Nothing signals the advent of spring like the arrival of swallows. Among the first migrants to return from a warm winter in the south, swallows are endearing songbirds, many of which live in proximity to humans and nest on man-made structures. Swallows live virtually anywhere in the world that isn’t covered in ice. Built for […]
bird watching
Posted inGarden
A Hummingbird for All Seasons
Everyone loves hummingbirds. Even people with little interest in other species are captivated by tiny birds that run on sugar and fly forward, backward, up and down and from side to side, and can hover like a helicopter — the only birds with such aerial abilities. Despite their diminutive size, hummingbirds are fiercely aggressive, attacking […]
Posted inGarden
A Speedy Sandpiper and a High-Mileage Flyer
Shorebirds are a family of birds that live up to their name. They inhabit the shore. Some live on rocky shores, while others prefer sandy beaches. A late-fall trip to virtually any Western Washington beach provides an excellent opportunity for finding a variety of wintering shorebirds, most of which breed in the Arctic. In West […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
The Restoration of Bloedel Reserve’s Bird Marsh into Wildlife Haven
Bloedel Reserve, a botanical garden on Bainbridge Island, has been open to the public since 1988. Over its approximately 140 acres are several varied garden types, including a moss garden and a nationally recognized Japanese garden. One featured area visitors encounter soon after starting out on Bloedel Reserve’s nearly 2 miles of trails is the […]
Posted inGarden
A Small Gull That Puts on a Big Show
Gulls. Often erroneously calling them “seagulls,” people either despise or delight in them. As scavengers, gulls keep our beaches clean. As social birds, they can be hilarious to watch, thanks to their antics, especially when fighting over the delectable flesh of dead, smelly sea creatures that have washed ashore. Nearly a quarter of the world’s […]
Posted inGarden
The Bird That Likes to Party
Much like people and domesticated animals, wild birds have their own personalities, unique to each species. Some are introverts, preferring a solitary life. Others appreciate their independence, but loosely associate with a few feathered friends. Then there are the extroverts that spend much of their lives in tight-knit flocks. Whether it’s marine birds or songbirds, […]
Posted inGarden
The Whistler in the Woods
Birders measure the arrival of spring not by a date on the calendar, but by the sounds of birds returning from winter warmth in the South. From March to May, over two dozen species of migrant songbirds arrive for breeding in West Sound. To the delight of many, they fill the mornings with an array […]
Posted inGarden
Size Doesn’t Matter in the World of Woodpeckers
All birds have their place in the ecosystems in which they live. Some are “keystone” species that other creatures rely on, making them a critical component of their respective biomes. Among the keystone species of birds are woodpeckers. As the name suggests, woodpeckers peck wood. But their pecking has a purpose. They’re excavation experts. Woodpeckers […]
Posted inGarden
A Sparrow That Stands Out While Blending In
Abbreviations abound in the world of birds. Species names are simplified with four-letter alpha codes for taking faster field notes and long names have shorter nicknames. The lingo causes confusion among even experienced birders, let alone beginners. Then there are the hard-to-discern birds with similarities in appearance and behavior. Some of these invariably land in […]