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When I was in gradual school at U.C.S.B., several friends / roommates / biology graduate students and I decided to hike to a local waterfall in a county park to celebrate a birthday. On a gorgeous spring day, it took us over two hours to hike a mile from the parking lot to the waterfall where...

San Juan Island, Xmas 2025. Unusual fungi, lichens, and mosses. My wife and I hiked down the trail to Jakle’s Lagoon in the American Camp section of San Juan Island Historical Park. It is a great walk through a Douglas fir / cedar forest to this brackish-water lagoon. With high tide and winds...

What an amazing encounter. Steve

San Juan Island, Xmas 2025: Diving Ducks, Part 2. Flocks of surf scoters (and white-winged scoters) are quite common along the shore. Buffleheads dive in freshwater ponds and along the shore, especially in more protected areas. While I encounter them more commonly in Puget Sound and Hood...

San Juan Island, Xmas 2025: Diving Ducks, Part 1. The Cattle Point Lighthouse marks the southernmost tip of San Juan Island. The strong currents running over sills between San Juan Island and Lopez Island in Cattle Pass draw up food resources that attract marine birds and mammals. The rocky...

San Juan Island, Xmas 2025: Eagles. My wife and I house-sat for some friends on San Juan Island over the holidays. We have fulfilled this role many times and always enjoy exploring the wildlife on the islands. When the weather cooperates, you have a great view of the snow-covered majesty of...

Been there. Done that... Steve

Great to see you will be captaining this summer. Steve

The Packers are trying to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory... Steve

Hi CG, In the early 1980's as molecular analyses began to become more comprehensive, the American Ornithological Union decided to restrict the work "hawk" to accipiters, especially in the genus Buteo (aka "buzzards" in Europe). Part of the drive was to have the common names reflect more...

Nisqually NWR, early / mid-December. Insectivorous birds. As the temperatures turns cooler, the insectivores coalesce to form mixed-species feeding flocks. They also become more focused on gathering as many calories as possible in the shorter days (and are therefore a little less wary). Even on...

More "plastic-molded", I think... Steve

Nisqually NWR, early / mid-December. On the rare day when the sun is shining, the light even at midday is so rich. At this time of year the sun is so low on the horizon that the wavelengths of light that reach the surface are rich and warm like the golden hour after dawn or before dusk in...

Amazing picture of the gray ghost. Steve

I get "buck fever" when trying to tie on a new fly in the middle of a hot hatch. It's as if I have never done this before - total fumble-fingers... :) Steve

Hi Roger, Many thanks for your expert identification. I assumed that it was a BWO as that was the hatch that I was expecting at that time of year. I should probably have left it vague as "small mayfly"... What would be the key difference between a BWO vs. a Trico for the interested amateur? Steve

That looks great. Yak rainbows can become quite selective during BWO hatches especially if they have time to examine your fly closely. That by itself or as a dropper behind a parachute dry should be very successful. Steve

There are some data on the timing (and mechanism) of the scrub jay's range extension into the PNW. As I indicated in my post, a number of other California species, such as black phoebe, great egret, turkey vulture, Anna's hummingbirds, and red-shouldered hawks, are expanding their range north...

Ridgefield NWR, late November. Part 4, Miscellaneous birds. When birding, I’m typically using my ears as much as my eyes to locate birds. The ability of the Merlin app to identify birds by song/calls is very helpful (but it can be wildly wrong…). Hearing birds vocalizing is more restricted while...

Ridgefield NWR, late November. Part 3, Ducks and grebes. Even with hunting pressure just outside the refuge, Nisqually is a great place to view ducks up close. Yes, they are wary but the distance between you and them is often quite close. In contrast. Ridgefield can be hit or miss for observing...