The grebe struggles and flaps, but cannot fly. Why does the American Dipper dip?
Puget Sound is one of the most fertile saltwater habitats in the world, and every winter, waterfowl migrate from afar to feast on its bounty.
At a solid waste transfer station, gulls and crows eye the intake, arguing over who gets what before it gets hauled off to a major landfill.
A pair of White-throated Swifts careens by at high speed. And birding by ear is a great way to approach the world of birds. The bills of young birds are not crossed at hatching, but cross as they grow.
Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Osprey nests are protected, even on cell towers.
Ravens often travel in pairs, while crows are seen in larger groups.
Where have all the eagles gone? And naturalist Rob Sandelin recalls how he coaxed swallows to nest in his yard.
Side by side, in half an inch of water, they stomp their feet as fast as they can. This proud dignitary appears along the sidelines during every home game. The grebe struggles and flaps, but cannot fly.
The young birds continue to learn valuable lessons by watching the adults hunt, and will stay with them a few more weeks. You may find it in willow thickets, brushy tangles, and other dense, understory habitats, usually at low to medium elevations around streams. They seek a diminishing supply of insects and eat from a rich crop of berries. Its glaciers and snowmelt nourish some of our richest natural habitats, including the Nisqually Delta.
You are at a HawkWatch site, one of fourteen North American fall raptor migration sites monitored by HawkWatch International.
Where have all the eagles gone?
Western Tanagers are distinctive summer visitors to our area and the only tanagers seen regularly in Washington.
Although many other vertebrates avoid ants because of their stings or noxious chemical deterrents, the Northern Flicker is known to have ingested over five thousand ants in one sitting. At the crack of the bat, a Blue Jay flies toward first and glides around the base. This proud dignitary appears along the sidelines during every home game.
Remember when you were a young Saturday morning birdwatcher, learning the intricate lessons of predator-prey relationships? The young birds continue to learn valuable lessons by watching the adults hunt, and will stay with them a few more weeks.
Not really a hawk at all, the Common Nighthawk is closely related to the more fully nocturnal nightjars, such as the Whip-poor-will of eastern North America. Tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of seabirds circle low over the ocean, the tips of their long narrow wings just grazing the waves.
Deep in left field, an Oriole pounces on the ball. Although many other vertebrates avoid ants because of their stings or noxious chemical deterrents, the Northern Flicker is known to have ingested over five thousand ants in one sitting. A new figure joined the Seattle Seahawks last season, and helped inspire the team all the way to the Super Bowl.
The remarkable drumming of a Ruffed Grouse, that percussion produced by a rapid beating of the wings, is a vivid example of a non-vocal or instrumental bird sound.
A Rock Pigeon bobs its head as it walks.
Natural disasters sometimes take a terrible toll on birds and other wildlife.
To compensate, these birds move their heads. Subdued colors help camouflage the male ducks, protecting them from predators. In some vineyards of Napa and Sonoma Counties in California, owls patrol by night, and kestrels, harriers, and other raptors take the day-watch.
Other birds help, too, including this Western Bluebird.
This astute aerial predator stands a little more than six and a half inches tall, from its sharp-clawed feet to its stubby, ear-like tufts.