Wild Fidalgo

One, two, three, four, five, six.  "Cornucopia" is the collective noun for slugs.  I had to look this word up since I had never seen slugs in a group.  In fact, during all the treks I have taken in the woods, over all the years, I have never seen anything quite like this. One week ago, I was in the newly opened Kukutali Preserve which comprises Kiket and Flagstaff Islands in Skagit Bay.  Near the west end of the South Trail is a heap of fallen trees, rotten wood and bark.  It appears to be windfall that was cut up and piled next to the trail.  The stuff was swarming with Banana Slugs (Ariolimax columbianus) .  Most seemed to be resting with their antennae pulled in under their mantles. Banana Slugs are familiar forest denizens in the Pacific Northwest.  What we usually see are solitary individuals here and there along a trail.  There might be one or two of these reclusive creatures seen on a hike.  If it has rained overni...

Just across Skagit Bay from my home is Kiket Island and the smaller Flagstaff Island attached to it by a tombolo .  The islands now comprise the Kukutali Preserve .  It is owned and operated jointly by the Swinomish Tribal Community and Washington State Parks.  Until this week, access to the Preserve was limited to small guided groups by reservation only.  It is now open to the public and I made my first unescorted visit last Tuesday.  You can read about my visit and the history of this newly opened nature preserve at Fidalgo Island Crossings . With a good low tide, I returned this morning with a specific objective.  I wanted to see if the Black Oystercatchers (haematopus bachmani) I first met three years ago are still living at Flagstaff.  I spotted a pair calling and flying low over the bay towards Skagit Island on Tuesday. Sure enough, today I was rewarded by another encounter with one of my old friends.  Oystercatchers are non-migrat...

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) I had a visitor on Saturday.  I have had many encounters with Bald Eagles in and around my yard, but this one was special.  He has found a perch on one of the small firs growing at the front edge of the property. The lighting around this tree is not very good for photography.  The view of the photo is to the south.  Some of the problems photographing dark birds against a bright background are apparent.  Nevertheless, this eagle perched in my tree is a welcome sight. There was once a wonderful eagles' hunting perch at the edge my neighbors' yard right next to mine.  The birds visited this tree almost daily.  It gave them a good view of Skagit Bay where they could scan the waters for fish.  I have had the privilege of watching them catch fish many times.  The tree also made a perfect photography subject, especially in the afternoon.  The visiting birds would be lit by the western sun.  I c...

It is early spring at West Beach in Deception Pass State Park, Washington.  If you are looking for birds, you will not be disappointed here.  Right off the bat, this young gull caught my eye.  He was perched on top of the concession building near Cranberry Lake with a good view of the whole area.  Gulls take four years to reach their adult plumage. Juveniles like this one can be difficult to identify.  Around here, if you guess Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) you'll probably be right most of the time.  It's our most common species.  Could this one be finishing up his second winter?  I would sure appreciate some help with identification.  This is a good looking bird regardless of the ID.  I like the browns and grays. I have spotted this pair of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) several times this past winter.  Late mornings, they are always perching in a particular tree at the north end of the Dune Forest....

October 11, 2013 was a big day for wildlife at West Beach in Deception Pass State Park.  A half dozen Bald Eagles were fishing just off the beach.  The Mayor was working his pine grove and the Heermann's Gulls , had joined all the other sea birds at "Fraggle Rock."  Not to be outdone, about a dozen or more Northwestern Crows (Corvus caurinus) were patrolling the beach next to the picnic grounds.  Such a group of crows is called a "murder."  Other collective nouns for crows include "cauldron," "congress," "horde" and "muster" according to iBird Pro . While I watched the crows doing their crow chores on the beach, one fellow seemed to be more interested in studying me.  That's him in the photo above.  I'd be curious to know what he learned. Northwestern Crows make their living beachcombing the intertidal areas of rocky shores.  For this reason, these Corvids could be classified as shorebirds.  Th...

Gregarious is a good word to describe Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) .  They like to gather together in groups with their own kind.  This is Cranberry Lake in Deception Pass State Park.  Two years ago, they gathered together here to such an extent, the park had to close the swimming beach.  Too much you-know-what in the water.  After steps were taken (that we probably don't want to know about), the beach was reopened last summer. Several collective nouns are used to described groups of geese like this:  flock, gaggle, blizzard, chevron, knot, plump and string.  I think it depends on whether the geese are flying, swimming or just hanging out together for some of these terms.  For example, a chevron of geese refers to the V-shaped formation they assume while flying.  I have seen blizzards of Snow Geese when 5,000 or 10,000 of them launch into flight.  It is truly a snowstorm. As an experiment, this is the same photograph using...

On December 30, I walked the trail from East Cranberry Lake to West Beach in Deception Pass State Park.  This is a very easy 1 mile/1.6 kilometer hike.  About half borders the lake and beaver marshes.  Then it crosses the road and runs through the woods next to the huge Cranberry Lake Campgrounds.  It ends near the West Beach parking lot.  This route offers a lot of wildlife potential including beavers and the diverse waterfowl of Cranberry Lake. Next to the lake, near the end of the trail, this Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) was singing his heart out.  Obviously, they don't just sing during the breeding season.  Maybe they also do it for fun.  Song Sparrows in this region have darker plumage than other parts of North America.  This one is also puffed up a bit in defense against the chilly morning temperatures of late December.