?" "Alley-Oop!" Northwestern Crows are a bit smaller than their cousin the American Crow and have a deeper voice.  They nest and make their living around salt water beaches.  Like gulls, they will fly up and drop mussels, clams, and snails onto rocks (or concrete sidewal...

The other day, I made an early morning visit to West Beach in Deception Pass State Park.  There is a short trail from the parking lot that heads over to the amphitheater and the beach on Deception Pass.  I wanted to see how the bridge looked.  On the trail, I ran into this fellow, an American Robin    (Turdus migratorius) .  I was surprised that he allowed me to get as close as I was without flying off.  He wasn't even paying attention to me.  Sometimes park critters become accustomed to having people around. Then I noticed why he was standing his ground.  He was working on an earthworm  for his breakfast.  They are one of the annelids or segmented worms.  From my observations, they are a favorite food of Robins.  When I am planting or digging in the garden, the birds will gather in a perimeter around me.  As soon as I leave, they will fly in to snatch the goodies I kicked out of the soil.  They have lea...

Actually, it was more like seventy swans relaxing yesterday along Best Road in Skagit County, Washington.  I had the 100-400 mm lens mounted on the camera.  From where I stood, this forty or so was all I could fit in the frame at 100 mm.  I spotted this group of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) while heading home after hiking on Fir Island. Our mornings have been chilly since New Year's, with mostly sunny skies.  It was only about 26° F (-2° C) at the time of these photos.  That's frost on the grass adding a silvery tinge. Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) also visit this area in the winter.  If you get a close look, the two species are easy to tell apart.  The crown of the head on Trumpeters is flattened with the plane parallel to the beak.  On Tundra Swans, the crown is more dome shaped.  Tundras usually also have a spot of orange or yellow on the beak near the eye. The grayish birds are juveniles.  They will turn wh...

Mycophagy (my-COUGH-a-gee) is an interesting word derived from Greek meaning "fungus glutton."  Our native Banana Slugs (Ariolimax columbianus) are apparently mushroom epicures.  Hiking the North Trail in the Kukutali Preserve I spotted the mollusks dining on our local portobellos.  With October, the rains have returned, and damp weather seems to bring out both slugs and mushrooms. All along the trail, I found evidence of mushroom munching.  It was obvious the slugs relish these mycological delights. I do not recommend following their lead.  I don't know enough about mushrooms to declare these safe for people to eat.  What is dessert for slugs could be deadly for humans.  It seems the slugs have evolved to cope with potential toxins produced by the fungi.  It is well known people have not. At this point, allow me to editorialize.  Wherever I hike, I find smashed and dead Banana Slugs.  Hikers seem to be going out of the...

The Madronas at Deception Pass are amazing this year.  I have never seen the abundance of fruit on the trees like they have right now.  Yesterday, I went over to the State Park to get some photos of the trees.  While at the top of Goose Rock, I made a couple of new friends, a pair of young Columbian Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus).   As usual, I went hiking to find one thing, and ended up finding something else unexpected.  Surprise encounters like this are always the best. The pair were not fully grown.  If I can use the observations from my own yard , I am guessing these are siblings.  After they leave their mother's side, they will stick together for a few years until they mature. Another habit exhibited by deer is a tendency to follow the same trails and routes from day to day.  I have also seen this in my yard.  That would mean this pair could be frequent visitors to the top of Goose Rock, the highest poin...

The American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis. a.k.a. Carduelis tristis)  is the Washington State Bird.  I have been trying to get a decent photo of one for almost 10 years.  That makes this encounter yesterday in the Kukutali Preserve somewhat momentous for me. These are wary, fast moving little birds that will flee at the sight of a human.  Up until now, I have only been able to observe them from afar or using the BirdCam.  This bird allowed me to stand within about 10 feet/3 meters while he took a meal of Hawksbeard seeds. From these photos, notice how he never took his eye off of me.  If I had made one wrong move, he would have been gone in an instant. This is a male, identified by his bright yellow breeding plumage and black cap.  Females are a duller olive brown color and lack the black cap.  In winter, both genders are olive brown.  I usually see them in small groups or "charms," but this bird was feeding alone. The State o...

I consider the pair of Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) that make their home in the Kukutali Preserve to be friends.  I have been watching them since 2011 , the first time I visited.  I'm fairly certain I have been seeing the same birds every year.  According to BirdWeb , "Males and females appear to form long-term pair bonds, and the pair returns to the same territory year after year." I was in the Preserve yesterday and found them in their usual spot, where they appear to be nesting now.  They seem to nest later in the season than other birds.  I'm not certain, but perhaps it's a shorebird thing.  Land birds are pretty much done with that now, or even getting ready for a second brood.  Oystercatchers lay their eggs in a simple scrape in the rocks, above the high tide line, according to the iBird app . While I walked up the beach to the west, I pointed the camera at some gulls that were still quite a distance away.  Only th...

This week's visit to the Kukutali Preserve , brought another "first sighting" for me.  Just offshore of the Flagstaff Island beach, I spotted this pair of Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus columba) in their elegant breeding plumage.  At first I saw just a single bird (above), then realized there was a second nearby.  They are year-around residents of the Salish Sea . Pigeon Guillemots are birds of inshore waters around rock shores.  According to BirdWeb , they nest in rock caves or crevices or under driftwood.  Given these preferences, this pair could well be nesting somewhere here in the Preserve.  Pairs may join small colonies or nest singly.  These are diving birds that use their wings to propel themselves underwater.  Their diet includes fish, mollusks and crustaceans. These are not ducks.  Guillemots are grouped in the family Alcidae , which includes puffins, auks and murres.  This black and white plumage is typical of the g...