South Bellingham Heron Rookery * 6-29-10

I love your beaver photos, Pacnor!!
How lovely to see them in their home setting - instead of a zoo!

Doug, wow, you did hit the jackpot on your outing. You got some wonderful photos

After the destruction caused by the eagles in the heron rookery in Beacon Hill Park a few years ago, the herons are nesting again in a new area in the park. There are at least 7 nests and I'll be checking them out for signs of young ones. I heard them the other day but haven't seen any yet, other than the remains of a dead chick on the ground at the base of one of the nest trees

Hi PEB * Thanks for looking in. Yes, it was fun to watch the beavers in their environment.

Hi Kay * I have not been watching the Bellingham rookery much this year. I really don't know how they are getting along with the eagles. Both times I was there last week, the eagles were perched in a tree right amongst the herons. The youngsters that I saw were pretty big and probably not threatened by eagles at this point.

Olympic Discovery Trail, Sequim, Wash., 7-17-10. When finished, this trail on the Olympic Peninsula will run 150 miles from Port Townsend, Wash., to Forks, Wash. About 40 miles of the trail have been completed on an abandoned rail route. The trail now is used by runners, walkers and cyclists. We walked about one mile of the trail today as part of a bird-watching class sponsored by the Audubon Society. Click to enlarge


Trail crosses the Dungeness River at site of old rail trestle

Some sort of sparrow, maybe a song sparrow

Eurasian-Collard Dove, Olympic Discovery Trail continued, 7-17-10. This stocky bird nests and feeds in urban areas and is very tolerant of humans. Click to enlarge

California Quail, Olympic Discovery Trail continued, 7-17-10. This quail was roosting in a fir tree about 100 yards from the Eurasian-Collared Dove. It eats mainly green leaves. Click to enlarge

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, Sequim, Wash., 7-18-10. This is my favorite beach hike and my fourth visit to Dungeness in the past year. It’s 11 miles roundtrip to the lighthouse at the end of the spit, and the last time I hiked out there was 9-7-09. It’s time for another trip to the lighthouse. If you go, be sure to check the tide charts and then hike at low tide. There’s not a lot of wildlife this time of year, but there’s always something interesting to see. As usual, the ever-present seagulls always seem to be posing on pieces of driftwood. There was a fog bank over the Strait of Juan de Fuca as I began this hike, but I thought the sun eventually would break through. Boy, would I be proved wrong. Click to enlarge.