Category Archives: Worth protecting
Hump day for chum salmon in Piper’s Creek
It is Saturday afternoon. I’ve reported so much pollution this week, I’m afraid to leave the boat. I can’t seem to walk up the dock to take a shower or go for a run without seeing a smelly oil spill, … Continue reading
New blue heron colony!
What? Good news! Yes, there is a new blue heron colony at the Locks. Five new nests are located right between the railroad bridge and the fish ladder. These nests are very close to the Kiwanis Ravine colony that is … Continue reading
Are Cedar River steelhead extinct?
“Where are the salmon?” he asks his friend. Green algae ripples in the current, like flags snapping in a strong breeze. “The steelhead run is almost extinct,” I offer, even though he didn’t ask me, “only 10 steelhead spawned in … Continue reading
Drinking freely from our country’s rivers
It may have been the best drink of my life. In 1970, I backpacked through Yosemite National Park. It was my first trip. My shoulders ached from the weight of my new, bright-red pack. White granite tore chucks from the … Continue reading
There she blows! (I wish…)
Transient Orca whales were sited near Bremerton and Edmonds late last week, so this morning I fired up the engine, cast off the lines and headed out to do some whale watching. The transient orcas were reportedly feeding on harbor seals, … Continue reading
Baby harbor seal hides in driftwood
This baby harbor seal was hauled out on the beach at West Point, right below the lighthouse and West Point Sewage Treatment Plant.
Cormorants check out fresh snow in the Olympics
It was twenty degrees outside. There was still snow and ice on the deck, but the gale force winds had calmed down. I walked to the beach near the Ballard Elks Lodge and caught these cormorants sunning on the pilings.
Anna’s Hummingbird winters in Puget Sound
With its feathers puffed up to stay warm, this Anna’s Hummingbird sits on a tree by the beach at Shilshole Bay. According to the Seattle Audubon, this is the only hummingbird species in our region that does not migrate south … Continue reading
On the hook at Cypress Island
It is quiet in Eagle Harbor. From the cockpit I can hear the breath of a harbor porpoise as it fishes the current in Bellingham Channel near the Cone Islands. In the distance is Chuckanut Mountain.
