Wild Fidalgo

Yesterday was International Rock Flipping Day .  This has become an annual event to encourage people to get outside and explore the natural world.  Nature bloggers, in particular, go out to favorite spots to see what is going on under the rocks.  This is also meant for families to provide their children a little STEM -ulus to explore science in their own backyards and beyond. My plan was to head to the beach at low tide for my first IRFD post.  While I waited for the tide to go out, I did some practice flipping in the garden: It's been pretty dry here since June.  So far, it has only rained once this month and conditions in the garden are quite arid.  I didn't expect to find much.  Our ubiquitous Woodlice were nowhere to be found.  I did discover this beetle under a stone at the edge of a gravel path.  I had some problems identifying it.  Click or right-click the photo to see it full size.  Based on image searches, i...

This past weekend, I decided to trek closer to home and check out my own beach.  It was a good decision, because I hit the wildlife jackpot.  I headed northeast into Similk Bay .  There wasn't much to see for the first half mile or so.  Even Mount Baker was dressed demurely in an early spring haze. Then I spotted a pair of Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) , one of the rarer Washington state shorebirds.  They were busy foraging along the water's edge and appeared oblivious to my presence.  According to Birdweb , the state is host to only about 400 of these birds. Today's breakfast was Nuttall's Cockle (Clinocardium nuttalli) .  The Oystercatcher's bill is a specialized tool for opening mussels and clam shells.  The job still required effort to get the shell open.  This included some interesting foot action.  The reward was a delicious shellfish meal. Rocky shorelines are the favorite habitat. ...

Birders consider it auspicious to spot a new species on the first day of the New Year.  I didn't spot any new birds yesterday, but I did discover this little fellow in a tide pool at Deception Pass State Park.   Vosnesensky's Isopod ( Idotea wosnesenskii ) is named for a Russian zoologist who collected them in the nineteenth century.  An isopod is a crustacean like shrimp and crabs and related to the sowbugs and woodlice we find under rocks in the garden.  It is also called Kelp Isopod and Rockweed Isopod.  To me, it looks ancient, like something out of a Paleozoic sea. I first spotted the little guy swimming.  They swim using paddles under the abdomen.  Despite the 5 dollar name, it was only 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) long.  Had it been motionless, I doubt I would have noticed it.  This one is the same color as the local kelp and rockweed.  Those that are found in eel grass beds will be green.  This was an auspicious find as they ...

Photo by Monika Wieland For 23 years, I have scanned the waters of northern Skagit Bay trying to catch site of whales.  A visit by the Southern Resident Orcas ( Orcinus orca ), in particular, has been a quest which has eluded me.  I have written about this longing in a post at Fidalgo Island Crossings .  It includes wonderful photos by Monika Wieland of Orca Watcher .  Perhaps 2011 will finely bring success.

Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) I am going to brag a little here.  I live in a place that is regularly visited by Bald Eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ).  It is a joy every time.  Both this and the next photo were shot from my yard this weekend.  There are two hunting perches, one on each side of the property, that afford them a good view of Skagit Bay .  They come almost every day, announcing their arrival with their chattering calls.  They don't seem to mind if I am working in the yard.  I like believing they feel comfortable and safe here. They often come in pairs to spend time on the perches.  Sometimes, they just come to loaf.  Spring is courtship season and that also happens in my trees.  Talk about a ruckus when that's going on.  This also involves cartwheeling free falls high over Skagit Bay, with talons locked together.  They don't nest on South Fidalgo.  The actual location of their nests, how...

Varnish Clam ( Nutallia obscurata ) From Fidalgo Island Crossings , most things on the beach come in shades of gray and other earth tones.  In such a setting, something glowing purple catches your eye.  These are the empty shells of the Varnish Clam  ( Nuttallia obscurata ), a recent immigrant from Asia.  The outside of the shell is nondescript and can be seen at the larger shell's 10 o'clock position.  It does look as if it has been varnished.  They are thought to have been first introduced into the Strait of Georgia near Vancouver, B.C. in the late 1980's.  The dumping of ballast water by Asian transport ships is the probable source.  These empty shells were spotted near Similk Bay .  They are the likely victims of predation by Dungeness Crabs .