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 […]
bird watching
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 […]
Posted inGarden
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 […]
Posted inGarden
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 […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
How to Make Your Yard a Haven for Wildlife
Last month, my husband and I visited a small public garden in Southwest Washington called the Wildlife Botanical Gardens. The garden is a project of the NatureScaping organization, devoted to showing homeowners ways to attract birds and other wildlife to their yards by providing reliable sources of food, water, shelter and nesting material. The 3 […]
Posted inGarden
Brant Geese Numbers Swell in the Spring
Depending on their numbers, the popularity of geese can wax and wane. It’s the Canada geese that produce these mixed feelings. Brant geese, their much smaller cousin, is looked at in an entirely different way. Some even think of this goose as “cute.” At close range, the dark, shining eyes of the brant have a […]
Posted inGarden
Art is for the Birds
At the end of March, birds hunt for suitable nesting sites to raise their brood. It is the time of year to clean out the birdhouses and make them livable, or erect new ones for the next bird couple. Until humans decided to provide homes for fowls, cavity-nesting birds mainly depended on the pileated woodpecker […]