Wild Fidalgo

I have been beachcombing as long as I can remember.  My grandparents spent summers on the Washington coast and I would stay with them sometimes for several weeks.  I was only four or five years old in my earliest recollections.  I have salt water and sand in my blood.  Now, I am fortunate to live on one of the finest beaches of Puget Sound.  I can hike east or west, at least two miles in either direction.  To the east is Similk Bay , the northern-most reach of Puget Sound.  Here seen in springtime haze, Mount Baker stands enduring watch over Similk. We believe that life began in water.  Scientists, the Book of Genesis and the Quran are in agreement on this point.  I'll bet you didn't realize that.  If you pay attention, you will find evidence of "the moving creature that hath life" every where you look on the beach.  Let's see what we can find along the western shore of Similk Bay. Gulls are the most common shorebirds i...

This proves leaving the big trees in my yard was a good decision.  While they make gardening a challenge, they are definitely attractive to wildlife.  Two of the Douglas Firs have hunting perches at the top allowing the Bald Eagles to look out over Skagit Bay.  I always look forward to their morning greeting calls.

I was back on Kiket Island today and I knew exactly what I wanted to see again.  I think the Black Oystercatcher ( Haematopus bachmani ) has become my favorite shorebird.  I headed straight across the island and out to the spot where I saw them last summer .  With a high tide this time, I wasn't sure if my quest would be successful. But I was successful, spotting this pair resting in almost the same place I saw the birds last year.  I have a hunch this could be the same pair.  They form long-term bonds and are known to return to the same feeding and nesting territory year after year.  Last year, the pair was nesting on the edge of Flagstaff Island which is attached to Kiket by a tombolo . The preferred habitat is a rocky beach where they can feed on mussels and limpets.  I found these examples in stony tidal pools on the beach nearby.  The Oystercatcher's beak is tailor-made for opening mussels. Across Skagit Bay, this is ...

The weather started to look more spring-like this week.  With a day off and a pause in the rain, I decided to see what was going on at nearby Deception Pass State Park .  First, I crossed the bridge to Whidbey Island to check out the sand dunes at West Beach.  The Northwestern Crows were out and about raising a ruckus as usual.  This one paused to catch a drink from Cranberry Lake. Next came a stop at Bowman Bay on Fidalgo Island.  This pair of Canada Geese was feeding on the lawn next to the parking lot. The American Robins were still hunting earthworms in the picnic grounds, as we saw last month .  I didn't spot anyone who appeared to be full of eggs this time. Among the spring flowers in the lawn, several Dark-eyed Juncos were foraging with the Robins.  Also spotted, White-crowned Sparrows that were too quick for my camera.  Everybody was singing in their individual voices. I set off on the trail to Rosario Beach an...

A great blue heron Softly singing like the tides Taking flight with me Heron in the marsh Moves silently with the earth Welcoming the sun The blue heron speaks You are laughing at the rain I know this is home Morning blue heron Takes flight warmly with the dawn Spirit of this place Waiting blue heron She is speaking for the earth Awakening us Sunrise on the marsh Blue heron greeting the dawn Taking flight with her Tranquil blue heron The tides speaking with the earth The song of moonlight Heron in the mist Whispers softly like the dawn The name of the earth Blue heron at dawn Tells a story to the tides The song of the earth Misty yellow sun Awakening with the marsh A heron takes flight Ripple in the marsh The dawn shifting to the past Heron awakens Resting blue heron The sea smiling with the day Taking flight with him The visitor speaks Awakening like the sun I know what we are Visiting a Great Blue Heron in the tidal marshes of th...

It's neither the name of a Viking chieftain nor a town in New York State.  The Greater Yellowlegs ( Tringa melanoleuca ) is a wading shorebird related to Sandpipers and Curlews.  They winter along the Pacific Northwest Coast and are common migrants in Washington's lowland wetlands and salt marshes.  According to BirdWeb , a few may remain in this area through the winter.  The solitary bird was spotted this past weekend in Wiley Slough in the Skagit River delta.  Lesser Yellowlegs ( T. flavipes ) are smaller, seasonal migrants, but unknown in Washington this time of year. This part of Wiley Slough is outside the barrier dike which protects the farms and homes on Fir Island .  It is open to the sea and the water levels here fluctuate with the tides.  At the time, the tide was outgoing and the mudflats were exposed.  The dormant vegetation includes cattails and other salt marsh grasses.  This is part of a restoration project  (.pdf...

The lawns of the picnic grounds at Bowman Bay in Deception Pass State Park provide a forest edge/open woodland habitat.  This is exactly what our good old American Robin ( Turdus migratorius ) likes.  That Latin name literally means "migratory thrush." We had some nice, sunny weather in early February.  Since then, it has been cold, windy, raining and even snowing.  Yesterday, after some local, spotty snow, the sun finally came out, sort of.  I took the opportunity to hike the Bowman-Rosario Nature Trail in the park. I spotted a lot of wildlife, but the lowly, taken-for-granted Robins put on the best show of all.  I don't recall ever seeing so many gathered in one place. The lawns at Bowman Bay were literally alive with dozens of these common thrushes.  They were all busily stalking their annelid pray among the blooming  English Daisies  growing in the grass.  The birds cock their heads as if listening for the sounds of...