Montlake has many attractions, including its proximity to downtown Seattle, the finest University and the largest stadium in the PNW, a major freeway, a canal with the highest volume of boats in the US, a Light Rail station and trains that cross below Montlake Cut, and this beautiful, tiny, green bridge.
Most likely, everyone who has visited the Montlake neighborhood in the last 100 years, has spent time waiting in traffic. Locals learn to breathe deep and let their shoulders relax as they watch the bridge gradually rise to a vertical position. That experience reinforces that Montlake is a crossroads. However, Montlake and Union Bay are the sites of crossroads that you may not have noticed.
For example, Click Here to read more about the newest bridge in Montlake.
This bridge connects between Montlake Park East, i.e. the old MOHAI location, and the intersection of Lake Washington Blvd & Roanoke Street, to the south of 520. In the future, it will help link the 520 Bike Path with the paved Loop Trail in the Arboretum, which runs south to Madison Avenue. However, completing the connection cannot happen until after the 520 construction in Portage Bay is finished, i.e. when WSDOT no longer needs the current staging area. Ultimately, the staging area will be returned to the City of Seattle, specifically, the Arboretum. It will enable more collections, the new pathway connection, and many other potential improvements.
The view from the new bridge is expansive. This panoramic photo really understates the impact. The view and the bridge are so impressive in person that I have been calling it, "The Sky Bridge." Binoculars are recommended to truly appreciate the vast open spaces.
From the Sky Bridge, now that the leaves have fallen, you can see Monty and Marsha's rebuilt nest high in the cottonwood trees on the left.
Their nest overlooks Montlake Cut which is a prime fishing spot for Common Mergansers who visit during the cooler half of each year. Often there will be 50 to 100 Mergansers diving, chasing, and feeding on fish. At any point in time, half of them are usually underwater.
By the way, the females look much like the males, except they have reddish-brown heads. 
Whenever a boat comes through The Cut the Mergansers will flush, They often fly out and land halfway to Marsh Island, where they wait for the boat to pass, before paddling back into The Cut to continue fishing.
Click Here to see eBird's dynamic weekly abundance map of Common Mergansers. (You may need to rotate the map to see North America. Also, for this map and all those that follow click on the white arrow against the blue background in the lower right to activate the map.)
Common Mergansers are just one of the many species that migrate south to Union Bay during "The Winter" months, i.e. primarily from October through March.
Historically, Salmon migrated in and out of the Lake Washington Watershed. In 1916, when The Cut was created, it became their only point of access. Since then pollution, shallow water, rising temperatures, a lack of oxygen, invasive fish, and the old fish ladder at Ballard Locks, have all contributed to vastly reducing the salmon runs. Hidden below the surface some Salmon still make it back, but they need our help. This link provides access to a summary by Long Live The Kings, which discusses some of the challenges and proposes an interesting solution to help the Salmon.
Today, both native and non-native fish pass back and forth through The Cut. I doubt the Mergansers make a distinction, however, the local fish biologists certainly do.
For example, near Webster Point, non-native Yellow Perch, apparently, feast on young salmon that are attempting to reach the Salish Sea. Click Here to read about the scientific research.
On a positive note for the Salmon, the new 520 bridge includes filtering systems that remove automotive pollutants before they flow off the roadway and into Union Bay. For more than 50 years, the old 520 bridge allowed the polluted runoff to fall directly into the water.
From the Sky Bridge, with the help of a long lens or binoculars, one or more of the Montlake Eagles can often be seen in the nest. It is very convenient to be able to see the nest and all of Union Bay from the Sky Bridge. Especially when crossing from south to north there are multiple options for exploration.
1) Heading directly north to the east end of Montlake Cut brings you to the overlook just north of the totem pole. There you will have a good chance of seeing, or hearing, a Belted Kingfisher.
You may also see Monty or Marsha, the local Bald Eagle pair, selecting branches to bring to their nest. Even though the nest is directly behind you, it is high in a Cottonwood tree and difficult to see at this location.
Surprisingly, the best view of the nest is near the east end of the alley, immediately to your west, just past the first house on Shelby Street.
2) Heading east from the dock will take you onto the Waterfront Trail that crosses Marsh Island. Watch out for the potholes. Then cross via the old footbridge to Foster Island. (Seattle Parks and Recreation has a partially funded project, hoping to begin soon, to upgrade this trail.) With binoculars if you look north across the bay in "The Winter" months you may see Trumpeter Swans visiting from Alaska. Click Here to see the eBird dynamic map of their migration.
3) When exiting the Sky Bridge, the ramp aims you to the west, however, if you make a hairpin turn and head east on the 520 Trail it enables views of Marsh Island, Foster Island, and for the last month Mystery Island.
Note: The footbridge in the next photo is the part of the Waterfront Trail connecting Marsh Island to Foster Island mentioned above.
November 24th:
Mystery Island sitting in the middle of Union Bay in late November. If you want to find out more about the island, click on the following link to read the prior post. To the north the trees with the yellow leaves reside in the Union Bay Natural Area.
Thank you to my friend, Jerry Pinkepank, who provided the following weekly updates as the story of Mystery Island unfolded.
December 1st:
Chunks on the left side begin to break free.
December 7th:
The island continues to shrink.
December 15th:
The island separated into two pieces.
Thank you, Jerry, for your photos, multiple trips, and your enduring interest in Mystery Island!
December 19th:
Finally, Mystery island is no more.
I do not think there is any question that the island was made primarily of peat, from the bottom of the bay, and that it slowly broke apart and disintegrated, most likely due to strong winds and wave action, some of which came from passing boats.
4) Heading northwest, via Shelby Street, and then crossing Montlake Bridge, allows one access to the west and northern sides of Union Bay. Turning east and following the north side of The Cut brings you to the old Shell House, in the photo above, and just north of it is the Waterfront Activities Center (WAC) and Union Bay's western islands.
The first documented island north of the WAC is called Broken Island on Google Maps. Do you see the bird in this photo?
Congratulations if you spotted the Killdeer in the previous photo. It has stripes of white and black and a brown back. It is visible on the lower left. In this second photo, the focus switches to the more challenging bird in brown and beige, i.e. the Wilson's Snipe. It has a much longer bill and is standing nearly right in from of the Killdeer. I like the name Snipe Island much better than Broken Island. (By the way, if you spotted the Snipe in the first photo you may want to start planning your Big Year.)
If you continue north, past the Dempsey Center, the Conibear Shell House, along the east side of the UW Baseball Stadium and then take the pedestrian bridge on your right it connects to the Union Bay Natural Area.
One of the numerous and beautiful "Summer Time" visitors to the Union Bay Natural Area is the Common Yellowthroat. Click Here to see the eBird dynamic map of this species' annual migration. By "Summer Time" I mean primarily from April through September.
5) You also have the option of heading west from the Sky Bridge to the new Bill Dawson Tunnel under Montlake Blvd. Today, this turns into the tiny old bike and pedestrian path that leads under the old 520 to the Montlake Community Center. Since this portion of 520 is being replaced with a new safer Bridge I suspect this trail to be closed soon due to construction. For now, this tunnel paints a picture of what the future may hold.
Montlake and Union Bay contain important crossroads for nature as well as for humans. There are dozens of species of birds and fish that migrate to, through, and from this area each year. There are also many resident lifeforms living here. Montlake and Union Bay cannot go back in time but nonetheless there are wonderful improvements we can make to this incredible area where paths cross and nature still lives in the city.
The two opportunities that weigh on my mind are: 1) Addressing Climate Change and 2) Saving our Salmon. We don't have all the answers in either case. However, to do our best we need to be creative, follow the available science, and make the most efficient use of our resources. For example, I find the suggestion from Long Live The Kings of a heating and cooling solution that provides value to local residents, while also cooling the water for Salmon, to be a very intriguing possibility.
Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city and Black Birders are welcome!
Larry
Going Native:
Each of us, who breathes the air, drinks water, and eats food should be helping to protect our environment. Local efforts are most effective and sustainable. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and the local native creatures. Even the microbes in the soil are native to each local landscape.
I hope we can inspire ourselves, our neighbors, and local businesses to respect native flora and support native wildlife at every opportunity. I have learned that our most logical approach to native trees and plants (in order of priority) should be to:
1) Learn and leave established native flora undisturbed.2) Remove invasive species and then wait to see if native plants begin to grow without assistance. (When native plants start on their own, then these plants or trees are likely the most appropriate flora for the habitat.)3) Scatter seeds from nearby native plants in a similar habitat.4) If you feel you must add a new plant then select a native plant while considering how the plant fits with the specific habitat and understanding the plant's logical place in the normal succession of native plants.
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Keystone native plants are an important new idea. Douglas Tallamy, in the book "Nature's Best Hope ", explains that caterpillars supply more energy to birds, particularly young birds in their nests, than any other plant eater. He also mentions that 14% of our native plants, i.e. Keystone Plants, provide food for 90% of our caterpillars. This unique subset of native plants and trees enables critical moths, butterflies, and caterpillars that in turn provide food for the great majority of birds, especially during the breeding season.
Note: Flowering plants and trees, i.e. those pollinated by bees, are also included as Keystone Plants.
This video explains the native keystone plants very nicely:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5cXccWx030
The Top Keystone Genera in our ecoregion i.e. Plants and trees you might want in your yard:
Additional content available here:
https://wos.org/wos-wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Native-Plant-Resources-10-7-22.pdf
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In the area below, I am displaying at least one photo with each post to help challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms.
A:
B:
What species are these birds? Are they native to PNW?
Scroll down for the answer.
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A:
Chipping Sparrow: Yes. This bird is native to the PNW. However, it is normally only here during the breeding season. I generally consider that to be April through September, and I think of the non-breeding season as October through March.
Note: There are always breeding season exceptions. For example Bald Eagles often appear to lay eggs in late March. In my experience Anna's Hummingbirds and Great Horned Owls may begin nesting much earlier than April.
Chipping Sparrows came to mind due to some apparent anomaly in the Merlin Bird ID application. The application can be loaded on a smart photo and with a high degree of reliability will generally identify nearby bird songs and calls. I find this particularly helpful as my hearing is not what it once was. I often use the application to help me know which high-pitched small birds I should be looking for in a particular area.
In any case, according to Merlin Bird ID, Chipping Sparrows are much more abundant in the Arboretum than what I can physically find. With Merlin Bird ID, I suggest the "Trust but Verify" approach.
B:
White-crowned Sparrow: Yes. This immature bird is native to the PNW. I find this bird to look somewhat similar to a Chipping Sparrow, but only when it is immature. The stripe through the middle of the crown is one quick and easy way to tell it apart from a Chipping Sparrow with much more of a solid cap.
Once it matures a White-crowned Sparrow no longer resembles a Chipping Sparrow because the brown stripes on the crown turn black and the central stripe turns white. I find this a pretty stunning transition.
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The Email Challenge:
In response, I have set up my own email list. With each post, I will manually send out an announcement. If you would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Something like:
Larry, Please add me to your personal email list.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Thank you!
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The Comment Challenge:
Bottom Line:
If you write a long comment, please, copy it before hitting enter. Then, if the comment function fails to record your information, you can send the comment directly to me using email.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Larry
Final Photo:
Two remnants of the Island can be barely seen behind & slightly north of the tiny tugboat on 12/16/24.
