Showing posts sorted by date for query for the birds. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query for the birds. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Gallery North announces the November 2022 Featured Artist Exhibits

Thursday, November 3, 2022

“Pacific Northwest Visions in Color” by local artist Theresa Williams and “Clay: No Limits” original ceramic art by local artist Diane Kallaway.


The public is invited to come to Gallery North and meet the artists and enjoy refreshments on November 12th, from 1pm to 4pm, and during the Edmonds Art Walk on November 17th from 5pm to 8pm.

Summer falls by Theresa Williams
Theresa Williams is a Tlingit Alaska Native who grew up in Edmonds. She is a certified Native Tribal Artist with the Tlingit and Haida Central Council of Indian Tribes of Alaska. 

Her paintings have been shown in the juried exhibits at both the Edmonds Arts Festival and Shoreline Arts Festival. 

She has also participated in the ShoreLake Arts 6x6 Art fundraising event. Examples of her work include Jumping for Joy (a breaching Orca), Summer Falls (Snoqualmie Falls), and Cannon Beach Beauty (Haystack Rock), all of which show her use of bold and vibrant color.

“I love when people are looking at my work and come up to me and tell me ‘I’d love to go to that place!’” 

So often Theresa has been to that ‘place’ as she typically uses her own photos as references. She is especially inspired by the majestic Pacific Northwest Mountains, Puget Sound, the gorgeous sunsets over the Olympics, the beaches, lakes, and varied wildlife of the majestic Pacific Northwest.

Pottery by Diane Kallaway
Diane Kallaway is a Shoreline resident and among her many interests she has collected pottery her whole life. It wasn’t until seven years ago that she finally made the decision to make some herself. 

Self-taught and dedicated to constant learning and experimenting, she finds ways to express all her passions through ceramic arts. 

“There really are no limits and the variety drives my creativity.”

Hand decorating wheel thrown forms with original carvings or leaves and a wide variety of stoneware glazes make each piece unique. 

Her love of birds inspires hand sculpted and glazed nuthatches, sparrows, and loons; hand painted wild bird eggs and nests made from nature. 

Her love of food and pottery meet at a delicious crossroad as she considers roasted carrots in a cobalt blue bowl or a wild rice and kale soup in a wide rimmed bowl of speckled green. 

 All the work is mid-fire stoneware, applied with lead-free glazes, oven proof, and dishwasher safe. This is Diane’s first public showing and is excited to share the results of her passion for all things clay.

Gallery North has been in operation for more than 60 years, continuing its mission to promote and sell local art in the heart of beautiful downtown Edmonds. It is located at 401 Main Street in Edmonds, open 7 days a week from 11-5. For further information please visit the Gallery North website at www.gallerynorthedmonds.com or call the gallery at 425-774-0946.



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Birds in the Backyard: Foragers

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

 
Photo by John Wolfe

Photo by John Wolfe

The recent rains have made foraging a successful endeavor for our feathered neighbors - flickers included.



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Native Plants and Bird Habitat is the focus of the November 8, 2022 LFP Garden Club meeting

Monday, October 31, 2022

Ed Dominguez, Audubon Society
Photo: Mick Thompson
Lake Forest Park Garden Club will be meeting in person on November 8, 2022 at 9:30am for the general meeting and then a short break for cookies and then our special speaker at 10:30am until about noon. 

We will be meeting at the intersection of Bothell Way NE and Ballinger Way NE at Town Center on the upper level at the stage area in Third Place Commons. Our speaker this month is a member of the Audubon Society: Ed Dominguez, Lead Naturalist

A native of Mount Shasta, Ed obtained his Bachelors and Masters degrees from California State University. Growing up in the southern Cascade Range, Ed was introduced to the plants and animals of the mountains at an early age by his father. 

Knowledgeable in geology, trees, wildflowers, and mammals, Ed particularly enjoys birding and bird songs. He is passionate about environmental education and leads owl prowls, bat walks, nature hikes, and presents evening programs on a variety of naturalist topics. When not working at the Center, Ed plays music and leads climbs with the Seattle Mountaineers. He lives in the Madrona neighborhood just north of Seward Park.

Topic: Native Plants and Bird Habitat. Attracting birds to your garden space.

Great meeting for bird lovers

You are welcome to attend two of our meeting for no cost and then after that we would like you to join our club. The fee for the year is $25. We meet from September to May and take off December for a Christmas party. 

We usually have a Soiree and a potluck picnic in the summer months. Each month we have a great newsletter to inform you of the upcoming events and also some great gardening tips. 

We have top quality speakers for the experienced and novice gardener to learn from. Please come and join us. If you have any questions please call Jan at 206-362-5475.



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Caring for our Environment, Urban Forests and Trees

Friday, October 28, 2022

Boeing Creek Park photo by Melody Fosmore
By Melody Fosmore

Whether it’s your own backyard, neighborhood or neighboring park, the first step is to become aware of the environment around you. 

Why should we care? Because we are a part of this ecosystem, we all call home. Imagine if we had not enough trees to provide shade or filter the stormwater which runs through our watersheds and into the Salish Sea which in turn provides nutrients to our local sea life - or imagine the loss of birds which keeps the insect population in check or provide bird songs? Even when weather is changing, make time to visit nearby woods alone and spend time in quiet observation.

Illustration courtesy 
https://www.traversotree.com/mature-during-drought/
Wildlife
: Get to know the wildlife that comes into your yard or neighborhood. What birds, squirrels and other larger mammals do you see? 

Do you live near a bog or water – do you observe otters, beavers, snakes, frogs, salamanders or fish? Do you see or hear owls? Bats? 

All of these animals and amphibians need the ecosystem to survive and our trees play a major role in their survival. And frankly, so do we. 

If you are lucky to have tall trees on your property you can help with habitat diversity in your yard. 

Suggestions include having a good ground layer including some downed wood for hiding and nests; a shrub layer for the birds to hide; and a strong overstory with mixed species of trees including broadleaf trees as they provide the most food and nesting value for birds and squirrels. 

Also, try not to rake up all of your leaves as that provides nutrients for the soil and hiding places for our wildlife.

Flagging on cedar trees
photo by Melody Fosmore
Trees and water
: During the fall you will see ‘flagging’ on our cedar trees. This is a healthy part of the cedar tree's life cycle. 

However, the heat waves of the past couple of years have affected the health of our tall trees and you can help by watering these trees during the warmer and dry spells. 

Once a week, about an inch of water to the soil, under the entire canopy diameter, is adequate. No need to overwater – and don’t let water sprinklers hit the bark of trees, they can physically damage the bark, causing fungus disease, and algae, inviting insect trouble.

Are you seeing signs of tree stress? Trees gain their growth from the crown, and so it’s at the top of the tree where you might see distress. No new growth, or the tip dying back is a warning sign. The heat dome of 2021 is really showing up now in our tree canopy. Even with the rain now here, continue to water just to re-saturate the water table. Monitor your tall trees for hazard branches that may require removal and always consult an arborist before you take a tree down. There may be hope!

 
Wildlife snag
photo by Melody Fosmore
A Wildlife Snag: Do you have a dead or dying tree in your yard? Ask the tree cutter to leave a 10-15’ snag. Bats, pileated woodpeckers, even raccoons love these snags for food and nesting. Bats love snags for their daytime sleep. Birds and bats help keep our insect populations in balance. 

The snags may not look ‘pretty’ but they provide an essential service to our local wildlife. I personally have enjoyed many moments of observing all the animals and birds enjoying a snag in my yard. The pileated woodpeckers are especially wonderful to observe.

Nesting boxes: Birds love nesting boxes in safe locations high enough off the ground from predators (including house cats). The boxes will need to be cleaned every year. See the attached resource in the list below for safe ways to hang a birdhouse.

Root damage
photo by Melody Fosmore
A kind note about dogs and our parks
: I am a dog lover so I understand the joy of walking your dog in our open woods. 

However, please bear in mind their impact - dogs running through salmonid bearing streams don't just spread disease to the water, they also tear up the reeds where the fish lay their eggs. 

And, they can expose tree roots which then become non-functional and compromise the health of the tree. 

Best to control their footprint and keep our woods healthy. 

Keeping on the trail and not creating new trails also protects nesting, trees and the entire ecosystem. Leaving no trace and a light footprint protects our parks for all to enjoy.

Enjoy the bounty of our environment and remember - everything works together and mankind benefits from the ecosystem, not the other way around!

Resources:
Melody Fosmore is the Co-Chair of Save Shoreline Trees



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Gloria's Birds: You'd better hop to it and press that shutter, photog; I sense something bad's gonna happen!

Monday, October 17, 2022

 
Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

(Jana, sitting for her annual portrait, had good instincts, I did snap in time, and no Steller's Jays were harmed in the making of this image:)

--Gloria Z. Nagler




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Gloria's Birds: Julian's nosedive (beakdive?) took him nearly out of the frame,

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

 
Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

but he nonetheless selected this image for his résumé portrait... shows moxie, he said.

(Julian's a Steller's Jay diving to the seed tray:)

--Gloria Z. Nagler




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For the Birds: Fall Is a Time of Change for Birds

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

American Robin eating mountain ash berries
(easy yard tree) Photo by Craig Kerns
By Chris Southwick

Gone are the Osprey and the warblers; incoming are the Snow Geese and other wintering birds.

Early last week our neighborhood was filled with the sounds of several different species arriving from the north to stay for their winter season. 

Incoming Dark-eyed Juncos and American Robins were both heard in numbers. 

Resident chickadees, Spotted Towhees, and Song Sparrows, even Red-breasted Nuthatches and Northern Flickers greeted these seasonal residents with a mix of contact calls.

Fox Sparrow use leaves to uncover bugs.
Preferred winter shelter is a blackberry thicket.
Photo by Craig Kerns
The robins we see in the summer have mostly flown further south, replaced by these northern birds. 

Many of the juncos we see in the winter also flew from the boreal forests in Canada to enjoy our milder winters, adding to our resident junco population. 

In eastern parts of the US, juncos are called “Snow Birds” because they are only present in the wintertime there.

There’s a noticeable change in bird sounds; our year-round birds have switched from territorial songs to mostly contact, “Here I am” calls. 

 Our resident Bewick’s Wrens are still 

You can help our wintering birds by providing food, water, and shelter.

Save leaves and seed heads. Keep a thickness of leaves somewhere in your yard. These can still be neat (or not), but they do make a difference.

Dark-eyed Junco drinking water, a vital
commodity. Photo by Craig Kerns
Leave a patch of flower heads for the juncos and sparrows which prefer seeds and keep some of your leaves on the ground where bug-eaters like towhees, Fox Sparrows, and wrens can find the bug meals they need.

Fresh water is always needed and will draw many birds. 

Shelter, like varying heights of shrubs, bushes, and trees help protect from inclement weather, and offer escape routes from predators. 

A small brush pile is a welcome retreat, and even a small patch of blackberries offers perfect winter protection.

Red-shafted Northern Flicker, male, using much
needed tree for shelter and nesting.
Photo by Craig Kerns
Another helpful action that you can do to save birds—dim outside lights. 

Birds mostly migrate at night for safety from predators, and bright lights often confuse them, causing them to fly into windows, circle large towers of lights, and generally get exhausted and die. 

Smaller wattage, non-bright white, and lighting pointing downward helps.

And something else to look forward to: 

Snow Geese should arrive from Wrangel Island, Russia, to the Skagit farm area in late October. Add some Tundra Swans. 




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October author events virtual and at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park

Friday, September 30, 2022

Photo by Steven H. Robinson
Third Place Books 
Lake Forest Park
October 2022 EVENTS
 
Please note: all times below are Pacific Time.
 
Both virtual and in-person events require registration in advance. Unless ticketed, events are free and open to the public. See thirdplacebooks.com for details.

17171 Bothell Way NE, #A101, Lake Forest Park WA 98155. (206) 366-3333 
() – denotes ticketed event
() – denotes event for children or middle grade readers
 
 
Saturday, October 1 at 11am (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park)
Kids Storytime with Steve Scher and Sarah Waller
The Moon Bear 
Storytime with this local author/illustrator duo will include additional arts and crafts activities inspired by the book.
 
Monday, October 3 at 7pm (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park)
Andrew Sean Greer
Less Is Lost
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Less sends his titular character on another "wild road trip through a wilder America" (Marlon James). Less Is Lost is a profound and joyous novel about the enigma of life in America, the riddle of love, and the stories we tell along the way. Tickets required. See thirdplacebooks.com for details.
  
Tuesday, October 4 at 7pm (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park)
Molly Hashimoto
Trees of the West: An Artist’s Guide 
World-renowned nature artist and teacher Molly Hashimoto presents her sequel to the popular Birds of the West: An Artist's Guide and Colors of the West: An Artist's Guide to Nature's Palette.
 
Wednesday, October 5 at 6pm (Virtual)
Victor Manibo and Elijah Kinch Spector
The Sleepless and Kalyna the Soothsayer
In The Sleepless, a mysterious pandemic causes a quarter of the world to permanently lose the ability to sleep—without any apparent health implications. Kalyna the Soothsayer tells the story of a woman born without the Gift of future sight that has been her family’s legacy for generations.
 
Tuesday, October 11 at 7pm (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park)
Patricia Grayhall with Donna Cameron
Making the Rounds: Defying Norms in Love and Medicine
A chronicle of coming of age during second-wave feminism and striving to have both love and a career as a gay medical doctor, Making the Rounds is a memoir of what it means to seek belonging. Donna Cameron, author of A Year of Living Kindly, joins in conversation.

Tuesday, October 18 at 7pm (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park)
Maya Prasad with Martha Brockenbrough, Jake Arlow, and Joy McCullough 
Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things
A star-studded debut launch event! Perfect for fans of Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before, this sparkling YA rom-com celebrates sisterhood, family, and the love all around us.
 
Wednesday, October 19 at 6pm (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park)
Chelsea Clinton with Tae Keller
Welcome to the Big Kids Club: What Every Older Sibling Needs to Know! (illustrated by Tania de Regil)
From the bestselling author of the She Persisted series comes a humorous picture book that gives children an idea of what to expect when they get a new sibling. Newbery Award–winning children’s book writer Tae Keller, author of She Persisted: Patsy Mink, joins in converation. Tickets required. See thirdplacebooks.com for details.
 
Thursday, October 20 at 7pm (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park)
Adam M. Sowards
Making America's Public Lands and An Open Pit Visible from the Moon
What makes wilderness wild? What does America have to do with it? Local environmental historian Sowards presents two investigative works of nonfiction: one on our public lands, another on a historic struggle to define the contours of the 1964 Wilderness Act in the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area.
 
Monday, October 24 at 6pm PT (Virtual)
Andrea Chapela and translator Kelsi Vanada
The Visible Unseen: Essays
From one of Granta's Best Young Spanish Novelists of 2021, who is a chemist but also poet and novelist, this compact collection of essays draws on the properties of glass, mirrors, and light to navigate the overlapping borders of science, literature, and self. The book’s translator Kelsi Vanada joins in conversation.
 
Tuesday, October 25 at 7pm (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park)
Leslie Budewitz
Blind Faith: A Novel 
Agatha Award-winning author Leslie Budewitz (aka Alicia Beckman) reads from her latest thriller, about long-buried secrets returning with a vengeance in a cold case gone red-hot.
 
Thursday, October 27 at 7pm (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park)
Erin Jeanne McDowell
Savory Baking: Recipes for Breakfast, Dinner, and Everything in Between 
From the bestselling author of The Book on Pie and The Fearless Baker, a savory baking book for delicious baked goods at any time of day.
 
Thursday, October 27 from 5–9pm (Stoup Brewing in Kenmore)
Stoup Brewing // Third Place Books Book Fair
An adult book fair, this time in Kenmore! Join us as we unveil our first-ever bookstore-themed beer at Stoup Brewing’s Kenmore location.
 
Friday, October 28 at 6pm PT (Virtual)
Colin Meloy with Daniel Handler
The Stars Did Wander Darkling
Bestselling children’s book author and Decemberists’ singer-songwriter Colin Meloy talks about his new book, a suspenseful and atmospheric horror set in 1980s Oregon, perfect for fans of Stranger Things. Daniel Handler, best known for A Series of Unfortunate Events, joins in conversation.
 


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Kids' Garden event at Kruckeberg October 1 and 2, 2022

Friday, September 16, 2022


FALL KIDS GARDEN OCTOBER 1ST and 2ND from 10AM - 2PM

In collaboration with the Edmonds Floretum Garden Club, Kruckeberg Botanic Garden is excited to offer a new Kids Garden event on October 1 and 2, 2022!

This time, it’s all about BIRDS! Learn how the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden cares for its feathered friends and ways you can make your home and garden bird-friendly this winter.

Photo courtesy KBG
This event features fun activities for youth and adults as well as a take-home craft, while supplies last.

This event is free and all ages!

Parking at the Garden is extremely limited, please consider carpooling or using alternate forms of transportation for this event!

For more information visit: www.kruckeberg.org/gardening-for-birds



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Garden Guy: Adding late-season color to the landscape

Monday, September 5, 2022

By Bruce Bennett

After a full season of flowering and surviving yet another sort of record heat wave, how have the flowering plants in your garden beds held up? If your annuals peaked too soon and now have one foot in the compost pile or your perennials have bloomed-out and left you with a mass of nice greenery, but no color, it might be time to think about adding some late-blooming perennials to your current plant mix. 


September is a good time to begin evaluating your flower beds and determining if and where color spots are most needed. It is also a good time to start looking for those plants at end-of-season garden center sales. Don’t worry if these leftovers look a little ragged and long in the tooth. Next spring, they will arise fresh and new. Perennials are good like that.

courtesy of rojgar aur nirman
When editing your garden beds, consider adding some perennials with longer bloom times than what you currently have. While most perennials bloom for about a month, several do their best to keep the color turned on for two, even, three months. 

A handful will continue to bloom from springtime until a heavy frost hits them. 

As an added benefit, most of these plants will do well planted in containers and can be moved around when out of bloom in your public spaces. There are fewer perennials that blossom in fall rather than spring, but there are enough to keep your garden blooming until the first frost. Many fall flowers, especially herbaceous perennials, are in fact late bloomers.

If you want to make the best of these flowers on your plants in the autumnal season, you will find that they often lack the “right setting”. This is especially true for informal borders and flower beds. Remember those green foliage plants mentioned a minute ago? They can become a great backdrop for your new late-season blooms. This will also keep your floral composition fresh and lively, even as the first frost approaches. 

Fall flower gardens, with eye-catching combinations of jewel-toned colors, including purple, rust, scarlet, and gold will enliven your yard for the rest of the season. From among my many favorites, I can recommend several possibilities to you:

Asters. Courtesy of GreatPlantPicks.org
Asters will always provide a pop of color and add a sweet softness to the landscape. In addition to the tried-and-true favorites such as ‘Purple Dome’ and bright pink ‘Alma Potschke’, consider the softer-looking Aster Frikarti ‘Monch’ (Shown)

Catmint (Nepeta) delivers clouds of tiny blue flowers from mid-spring to fall above mounds of aromatic foliage. These flowers will attract pollinators of all sorts and hummingbirds to your yard all season long. 

You will find two sizes with this plant. ‘Six Hills Giant’ and ‘Walker’s Low’ give you an idea of the height differences. The cost of a plant is a pretty inexpensive price for a show outside your windows all season long.

Tickseed Coreopsis. Courtesy of lichtenelke.de
Tickseed (Coreopsis verticulata) has delicate foliage with flowers in shades of yellow, pink daisies, peach and even bi-colors that bloom from midsummer to autumn. 

These plants are native to the American prairie and are popular because of their colors and tough constitutions. Watering during the hot parts of summer is a twice a month proposition. 

If you prune back your plants after the initial flush of flowers, they will continue their spectacular fall floral display until the end of the season. 

I particularly like the soft yellow ‘Moonbeam’, the brighter yellow ‘Zagreb’ and the scarlet ‘Red Satin. (Shown)

Gaura / Wandflower (Gaura lindheimer) 
Gaura/Wandflower (Gaura lindheimer)i is one of my all-time favorites, delivering tall wands of dainty blossoms from June to October in shades of pink (dwarf) and white. 

Its butterfly-like blooms move in the slightest breeze, giving motion and a delightful airy texture. 

The most common white cultivar is actually called "Whirling Butterflies" (Shown).

Cone Flowers (Echinacea purpurea) 
Courtesy of iscapeit.com
Cone Flowers (Echinacea purpurea) come in a myriad of colors these days. 

Can you have a perennial garden without coneflowers? Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it. 

These prairie perennials are a staple of the autumn garden and will bloom from June to frost. 

Remember not to deadhead the seed heads the spent flowers on these plants until spring as they will feed the birds and add more visual interest to your winter landscape.

Goldenrod. Courtesy garden.org
Goldenrod (Solidago)
is one of the last flowers to bloom in the fall, with its bloom period generally stretching from August to October. These are NOT the ragweed of old. 

The plants typically reach around five feet tall and display clusters of tiny yellow flowers at the tops of their stems when they are in bloom. Bees and butterflies love these flowers. 

Like the Catmint and Gaura, you can find two sizes of this plant. My favorites of the two-foot tall ‘Golden Fleece’ or the four-foot tall ‘Fireworks’ (Shown).

Russian sage. Courtesy thespruce.com
Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) is another autumn overachiever. It has aromatic silver foliage and pale blue flower spikes that add color and drama to an autumn garden for 10 – 15 weeks with the plant typically blooming at the end of the summer to early fall. 

The bloom begins slowly, with the color increasing as the small blooms fully open. . My first choice here would be ‘Blue Spire’ (Shown). The combination of this sage with the yellow Goldenrod , Coreopsis and most of the Cone Flowers make for long-term visual interest.

As you may have guessed, all of the above plants prefer it hot and sunny. But, shade gardeners can rejoice as there are, indeed, long-blooming perennials for shadier spots in the garden as well. If you are interested in having a future column dedicated to this shade perennials topic, let me know and an article will be written. 

Whether sun- or shade-loving, all perennial gardens can be spectacular. By showcasing long-blooming perennials and late season performers, you can have great color, texture and fragrance right up to the first crystalline touch of late autumn’s frost.

Garden Guy Bruce Bennett will be at
the Woodinville Library Sept 17
Final Note:
If you have an interest in growing herbs suited to our part of country that are culinary staples in the worlds of Asian, Mexican and Mediterranean cooking, think about joining me for a talk on Herbs for the Pacific Northwest, sponsored by the King County Library System and being held at the Woodinville Library, 17105 Avondale Road NE, on Saturday, September 17, 2022, at 10:30am. 

Feel free to bring your other gardening questions as well. We should have time after this free program to answer many of them. Seating is limited, so, contact the library, at (425) 788-0733, concerning pre-registration for this talk.

Contributing columnist, Bruce Bennett, is a garden designer, consultant and lecturer. Send your gardening questions and suggestions for future column topics to him at gardenguy4u@gmail.com



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Backyard Birds: When an osprey takes up residence

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Photo by John Wolfe

An osprey has chosen the very top of our fir tree as the best place to enjoy its snacks.

Photo by John Wolfe

The crows always hope for some remnants.

Photo by John Wolfe
Ospreys like to perch at the top of very tall trees.

Story by Lee Wolfe




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Gloria's Birds: I can always count on Mom, thought Judy the Dark-eyed Junco

Friday, August 26, 2022

 
Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

(In our yard last week. I'd been waiting and watching for weeks, hoping to catch the juvenile junco in the act!)

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

--Gloria Z. Nagler



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Backyard Birds: Raindrops keep falling on my head

Friday, August 12, 2022

Photo by Wayne Pridemore


Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes
Will soon be turning red
Crying is not for me cause
I'm never stop the rain 
By complaining 

   Lyrics by Hal David 



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For the Birds: Water the Birds, not your lawn

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Chestnut-backed Chickadee cooling off. Photo by Craig Kerns

By Christine Southwick

Your dormant lawn will recover this fall — dehydrated birds may not!

It’s easy to provide water for birds, ranging from ponds, fountains and bird baths down to a plastic plant pot liner placed where you can watch it.

Wilson's Warbler bathing. Photo by Chris Southwick
All you have to do is keep the water reasonably clean, and make sure that the water doesn’t get too hot if you use a shallow bowl that sits in the sun.

Moving water, especially falling water, will attract migrants as they fly near your property and hear the welcome sound of often hard to find water.

They will veer toward your yard, stop, and fill up with much needed water, often saving their lives, especially now that many of their migration drinking stops have become dry. 

Some may even take a quick bath, allowing them to cool down, refresh and take a much-desired rest before continuing on. 

And if your yard offers food by having native plants with bird-enticing bugs or fruits, or bird feeders, many birds will add your yard to their migration rest stops both going and returning.

Evening Grosbeak drinking water. Photo by Craig Kerns
A birdbath can be as small as a plate, as long as it is in a safe location from cats and isn’t too deep. 

Birds don’t swim, so a couple of large rocks will allow them to stand, splash and drink. 

My dripper/mister drips down into two ground bird baths, around which I have a decorative metal fence on three sides to discourage wandering cats, and on the back side of this waterfall I planted salmonberries for the same reason.

Migrants like MacGillivray’s Warblers, Western Tanagers, and Swainson’s Thrushes have stopped at my water setups during many of their migrations. Resident birds use my fountains daily, year-round.

Red-breasted Nuthatch drinking at a fountain.
Photo by Craig Kerns
Fountains will attract birds because they can hear and see moving water. 

Fountains recirculate the water, which is good conservation, and offers a pleasant babbling sound. 

They are easy to set up, can be moved if you so desire, and offer beneficial and enjoyable decoration.

A small pond will often attract different birds than a bird bath, especially if there is a small moving element. 

A waterfall or pond is a major investment in work, but oh, the birds it will bring in!

Make your yard a bird magnet. Both you and the birds will be glad you did.

See previous For the Birds articles here



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AG Ferguson: Court rules Navy failed to consider the damaging impacts of its Growler jet program

Saturday, August 6, 2022

Growlers over Shoreline. Photo by Jan Hansen
Navy unlawfully expanded its Growler program without considering impacts of frequent, noisy flights

SEATTLE — A federal judge ruled that the U.S. Navy’s environmental review process for the Growler jet program expansion on Whidbey Island illegally failed to analyze the impacts of the noisy, often low-flying jets on classroom learning and local birds — a violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. This is the latest legal setback for the Navy in Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit challenging the Whidbey Island Growler expansion.

The Attorney General’s Office is challenging the Navy’s March 2019 decision to authorize a significant expansion of its Growler program, increasing flight operations on Whidbey Island to more than 110,000 per year.

“The Navy has an important job,” Ferguson said. “But that does not relieve the federal government of its obligation to follow the law and take a hard look at the public health and environmental impacts of its programs. Today the judge ruled that the Navy fell short of its obligation.”

More information here



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Osprey - spread your wings

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

 
Photo by Tim Davis

A treetop bird, rather than a backyard bird, ospreys are common around here. They nest in the tops of tall trees near water so they can easily dive to catch fish. They are happy with both freshwater and saltwater fish.

Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. 
These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons.

--All About Birds




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Backyard Birds: Merlin nests in Lake Forest Park

Thursday, July 21, 2022


Story and photos by David Walton

We have at least six Merlin falcons in our Lake Forest Park neighborhood, likely in at least two nests.


They make a quite loud call that typically sounds constantly for several minutes at a time and can be heard city blocks away. 

They are quite the aerial predator, feeding mainly on birds captured in flight. These specific birds primarily have been in the tops of tall Douglas firs (making photography a challenge). 


These photos were taken early morning and late afternoon ('golden hour'), so that the light would highlight the birds from the side. 


Last year the Merlins stayed in the neighborhood until August, before migrating, so expecting similar this year.

The nests are between 32nd Ave NE and 33rd Ave NE, north of NE 160th St.



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For the Birds: Baby Birds are still a Happen’ Thing

Friday, July 1, 2022

American Robin. by Elaine Chuang --
notice the gape (colored area at base of bill)
newly fledged - still begging for food
By Christine Southwick

Three Dark-eyed Juncos just hatched in my hanging fuchsia plant just a week ago. Oh, Happy Day!

Many local birds have second broods. This year because of the cool wet spring which made bugs and caterpillars scarce, many of our birds are trying again if their first brood didn’t make it, or not all the nestlings survived.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee by Craig Kerns
gape still showing--first bath?
Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees routinely have second broods. 

So do our local birds like juncos, Song Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, and Red-breasted Nuthatches. 

Our native woodpeckers, and raptors do not.

When birds leave their nest, they are the full size of their parents, unlike ducks and waterfowl. 

Indeed, most fledglings appear a little larger because their fresh feathers are fluffy, whereas their harried, overworked parents are somewhat bedraggled.

Now is the time to be watching for nests in tall weeds, young birds with extra color at the base of their beaks, and fledglings that have awkward flying, especially after taking their first couple of baths.

Dark-eyed Junco feeding fledgling
photo by Christine Southwick
It is so fun to watch the newly fledged babies following their parent, fluttering their wings, and loudly begging for food.

That only happens for the first few days. Then the parents start teaching their young how to feed themselves, often bringing their young to feeders, and suet.

Northern Flickers, Downy, and Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers will bring their offspring to my suet feeders. 

The parents start out hanging on the suet, getting a bill-full and flying over to the waiting youngsters, sticking the suet into their mouths. 

This is repeated until the parent thinks that they have had enough instruction, where upon they wait for the youngsters to come get their own suet. As with most youngsters, some “get it” sooner than others.

What are these birds? Juvenile junco on left,
juvie Spotted Towhee on right
Photo by Christine Southwick
The three leading causes of bird demises are:
  1. Loss of Habitat; Keep tall trees, plant native shrubs, trees and flowers-native plants support the bus that our birds need.
  2. Death by cats; Keep your cats inside, or build/buy them an indoor-outdoor run. Ground nesters, like Juncos, Towhees and Song Sparrows nest in tall grass, bases of ferns, or weeds until early August.
  3. Window collisions and other objects; Position your feeders either within three feet of your windows, or more than ten feet away. If you have a window that gets hit, put up window cling-designs, visual distractors, anything to break up the reflection of an inviting habitat.
See previous For the Birds columns here



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