Wild Fidalgo

Migrating geese are a symbol of autumn and the local migration has begun.  Every year, Canada Geese ( Branta canadensis) pass by my house during September and October.  Their visits are announced by rich and musical calls.  They are always flying or swimming in the same direction, westward along the shoreline towards Deception Pass.  I assume they are heading out to meet their companions on the Pacific Flyway . In the photo, a Glaucous-winged Gull is keeping watch at the water's edge.  The mottled winter coloring of the head and neck is already starting to appear. Sometimes, the geese will stop for a rest on the beach in front of my house.  A small stream that drains the wetland behind me provides a drink of fresh water and an algae snack.  Then after a nap, they will continue on their way. I have come to look forward to this annual event.  Some people despise these birds.  They can become pests in public parks and golf courses...

On Labor Day, I took a nice long hike up the beach into Similk Bay .  I never know what I will encounter on my beachcombing treks.  I certainly did not expect to find this American Robin (Turdus migratorius) .  He was busy patrolling the driftwood that had collected along the shoreline. Silly Robin!  You don't belong on the beach.  This is the place for Gulls and Oystercatchers and Northwestern Crows.  Canada Geese, Ravens and Herons use this place.  Sandpipers and Killdeer live here.  It's not for thrushes like you.  Your place is open woods, forest edges and meadows, gardens and city parks.  You should not be hopping around the driftwood on a salt water beach. Well, look at this.  You found a tasty bug in the rotted center of that driftwood stump.  You have also been getting into those ripe blackberries growing along the shore.  I can tell by the stains on your beak.  I guess you belong here after all...

It has been a rather slow summer for me wildlife-wise.  Summer brings tourists to this area, and some of my favorite spots to visit and explore are crowded and noisy right now.  I have also been working extra hours.  My feeders and BirdCams haven't attracted much of interest either.  Then there are my endodontic issues.  This was not my first root canal rodeo, but it has been the bull that gored me. This morning, I woke to fog and overcast skies.  Then came the tell-tale calls from one of the hunting perches in my yard.  After an absence of two or three weeks, a Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) came to call.  She is looking a bit bedraggled.  Is that spit-up on her breast?  Perhaps this provides evidence of young eaglets back in the nest.  That white head isn't so white right now either.  It could be the clouded lighting, but I think she may be due for a good molt. Her calling was accompanied by a cacophony f...

The Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) was the bird that led me to bird watching.  I had recently moved into this house, and as I recall, it was late August.  The house was new and there was no yard yet.  I spotted a bright red bird with dark brown wings.  It was perched on an Alder snag and preening.  I had no idea what it was.  In the late afternoon sun, the red color was brilliant, almost glowing.  I tried to memorize everything I was seeing.  The important thing I could not see from a distance was that unique bill. I bought my first bird book, a Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds, because of this sighting.  Using the book, I tentatively ID'd it as a Scarlet Tanager, but I had doubts.  It did indicate they were "accidental" in the Pacific Northwest.  The picture of a Red Crossbill in that book looked pink to me, and my bird was brick red, more like the Tanager. Now, move ahead in time about 12 years.  Add a b...

I was wandering around the yard checking out the garden to see what was blooming.  I had the Canon 7D and the 100 mm macro lens with me.  Behind some big rhododendrons there is an empty shaded spot where I am working on some ideas.  In the corner of my eye I caught movement and something brown.  That neighbor's cat is here , I thought.  Then suddenly, this little fellow came rompity-stomping right up to me!  He was only about five feet away, almost too close for the lens. His reaction was a mix of curiosity and wariness.  My reaction was f-stop, f-stop!  He ran up the bank to the driveway, stopped and stared at me for a moment.  Then he scampered back down to get a closer look again.  He continued to move around me as if to check me out from every angle.  He was a tiny little guy, no taller than a Border Collie.  But he was full of spirit, bold and curious.  I am probably the first human he's laid eyes on up close....

Well at least this morning it was for this mother Wood Duck ( Aix sponsa ) swimming with her brood in Wiley Slough.  I wonder if this is the same hen I saw here last fall .  On that encounter, she was swimming with a mate.  Wiley Slough is in the Skagit State Wildlife Recreation Area on Fir Island. Here it is possible to hike out into the wetlands of the Skagit River delta on the Spur Dike Trail .  This is one of the best spots I have found in the area for viewing wildlife.  The site is a partially wooded wetland which is ideal Wood Duck habitat. Another shot provides a look at a few more of the ducklings.  There were 12 to 15 in all.  I spotted the ducklings first before mom swam into view. Wood Ducks have the unusual characteristic (for ducks) of nesting in trees.  They have claws on the ends of their webbed toes to facilitate this.  They will nest in a natural cavity or in a nest box according to BirdWeb .  There are some ...

I was at Goose Rock in Deception Pass State Park today checking on the rhododendron grove .  Afterwards, I headed up to the summit to look at the wildflowers.  On the way down, I met this fellow, a Douglas Squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) .  He was pretty angry at me trespassing in his territory and gave me a good talking to.  He was in such deep shade, I wasn't sure the photo would turn out.