It’s a beautiful summer afternoon at Point No Point County Park in Hansville. Scores of people are relaxing on the beach. Suddenly, everyone springs up and runs to the water’s edge, excitedly pointing at something offshore. A trio of orcas are swimming by. Everyone is thrilled to see the stunning, endangered sea creatures. But the […]
birds
Posted inGarden
Swooping Swallows Signal Springtime
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 […]
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 inPeople & Places
The Birdhouse Boys of Kitsap
Three young entrepreneurs — Kezek, age 9; Ryser, age 7; and Maccabee, age 5 — are brothers with a passion for animals and power tools. And with a little help from their mom, Keldy Spainhour, they create custom birdhouses out of reclaimed lumber. Their idea was born in the midst of COVID boredom in hope […]
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 […]