Late winter may not seem like the perfect time to think about birdhouses, but it is. As the days grow longer and temperatures moderate, our resident birds begin checking out possible nest sites. If your birdhouses are cleaned, repaired and in place during February, it won’t be long before you notice them being inspected by […]
The Outdoors
Local outdoor aficionados share tips and information about outdoor recreation, from fishing to bird watching.
Posted inBlog, Featured, The Outdoors
Supporting Wildlife Refuges by Collecting Duck Stamps
“…You don’t have to be a hunter to buy a duck stamp. You just need $25. So go out and buy the stamp.” Jim Williams, co-author of the book “Questions and Answers about Backyard Birds,” made that statement in an article he wrote for the Minneapolis Tribune a few years back. It’s good advice and […]
Posted inBlog, Featured, The Outdoors
Orca Births are Good News for Puget Sound but are At Risk
Most can agree that seeing an orca glide through the water is a pretty rare and incredible sight. If you have lived in the Puget Sound for a while, perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to see an orca or two in the wild. This year, with eight new orca calves in the Southern resident killer […]
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The Impact on Our Weathers from the Mysterious Chehalis Gap and the Coriolis Effect
Our fall, winter, and springtime weathers here on the South Sound and the West Sound pretty much come from the same place. The Chehalis gap! And no, you can’t buy jeans there. This gap is the space between the southernmost of the Olympic Mountains and the Willapa Hills to the south. The gap is an […]
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‘Tis The Season of King Tides
The oceans that surround us would really like to leave the Earth. Only Earth’s gravitational pull keeps them here. They are always seeking another gravitational pull with which to dance. Our sun and moon are both willing partners. And dance they do. The Earth rotates around the sun, making the focal point of the sun’s […]
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How You Can Be Part of Thanksgiving Bird Count
During the month of November, one bird is in the minds of many West Sound residents. While the Thanksgiving turkey may be the Bird of the Month, other birds are getting their share of attention. They are the ones that will be counted on Thanksgiving Day. Throughout the West Sound and the Western states, hundreds […]
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Are Puget Sound’s Orcas Making a Comeback?
Orcas have always played a significant role in Puget Sound, with cultural significance ranging back thousands of years. As apex predators, they are crucial to the local ecosystem, and they also assist the regional economy by bringing in tourism. These creatures have many layers of significance in this region, and those who live in the […]
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Who’s to Blame for Climate Change? The Answer May Surprise You
No question about it — a blazing argument, sometimes lacking in cold-hard facts, continues globally and concerns whether or not our little globe is getting warmer (it seems to be, if ocean temperatures are a reliable marker). And who’s to blame? The sun? The Earth’s volcanic core? Those little men with their fantastic machines? Some […]
Posted inBlog, Featured, The Outdoors
What’s Going on with the Diminishing Sea Star Population?
As many people have noticed over the last few years, there aren’t anywhere near as many sea stars around as there used to be. Beaches that were home to hundreds of stars now maybe have a dozen or perhaps none at all. This mass death of sea stars has been caused by an illness called […]