With winter fast approaching, West Sound’s waterways are increasingly teeming with ducks that breed in the Arctic. For them, the ice-free waters of Washington feel like the tropics. Ducks come in various shapes, sizes and colors. They are split into two groups: dabbling ducks and diving ducks. Dabbling ducks feed in shallow water on aquatic […]
Janine Schutt
A self-proclaimed "bird nerd," Janine Schutt is an avid birder and a nationally recognized and award-winning wildlife photographer. Her photos have appeared in Cornell Lab of Ornithology publications. An expert on the birds of Washington, Janine enjoys birding in all 39 counties. She is a past president of Kitsap Audubon Society, current board member and data compiler for the annual Christmas Bird Count. Janine works for the Central Kitsap School District and is a part-time contract chaplain with the Department of Corrections.
Posted inGarden
West Sound’s ‘Blue Jays’ Aren’t Blue Jays
Every West Sound birder has heard it. Someone claiming to have seen a blue jay. Yes, the individual saw a “blue jay,” but it was likely not a bona fide blue jay, a common species in the central and eastern United States and southern Canada, but a rarity in Washington. Occasionally, an actual blue jay […]
Posted inGarden
It’s the Season to Tern, Tern, Tern
The summer months bring numerous visitors to West Sound’s shorelines. Some enjoy beach walks, while others prefer a picnic. Boats abound and kites fly high. The wintering waterfowl have long since departed and are raising their families in the sunny Arctic. Marine birds that winter in the South are here for the summer. Among the […]
Posted inGarden
This Forest Icon is the Last of its Kind
When it comes to majestic birds, people often think of bald eagles and trumpeter swans. But would anyone call a woodpecker majestic? The 1800s and early 1900s were a period of unprecedented destruction across North America. Colossal forests were completely decimated to harvest timber and farm the land. Having lost their habitat, the world’s two […]
Posted inGarden
The Pint-Sized Powerhouse of Structural Engineering
Small songbirds are easy to overlook. Most people will notice a bald eagle on a pole but will miss a little gray bird in a nearby shrub. In the world of birds, the largest ones will always make a lasting impression. Someone seeing a brown pelican for the first time may think it’s huge. That […]
Posted inGarden
The Varied Thrush Provides a Respite from the Winter Doldrums
Some people look forward to winter because they enjoy snow sports. Fans of NFL football love the playoffs. Others appreciate a reason to wear flannel and sip hot chocolate by a cozy fire. Birders see winter as the time to bundle up and grab the binoculars. For birds that breed in the Arctic, a West […]
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The Aquatic Songbird that Makes a Splash
Songbirds are not just frequent visitors to gardens and birdhouses. They are everywhere. Some species, like the dark-eyed junco, are ubiquitous, adapting to various environments. But others have special habitat requirements. For example, marsh wrens need marshes and sagebrush sparrows need sagebrush. A songbird splashing in shallow water is a common sight. But is it […]
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Not Your Average ‘Seagull’
A little-known fact, outside the world of birding, is that there is no such bird as a “seagull.” Rather, the term “seagull” is an informal name given to any member of the Laridae (Greek for “ravenous seabird”) family. Gulls, as they are correctly called, are most closely related to terns. They hold little interest to […]
Posted inGarden
Finding the Furtive Bird of the Forest
If a hiker in a Kitsap forest were to come upon someone looking through a pair of binoculars, it is only natural to ask what he or she is seeing. If the response is “brown creeper,” some people may think the individual is watching an insect. Actually, the brown creeper is a small songbird that […]