Spring Forward?

Well it is time for the annual Spring forward for Daylight Savings Time.  For most of the country I am sure the arrival of Spring is eagerly awaited.  For the citizens of Puget Sound country we wonder what we did; right or wrong, to deserve the non-winter.

I have happy anticipation of an early and potentially brief wildflower season so I started wandering the trails up at Washington Park a few weeks ago.  Oh how I love this park.  It is so diverse that I can wander for a few hours and each time have a somewhat different experience from the time before.  The warm winter we have had appears to have given the flowers a bit of a jump start.

This is simply bad news.  Our snow pack is not going to happen this year.  The reservoirs are full enough, but I am sure we are going to hear lectures on conservation.  The agriculture areas of Eastern Washington are served largely by the Columbia River and our friends to the north have received enough snow so there should be water for most.  The very high mountains have had more snow than the lower watersheds, so that helps as well.

The Daffodil fields of the Skagit are early and the tulips are not far behind.  The beautiful sunny weekends will no doubt drive people to see the fields long before the Tulip Festival starts.  Great for the vendors in LaConnor.  That is Mt Baker aka Koma Kulshan, peeking over the foothills.

The snowiest place on earth.  This record, long held by Mt Rainier was turned over to Mt Baker several years ago.  I think the rangers at Paradise on Mt Rainier are still recovering.  They held the record for what seems forever.

The park is waking up and the most reliable early bloomer is the Red-flowering Currant, Ribes sanguineum .  This plant along with Salmonberry, brings the Rufous Hummingbird.  I am not yet seeing the Salmonberry bloom and have yet to hear the zing of a Rufous.

I typically walk the park in a counter-clockwise loop.  It is bad of me to ignore the inner part of the peninsula with its deep woods, but I am drawn by the wildflowers that lurk on the stony edges,overlooking  the Salish Sea.

Today I had a darn lucky hit.  I can out of some trees and looked down at the water.  I noted a splash and revved up my camera.  Another splash and I took aim.  A third and I fired...

I was way up there and they way down.  Harbour Porpoise, Phocoena phocoena.  I took down my camera and they were gone, beyond that tree , around the point.

The moss woods along my favorite little trail is filled with promise of Calypso Orchids and Fawn Lily.  I am seeing the leaves but no sign of buds yet.  They are a few weeks off. perhaps.

A scientist interested in moss could spend a few hours counting species here.

Out on the south facing slopes the early flowers are here.  They are not bountiful but you never know what you are going to find.  These slopes are braided with trails that wander along.  Years of people following trails blazed by the likes of these little darlings

The tiny Small-flowered Blue Eyed Mary , Collinsia parviflora is always first to appear.

Another figwort, Yellow Monkey-flower Mimulus guttatus is just getting started.  It almost feels too dry for them.  They seem to like a soggy ground.

I found a few Gold Star, Crocidium multicaule and was happy to catch a busy fly on this one

The cooler woods still have a surprise.  I love mushrooms in all their detail and was very happy with these pictures.

Some day I would love to learn to stalk the savory mushroom.  For now I leave them for the Douglas Squirrels.

Speaking of stalking

He was watching Harbor Seals probably hoping for some leftovers.  The Harbor Seals were probably enjoying smelt, which are running now.  Yum smelt.....  I have not made smelt is such a long time.

I am sure I will be up here almost every week waiting for the orchids and lily to appear.  I need to think about when to tackle the slopes of eastern Washington.  They have much colder nights, but warmer days and in a week or two it may be time to travel back to Snow Mountain ranch near Yakima.  Last time I went I was caught in a snow and hail shower.

Might have to wait for real Spring for that trip.

Clean Clean Clean

April 20th is West Coast Beach Clean.  All along the west coast of the US groups organize beach clean up as part of Earth Day celebrations.  Last year I trekked to Shi Shi beach on our northern-,most coast.  It was a sad task as the beach was filled with tons of debris, including tsunami debris.  The two mile hike to and from the beach made hauling out garbage filled sacks quite a chore.

This year I chose soft duty and went to Long Beach.  I tried a new place to stay and it was a real treat.  Lighthouse Oceanfront Resort.   http://www.lighthouseresort.net  These rows of condos all had a complete kitchen and little view of the surf and were blissfully clean and quiet.  Just the thing for me.  It was a short walk thorough the dunes to the beach.

The dunes were filled with Coastal Strawberry , Fragaria chiliensis.  I am not sure if the bring good fruit but they are certainly pretty to see in the grasses.

I got to the beach after putting in four hours at work just in time to head to my favorite café for dinner.  On Saturday morning beach clean started at 930.  Much like my last clean at the beach, the debris was mostly small plastics and broken down pieces of bead Styrofoam.  The Styrofoam had become trapped in the dune grasses.

There were plenty of people out cleaning and no matter where you went you easily found something to pick up.  Debris blends into the sand and is often covered, making a sharp eye a good thing.  The weather was gray and thankfully there was little wind.  I found this strip of rubber that had clearly been floating at sea for some time.  It was encrusted with Gooseneck barnacles

As you filled your bags you tied them off and left them at the high water mark.  Volunteers in pick-up trucks patrolled the beach and collected what was found and might provide extra bags.  This day  I didn't find enough to fill all my bags but two bags full was good for a few hours work.

After a community soup lunch I returned to the beach with a bag to collect on my own.  I found plenty more and enjoyed the other sights as I went along.

This fortress would soon be getting its moat filled.

This couple had the CD player blasting (Johnny Cash) and were dancing and smooching

Sunday morning was threatening rain.  With it came a bit of wind so I grabbed a kite and went for a walk on the early morning beach.  There were a lot of gulls and crows sitting in one spot near the waterline and I recognized the reason.  I could clearly see a flipper sticking up.  I walked over and found a small, dead Harbor Porpoise.  It is a sad thing, but the birds would have their breakfast.  Heading down the beach I found this Bald Eagle sitting watch over the clan at the shoreline.

Yesterdays sandcastle was washed away and I noted new debris brought in by the overnight tides.  The beach was pretty quiet, though.   Only early morning surf fishermen seemed to be down this way.

Trails to the properties behind the dunes are marked so that visitors can easily find their way home.  The place next door had a little whale.

We had a lighthouse, of course

This place is perfect and I am sure I could find any old reason to return in the Fall and Winter

Spring is Really Here.

It is still chilly and snowing in the mountains. Here in the Puget lowlands, chilly mornings seem to give way, reluctantly to somewhat comfortable 50+ days. But clouds, winds and rain are the order of the day, after day, after day.


But Saturday, AH it is the day we have all been waiting for. Stunning blue and 60+.


Better yet, we had our first Washington Native Orchid Society field trip. For April means Calypso orchids and Washington Park was out meeting place.





My favorite local park has burst into bloom since my visit a few weeks ago.


I arrived early simply because I could not wait to get into the area. My friend Ron was right behind me, itching to get out there. We walked out to Green Point passing many of the early bird walkers. As usual it was greetings and "good mornings" from every person we passed. One gave us a tip on a Bald Eagle in a tree.






Out at Green Point the Shooting Stars are coming on strong. I love the dew drops.







Ron and I took a sneak peek at the area I knew was my usual good place for Calypso Orchid. They have sprung up and the Fawn Lily continue to join in. We made our way back along the road and met this fellow sliding across the road. He was actually making pretty good time.






Joining the group we returned along the loop road to Green Point. All along the road we found individual orchids. At Green Point early signs of other species were found in the woodland edge. We proceeded along the loop road and enjoyed some time back at the mossy trail filled with Fawn Lily and orchids. By now the sun had joined us full force. There were fun opportunities to play with sunlight. A tip of the hat to Ron for pointing out this particular lily with the cobwebs.






You know me, I cannot resist a bug shot.





We circled the park, scouting for flowers to come and appreciating the ones already here. I love the south slope with its Junipers. The old fellow at the top of the channel slope always fascinates me with its bare bones. These Prairie Stars made a pretty picture at the foot of one Juniper.







There was no topping this day. I knew weather changes were coming but when I heard the snow in the pass forecast, I knew I was going to have to stick by home. I want to get over to Eastern Washington to the dry areas, but driving in the snow is a bit of an issue.




So I stuck around home visiting my local Watershed Park. My gloomy spirit was a little uplifted by finding many more birds. I failed to charge my batteries after a long day out Saturday so I am sorry my little pocket ELPH could not do justice to the wrens I found gathering nest materials or the courting Mergansers.



I found Robin eggshells in a couple of places. Many birds carry egg shells away from the nest and drop them in the environment. I heard nest peeping in a few places.

Unlike the Washington Park, this Watershed Park is deep and green and moist. Plenty of boggy areas and Skunk Cabbage is up in full force.



Trailing Violets lined almost all of the trails.





I intended to go out the full length of the park to a pretty pond but I heard a noise and knew I had to follow.



Too toot toot toot. A Pygmy Owl! It was going to be hard to find but he was persistent in his tooting and it was a fun exercise to work at pinpointing where the sound was coming from. I made my way along a second trail and knew I was pretty close by the quality of the sound. I knew I was really close when he stopped. I looked , I waited but nothing, so I moved on. But it was not too far and he could not resist. I knew he was now behind me.


And I found him. Up in the very top of a fir tree, about 75 feet up. I cranked my camera up and shot, hoping that there was something.


Here he is 6.75 inches of lovelorn owl, calling for his female.

I GOT A NEW CAMERA !!!

This one has a lot more zoom, a lot more pixels and good glass.


I took it out to Juanita Bay Park for a little spin. I played with focus and zoom, letting the camera call the shots.


It will take some getting use to, but I like some of the shots I got today

Spring Sky

Pacific Willow buds

Crocus in my planter box




Juvenile Bald Eagle, it was a long way up

Pond Turtle

Leaf skeleton

Old dried tree trunk, no bark

Coopers Hawk, I think a male

Indian Plum the first blooming native plant

A Walk in the Rain

I had no choice but walk in the rain today.

It didn't start out bad. I considered my options and decided that I might as well visit Nisqually NWR. I had not visited the refuge in many years. It is much changed since I last visited and I was interested in taking a look.

The Nisqually NWR is on the delta of the Nisqually River. In the early 1900's this land was purchased and diked to make farmland. In this day and age such an alteration of a sensitive habitat would not likely take place. Information panels near the old historic barns reveal a series of trails and tribulations that the owners of this land faced.

For most of the last century the dikes have remained in place and the conversion of the property to a NWR created a large pond and marsh complex which was a haven for ducks. A 5 1/2 mile ring dike was a great way to tour the complex.

As a beginning birder I spent many hours here. This is the area I saw my first Great Horned Owl . I had many encounters with new birds I had not seen before. The complex of trees and water and open grassy areas supported many different habitats. I can remember one warm Spring visit where mosquitoes bit so viciously that I was swollen like I had mumps.

The refuge is still a wonderful place, but there has been a major change. The dikes have been intentionally breached, allowing salt water to once again return into the delta. This is a rare habitat in Puget Sound and vital for the health of the land and water life. Unique plants and animals live in these areas. Inter-tidal riparian areas are an important habitat for salmon, both early and late in life.

Now, instead of walking on the gravel tops of the dikes, elevated boardwalks are available where waters might come and go.

There are nice sitting spots which allow you to pause and wait for the wildlife around you to become active. I have seen otters, mink, beaver and long tailed weasels here.

There are always birds about and in the Spring it is best to arrive right at dawn. The swallows are fantastic since the marsh supports a lot of mosquito habitat as well. I even saw bugs of unknown species moving about today. No bites so not sure what they were. The migration return has not yet started. Today I got this nice picture of a Song Sparrow.

I had nice observation of a Great Blue Heron fishing.

I watched a Peregrine high in a tree preening and keeping careful watch on where its next meal was coming from.

Two juvenile Bald Eagles looked very wet and miserable in the rain. There were full adults further down the river. Now is the time for the start of nesting and I have to wonder if these two youngsters were soundly told to "leave home" so the parents could get on with a new years work.

I met with a volunteer far out on the dike where we enjoyed this view.

I asked him about the nest in the tree to the right of the barns.

He said that in 1997 the eagles built this nest but much of it blew down in a hard wind storm. Since then the eagles have nested to the west on the ridge bordering the margin of the refuge. That area gets less severe wind.

Since the eagles abandoned this nests, Canada Geese have used it. I was amazed at that idea but he said it was true. Two visitors observed a pair of geese honking and carrying on at the bottom of the tree. They looked up and sure enough, the young goslings jumped out of the nest and plummeted to the ground. Wood Duck nest in trees and the ducklings, once they are dry from hatching, launch themselves from the nest hole. They bounce a bit, get up and waddle away, no worse for wear. So it was for the geese. I cannot imagine the impact from that great height.

He mentioned that the Canadas use trees by the Education center. I did then remember that fact, I always thought it was odd. They are lower trees, not like the ones near the barn. He said that the geese of the delta are a closed, non-migrating population. I speculated that they had likely learned this nesting habit over time. The Bald Eagles have learned that the geese nest like this and there have been some easy pickings of setting birds

We talked further about the changes to the complex. He said the best time to come was during an extreme high tide. He said that the salt water fills this area pictured and comes to within two feet of the base of the dike.

I will keep my eye on the tide tables and repay a visit.