Craig Hill
253-597-8497
craig.hill@thenewstribune.com
Jeff Mayor
253-597-8640
jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com
During January's and February's gray and wet days, when even mammals and birds seem to hunker down, I like to wander the Web in search of nature news and photographs.
Riding through the Skagit Valley around Fir Island, Conway and La Conner, we've almost always been treated to the sight of huge flocks of thousands of snow geese.
Peter Frenzen, a scientist who has spent the bulk of his career studying and teaching at Mount St. Helens, was honored by the Forest Service last week at the annual National Association of Interpretation meeting in Las Vegas.
When it comes to devising ways to keep hummers fed (and sometimes warm) during deep freezes, our readers are clever and persistent.
Fall migration is in full swing, with experienced birders reporting large - and sometimes huge - numbers of many species in Western Washington.
A great blue heron's harsh croak on a recent starry night triggered thoughts of birds and constellations.
Some time ago I wrote about the encroaching barred owl into the endangered spotted owl territory, and that deadly force is being considered to protect the spotted against the more aggressive barred.
I was surrounded by predators. A few months ago, they were injecting paralyzing saliva into their prey, eating it alive by turning flesh into liquid, then drinking it. If a snail were dinner, only the shell would remain.
The young grand- children came running down the beach, splashing through the water holding colorful plastic buckets while racing to see who could cover the 200 feet and reach me first.
At dusk, we walked briskly through a mature second-growth forest following a winged shadow and a noisy mob. Birds were warning others of a predator and actively harassing the barred owl in hopes that it would move on.