Heron Rookery

A few days ago, a friend told me about the heron rookery near the Ballard Locks.

This morning, Tim and I drove down to see what we could see. We heard them before we saw them — a kind of repetitive clicking noise.

I got a crick in my neck looking straight up into the trees. All the nests seemed to be in two groups of trees in Commodore Park, located on the Magnolia side of the Ballard Locks. Considering the size of the nests, it's a little amazing that they are so high up in the trees, where the branches are thinner.

It was a little hard to see the herons through all the leaves, but we were able to spot a few. They mostly seemed to be hanging out and grooming themselves. Occasionally, one would fly away.

This blog has some great photos, and here is a video taken in late March when there were fewer leaves on the trees.

A Very Nice Day

There have been a few unusually warm days so far this year — once or twice even into the 70s — but today has verged on summery.

Tim and I ventured out to Green Lake Park this afternoon. If it had been a weekend day, the path around the lake would have been packed with people. But on a "school day," it wasn't nearly so congested.

The turtles had already come out of hibernation on previous warm days, but they were out in force today.

  

I had an eye out for the early brood of ducklings I had seen a week or so ago. I did not see them, but there were two broods of Canada geese paddling around, closely monitored by two sets of parents.

And I want to know why only dandelions grow in our lawn, but not cute little daisies.

Ocean Shores, Washington

Last week, Tim and I took a short vacation to the Washington coast. We have visited the Oregon coast a few times. I did not expect the two to be so different. I wonder what different influences have shaped the different geographies.

Where the Oregon coast has narrow beaches backed by cliffs and the distinctive sea stack rocks just offshore, the beach at Ocean Shores was broad and flat. Also, cars are allowed on the beach, which I had never encountered before. In one of the publications targeted at visitors, an article warned about getting stuck in the sand or trapped by an incoming tide, and provided the number of the local towing service.

On our first walk down to the beach, a deer was grazing just off the side of the road. When I saw it, I exclaimed "Deer!" and it raised its head and gazed inquiringly at us.

In addition to the usual gulls, we also saw a bald eagle, a lazuli bunting and an Eastern kingbird.

The latter two I identified with the help of the Birds of North America website, whatbird.com.

The other notable wildlife siting occurred while we were driving up to the Hoh Rain Forest trail head, when a group of five Roosevelt elk decided to cross the road several dozen feet up ahead.

 Lastly, on one of our walks along the beach, we chanced on a wooden pallet that had washed up on shore. It was covered with barnacles, and even though the tide had been out for several hours, they were still out of their shells.

I think they were goose barnacles. They looked more like this, rather than this.

Ocean Shores on Dwellable