Birds
The heaviest North American owl, standing about 2-feet tall and weighing almost 4 pounds, the Snowy Owl, is an incredible sight to see. This bird, made famous by the Harry Potter series, breeds on the Arctic tundra and only flies far south in winters when food is apparently in short supply farther north. This winter … Read more
A couple of weeks ago, I was up on Whidbey Island and stopped by the marina in Langley. It is a small marina and if the clouds are high has a wonderful view across the sound to Mt Baker and the Cascades. The mountain was out today and stood brightly on the morning horizon. I … Read more
I left early this morning to meet friends to head to Skagit County to do some birding. The agricultural area west of the interstate is an important wintering area for waterfowl and raptors. Even though it was raining, we hoped to find some good birds. We were not disappointed. At our first stop along Fir … Read more
Winter must be a hard time for birds, especially ground feeding birds, when the snows are heavy and deep. In February 2010, we had about two feet of snow all at once in the Washington, DC area. It blanketed the neighborhood where I lived with a white coat of paint and buried the gardens in … Read more
In winter, the Forest Service closes a gate across Mountain Loop Road about 25 miles east of Granite Falls, Washington. I arrived at the gate at dawn to walk up the valley. Rain showers were happening at regular intervals and the light was soft and even with the cloud cover. The walk parallels the Stillaguamish … Read more
This was the first morning in four days that we did not have thick fog in Seattle. I headed up to Green Lake to see what was happening. A Bufflehead male was actively feeding adjacent to a wonderful reflection of trees. The reflection of the bird and the trees was an interesting contrast. Along the … Read more
My fingers quickly became numb in the below freezing air as I surveyed the flock of birds around the pylons at the Mukilteo ferry dock. The pylons and rocks at Mukilteo ferry dock must have a rich growth of mussels for a large flock of Surf Scoters and Barrow’s Goldeneyes seem to winter there each … Read more