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 […]
wildlife
Posted inPeople & Places
18 Reasons Namibia should be on Your Travel List in 2018
Namibia. Where, you say? You’re not alone. Few American tourists have heard of it, let alone ventured here. But this vast and undiscovered country in southwest Africa is the new safari destination for Africa, as well as so very much more. The scenery is beautiful and remote, the geology diverse and fascinating, and the wildlife […]
Posted inAround West Sound
Finding Peace Paddling in the Rain on Liberty Bay
Have you heard the sound of raindrops on calm water? It has a soothing effect on the soul, and when you add the sound of kayak paddles gently dipping and purple martins twittering above, one gets a sense that all is right with the world. I crave these sounds, which is why I’ve been a […]
Posted inCommunity News
Unique Partnership Protects Hood Canal Shoreline
To implement the Hood Canal Coordination Council’s In Lieu Fee Mitigation Program, Great Peninsula Conservancy and Hood Canal Coordinating Council have teamed up to conserve, restore and protect marine shoreline and tideland habitats. Fees paid by developers as compensation for impacts to marine shoreline and tidelands are used to purchase, restore and permanently protect other […]
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 […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Making a Difference — Kitsap Humane Society
More than 60 percent of the households in Kitsap County have a pet, and for the past 25 years, the Kitsap Humane Society has delivered compassionate, individualized care to the animals that come through the doors each year for adoption. For the last four years, the number has been growing, with an all-time record of […]
Posted inThe Outdoors
Interesting Winter Bird Flocks
Pine siskins, American goldfinches and common redpolls are cousins, members of the large finch family. During the winter months, they frequently flock together in the search for food. Flocks of pine siskins can grow into the hundreds at this time. You have to look at them carefully if you want to find a species other […]
Posted inGarden
Time to Count Birds
Counting birds in the middle of winter may not make sense but this is a tradition that goes back over a hundred years. It is a tradition that replaced another one known as the Christmas “Side Hunt.” Before the turn of the century, hunters on the East Coast took part in a competitive hunt as […]