The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge.
We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
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May 8, 2019
Salish Sea, Pacific Northwest
The other day we took a quick trip over to the mainland for a medical appointment (one of the downsides to island life: no easy access to specialists). Luckily we didn’t need to go any further than the ferry terminal’s town so we were only away from home from noon to 8pm. But islanders become skilled at making the most of “downtime” over in the world, and for us, in addition to various errands like special fasteners at Ace hardware, that means nature-watching.
And in summer, that means birds arriving for summer breeding season.
First stop: the tower at the marina where ospreys have nested for years. I observed that they’ve returned already, sooner than in our own neighborhood. All our Washington ospreys winter in Central America and southern Mexico (pubs.usgs.gov/...). I watched one sitting on the big pile of sticks up there for a while, and a local passerby coming and going from the hardware store said he saw two up there the day before. It’s quite a distance from my viewing spot but I can see well enough for general activity. Likely they are the same pair as last year, ospreys described as having “tenacious nest site fidelity”.
Second stop: on top of Cap Sante while waiting for our to-go pizza to get cooked. Gazillions of Violet-green swallows circling the peak of the headland. Forget about photos!
Third stop: Ship Harbor next to the ferry terminal parking lot. We had an hour or so there (ferries already running late, a feature of summer) so I walked down the beach to the derelict pilings, thankfully left in place after the rest of the fish cannery building rotted away. The ducks — wigeons, buffleheads, mergansers, scoters — have all departed but the swallows have returned, including a substantial colony of Purple Martins who use the nest boxes installed and maintained on the pilings by the local Audubon group. These swallows winter in the Amazon basin, a long long flight (birdweb.org/...). Right now they are still picking out mates and summer homes. I noted a couple of starlings there too, who’d love to evict the martins, but won’t due to the canny design of the boxes. Starlings and House sparrows, both species invasive to North America, nearly drove Purple Martins extinct across the entire continent. Martins now depend on nestboxes for their survival as a species.
There are wetlands behind the beach that provide a wealth of insects for swallow families all summer. These wetlands are protected by the city of Anacortes and provide food and habitat for a variety of wildlife (www.cityofanacortes.org/...). I happened to see a Savannah sparrow newly arrived from Mexico or the southern U.S. (www.allaboutbirds.org/...), foraging for bugs in the wet mud.
Once on board the ferry I checked out the dolphins, those free-standing metal structures that protect boats at the dock (en.m.wikipedia.org/...). When they were upgraded from earlier wooden dolphins a couple of decades ago, the many ledges immediately attracted Pelagic cormorants as nesting sites. Washington State Ferries (WSF) has tried many strategies to discourage the cormorants since then, from barriers to harassment, and it’s unclear to what extent WSF will prevail against those very persistent birds. Right now it’s nest-building season; some cormorants were staking out spots and hauling seaweed for nests. Others were just perched, using the dolphins as a staging spot for fishing below.
Cormorants are very quiet birds. WSF’s objection to their nesting is the aroma. The Pelagic cormorant “uses its own guano to solidify its nest materials and to cement its nest to the cliff face.” (www.allaboutbirds.org/… ). It's true, the dolphins get a bit ripe on sunny summer days, but boats shouldn’t be at the dock for more than a few minutes, to load and unload. On land you can’t smell the nests.
Heading home after enjoying a rich afternoon of birdwatching....
Seeing any spring migrants in your neighborhood these days?
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Sunny and very warm in the PNW islands today. Approaching 70° already. Very dry out. Hasn’t rained for a couple of weeks.
What’s the nature news in your neighborhood?
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