Thankful

No doubt Bald Eagles are thankful for their food. Around Union Bay, American Coots are much more plentiful than Wild Turkeys. Plus, the Coots are a more appropriate size for Bald Eagles to catch, carry and consume.

I am not sure that most people realize how thankful we should be to have Bald Eagles for neighbors. On Thanksgiving Day, Ed Deal, from the Urban Raptor Conservancy, sent the following email. "...today I'll be offering up a toast to a great man who passed away yesterday. As you all know (or should know), William Ruckelshaus was the first Director of the EPA, who enacted the ban on DDT against significant political pressure...' Ed also sent the following link.

Click Here for a brief NPR update regarding William Ruckelshaus.

Previous to the ban, DDT was widely used. It bioaccumulated, which was particularly damaging to raptors. It weakened their eggshells and caused them to break before incubation could be completed. The numbers of Bald Eagles and raptors, in general, plummeted in the United States. No one I have spoken with remembers Bald Eagles around Union Bay in 1972. At that time, there were around 100 nesting pairs left in Washington state and less than a thousand in the lower 48 states. By 2014, forty-two years after the ban began, there were over 13,000 nesting pairs in the lower 48, more the 800 pairs in Washington and two nesting pairs on Union Bay. 

Thank you, Mr. Ruckelshaus!

In 2017, a third-pair of Bald Eagles moved into the southwest portion of Union Bay. They built their nest at the southeast corner of Montlake Cut. Their new territory included Portage Bay, Montlake Cut, and Marsh Island, which explains their names, Monty and Marsha. I believe, they are living examples of the continuing raptor recovery from DDT.

Monty bringing a branch to the pair's first nest on Montlake Cut

I suspect that in 2017 Monty and Marsha were a newly mature pair of Bald Eagles, e.g. approximately 5 years old - since they started their nest from scratch. By the way, Bald Eagles mate for life and can live for decades.

This is Monty placing one of the first sticks in the nest.

By January of 2018, the nest was beginning to take form. Among raptors, the females are larger. In this photo, Marsha is on our right and Monty is on the left. 

In Marsha's case, if you look closely you can see she has a gray smudge behind her eye. It is particularly apparent in the very first photo in this post. In the second and third photos, you can see that feathers behind Monty's eye are a brilliant white. Also, Marsha has a much heavier 'eyebrow' than Monty. Take a look at the next two photos and see if you can tell which is Monty and which is Marsha.

A)

B)

The first photo is Marsha and the second is Monty.

In 2018 Monty and Marsha had their first two offspring. This is Marsha in the nest with their two young, Charlie and Lucy.

As the young grew the new nest experienced issues. A branch broke, one of the young ended up on the ground. It was injured and unable to fly. The second young bird continued moving about in the remains of the nest and ultimately the nest disintegrated and the second young bird ended up on the ground and also unable to fly. Both of the young were rescued and spent time at PAWS before ultimately being successfully released.

In 2019, Monty and Marsha constructed a new nest in the same tree. It was slightly lower in the biggest crotch in the tree. Once again they had two young. 

This time the branches remained intact, although one of the young ended up on the ground again, and unable to fly, but at least uninjured. The juvenile bird was also recovered by PAWS and successfully released nearby. Monty and Marsha resumed feeding it and everything turned out fine for the family. Except, that once again the nest slowly broke up and by the time the young left home the nest was virtually gone.

Just before Thanksgiving, Monty and Marsha began rebuilding again.

Currently, the nest is more crow-sized than eagle-sized. However, the pair is building in the same location as last year. No doubt by March the nest will be large enough to hold their eggs and their 2020 young. Whether the nest will last until the young fledge is open for debate. Monty and Marsha are committed to their territory and their nest site. The technical term for their commitment is site-fidelity.

It warms my heart to watch Monty looking through the treetops while searching for the next branch to add to their 'new' nest.

New life is inspiring, amazing and beautiful. However, if the Bald Eagle recovery is to continue we need to follow in Mr. Ruckelshuas' footsteps. We need to mitigate the impacts of humanity's expansion. The next limiting factor to Bald Eagle recovery is most likely food.

Marsha (pictured here), Monty and all Bald Eagles, also love fish as a food source. To enable the full recovery of our Bald Eagle population we need to continue to restore water and fish habitat. The local restoration of habitat is critical. However, Union Bay is an interconnected piece in a much larger puzzle. Restoration is needed throughout the Lake Washington watershed and in Puget Sound. 

Monty and Marsha are either the smartest or the luckiest pair of Bald Eagles in Seattle. Their choice to carve out a territory and nest over Montlake Cut puts them above a narrow span of water through which all migrating fish must pass, to enter or exit the Lake Washington watershed. I am thankful Monty and Marsha are finding food, rebuilding their nest and raising young. They are doing their part to aid the Bald Eagle recovery. The question is, 'Are we?'

The following are some of the organizations which are helping.

Friends of Arboretum Creek

Long Live the Kings

Wild Fish Conservancy

A Thankful Update:

Jerry Pinkepank responded to this post with the following comments.

"We should add to that thanks to Rachel Carson (I note that there is a small research ship moored at UW that now carries her name). Her Book, Silent Spring, set in motion the political will that enabled Mr. Ruckelshaus to get his regulation through. My mother was somehow very aware of the dangers of DDT even to humans and in the 1950's a neighbor boy and I would hurriedly pick the pie cherries of the big tree in that neighbor's back yard, just ahead of the B-17 spraying DDT over the entire city of Lansing, Michigan to combat mosquitoes. After the plane had passed she would not allow me to pick or eat any of those delicious cherries for the rest of the season. -- Jerry"

The Rachel Carson is the larger of the two vessels.

Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city!

Larry

Going Native:

Without a well-funded Environmental Protection Agency, it falls to each of us to be ever more vigilant in protecting our local environments. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and native creatures. I have been told that 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 to 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. (If natives 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.

My intention in my weekly post is to include at least one photo each week and visually challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms. 

What type of tree are the Montlake Bald Eagles nesting in? Is it native to Union Bay?

Scroll down for the answer.

***************

Black Cottonwood: Cottonwood is native to Union Bay. It not particularly appreciated because of its weak lumber. However, it is the primary tree in which our local Bald Eagles nest. Its supple branches are their primary nest-building material. Its seeds are often the initial food for Mallard ducklings, fresh out of their eggs. Plus, bees are known to collect the trees sticky sap-like substance because it repeals pests in their hives. Beavers use it to build their lodges. Plus, woodpeckers and even chickadees have been seen using the dead standing trees for nests and roosting spots. Cottonwoods are critical to our co-existence with nature.

***************

The Email Challenge:

Over the years I have had many readers tell me that Google is no longer sending them email announcements regarding my posts. Even more frustrating when they go to 're-sign-up', hoping that will enable them to once again start receiving the announcements, they get a message which says 'Sorry, you are already signed up.' Google has not responded to my requests for help with this issue. 

My functional workaround is to set up my own email list and each week I manually send out a new post announcement. If you are experiencing the issue and would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Thank you for your patience!

My email address is: LDHubbell@Comcast.Net

The Raven's Return

The post, The Mythical Raven, was inspired by my first-ever sighting of a Raven in the Arboretum. Both of which took place in March of this year. That initial post documented many of the critical differences between Common Ravens and American Crows.

During the following week, I spotted Ravens in the Arboretum, twice. However, it wasn't until this week, that I noticed an additional difference between the two species. If you look closely at the top of this Common Raven's bill you can see that the feathering near the forehead extends approximately halfway to the tip of the bill.

With an American Crow, the 'forehead' feathering reaches less than a third of the way to the tip. When the light is right, and especially with binoculars, this difference is quite obvious. 

The bill-size versus the size of the head is a bit more subtle. It seems as though the primary purpose of a Raven's head is to provide a site for holding the massive bill. With Crows, the opposite seems true. The head appears to be the larger more important body part, while the bill seems like a supporting actor.

Even without seeing the relative size of the bird, the shape of an extended tail, the length of the wings or hearing its voice, there should be no question in your mind which species is in this photo.

As the Raven took flight, it partially displayed its diamond or wedge-shaped tail, which is distinctly different from the fan-shape of a Crow's tail. 

Back in March, the primary, Raven-related questions on my mind were, Will they stay? Will they establish a territory? Will they build a nest and raise young?

Later, on the same day, I caught a filtered glimpse of one of them with a small twig in its mouth. I was hoping that it might be a sign of nest building.

My next sighting was roughly two weeks later in Interlaken Park.

Whenever I see a Raven it always seems like I hear it first. They are obviously intelligent and very careful, but they are also act shy. If they notice me watching them they tend to immediately move to a more hidden position. It is hard to understand why they are both consistently vocal and shy.

One of the special things about Interlaken Park is the slope. It is easy to stand at the edge of the park and look horizontally into the upper canopy which rises up out of the ravine. In this case, the Raven found a decomposing hole, most likely where a branch broke off years before. The Raven appeared to be inspecting the interior for small, tasty inhabitants.

The distance was such that I could not determine if the mission was successful or not.

There is certainly something magical about the untended beauty of Licorice ferns hanging from the moss-covered branches of Big-leaf Maple trees. The Raven apparently felt right at home.

About a week later, in mid-April, I took my last Spring photo of a Raven. It was in the Arboretum. I heard them at least once more passing west over Interlaken Park at the close of the day. Throughout the bulk of the summer, I did not see or hear Ravens anywhere in the Montlake or Union Bay neighborhoods. 

On September 6th, I caught my first Fall photo of a Raven, also in the Arboretum. Apparently, it was inspecting the bottom side of the branch for food. 

In mid-September, I saw another one.

Last week, I caught a distant photo as one called out.

 This week, I have seen them multiple times.

On Thursday, the Raven on the left was sitting on the branch when it was approached by the bird on the right. As the second Raven flew in towards the perched bird it was calling out. However, the sound was not their normal call. The sound was most similar to a high-pitched hiccuping. You can hear a similar Raven call by playing the last recording on All About Birds > Click Here. (The first recording is their 'normal' call.)

I have not read anything which explains the purpose of the odd-sounding call. In this case, the approaching bird appeared to be focused and apparently speaking to the perched bird. The perched bird sat and listened for a few moments before silently gliding off to a nearby tree. I wonder if the response was an example of actions speaking louder than words.

The return of the Ravens leaves me encouraged, curious and slightly apprehensive. On the positive side, their return makes me think this may be a young pair which is including the Arboretum in their initial territory. We may get to enjoy them as our newest neighbors for many years to come.

*********

Update:

Speaking of messages of hope during a challenging time, you will want to read an incredible post on the blog of my friend Dan Pedersen, Click Here. 

*********

I am curious whether the Ravens built a nest this year. Although, I doubt it. I do feel fairly certain they did not build one in the Arboretum. I realize they are intelligent enough to work quietly and it is possible I might have overlooked their nest building. However, I doubt they could have had young in a nest and spent a month or two bringing food to the nest, especially, if the young birds were begging to be fed, without anyone noticing their presence. (All About Birds says they lay three to seven eggs.)  

If they did nest this year, it seems likely it was somewhere other than the Arboretum. I would certainly like to know if you have seen more than two Ravens, at once, anywhere in the Montlake/Union Bay area.

I suspect a young pair of Ravens might take a year, or maybe even more, to settle into a territory, build a nest, and successfully feed and raise young. Similar to how it took the new Osprey pair, on the north side of Union Bay, two years to complete their nest and raise their first offspring.

While I am excited to regularly see Ravens in our area, I am apprehensive about how a new set of predators may impact the local eco-system. A friend mentioned watching the Ravens chasing after a Barred Owl in the Arboretum this Fall. I have to wonder if Hawks, Owls, Eagles, and Ravens can all successfully nest, hunt, and coexist in and around the Arboretum. The Ravens will certainly add pressure on other smaller, non-predatory birds, especially during nesting.

One of the most important things we can do, to help Ravens successfully co-exist, is working to improve the local eco-system and the abundance of life it supports. If you are a King County resident one important way to help is to write an email to the King County Council members asking for approval of the latest grant request from Friends of Arboretum Creek (FOAC). 

The FOAC design grant will determine the best method for reuniting Alder Creek with Arboretum Creek. More clean water in the stream will dramatically increase the potential for life in the Arboretum eco-system, while also increasing the capacity in the King County sewer. You can read about the project details by clicking on the highlighted link, above. 

You can easily send a letter of support by copying our FOAC Sample Letter. The Council will be voting on this request in early December. Your timely support may make all the difference!

Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city!

Larry

Going Native:

Without a well-funded Environmental Protection Agency, it falls to each of us to be ever more vigilant in protecting our local environments. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and native creatures. I have been told that 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 to 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. (If natives 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.

My intention in my weekly post is to include at least one photo each week and visually challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms. 

Is this bathing beauty native to Union Bay?

Here are a couple more photos to provide helpful hints.

What species is it?

Scroll down for the answer.

***************

Song Sparrow: This is one of our most common native birds, however, it can be challenging to identify when it appears to be a brown blur in the middle of a cloud of water droplets. This one was bathing in Arboretum Creek, earlier this week.

***************

The Email Challenge:

Over the years I have had many readers tell me that Google is no longer sending them email announcements regarding my posts. Even more frustrating when they go to 're-sign-up', hoping that will enable them to once again start receiving the announcements, they get a message which says 'Sorry, you are already signed up.' Google has not responded to my requests for help with this issue. 

My functional workaround is to set up my own email list and each week I manually send out a new post announcement. If you are experiencing the issue and would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Thank you for your patience!

My email address is: LDHubbell@Comcast.Net

Goldie?

Spotting Chip, our local male Pileated Woodpecker, this week was like running into an old friend. The sight of him brought a smile to my face. My pulse quickened in anticipation. I was hoping to learn more about his behavior, to make sure he looked healthy and maybe even find out if he and his mate were still together. They mate for life, but life is dangerous, especially in a city full of fast-moving vehicles.

The first thing I noticed was the residential cavity he was excavating. The hole was shaped like an egg. In my experience, the Local Pileated Woodpeckers generally create this shape when building nests or roost sites. When prospecting for food, e.g. primarily carpenter ants or beetle larva, their holes are generally shaped quite differently.

Here is an example of a feeding hole in a fairly healthy tree. Since the exterior wood has not begun to decay, the rectangular shape of the hole is fairly precise.

This photo shows a well-used, flat-bottomed nesting hole. As the birds enter and exit the holes, the holes tend to open up and the shape may evolve, somewhat. Young resident birds will also pick at the edges in their apparent impatience with the confines of the nest. This 2018 nest hole had seen a lot of use by this point. The young were almost ready to fledge. 

Above the nest, you can also see a fresh feeding excavation. Notice the bright color of the unoxidized wood. Locally, all the Union Bay nesting trees I have seen, have been in dead or dying Red Alder trees. When the trees reach their last stages of decay they become quite soft and just right for nest building or easy feeding.

November seems way too early for Chip to be nest building, even though this is a dead Red Alder tree. However, I have seen a Pileated Woodpecker excavate a new roosting site at this time of year. I suspect when the rains come and the winds start blowing, the snags that contain existing roosting sites are more likely to fall. Most likely this drives the need for new nightly sanctuaries.

After a few minutes, Chip called out while he worked. Much to my surprise, his mate answered. Chip's mate has been generally silent in the past. Seldom have I heard her make a sound. When Chip heard her response, many of his feathers became erect and he stopped work. Notice how his top knot is still partially erect. It is more obvious when compared with the previous photo. He certainly appeared to be listening.

A new friend found and pointed out the location of his mate. She was much closer to the ground and searching for food.

Females have black malar stripes on their cheeks, unlike the red on males. They both continued their efforts for a while before taking off and flying away.

I was able to visually track Chip and notice that he landed on a telephone pole. I ran uphill and around the ravine to get in position to watch what happened next.

After a short while, his mate landed on the pole below him. She quickly began 'hitching' her way up the pole. A Pileated will momentarily balance on their tail while both feet reach up to grab the pole (or a tree) at a higher level. Then, they pull themselves higher, set their tail again and repeat the process. This must use less energy than just flying up to the desired height. (They will often use the same process to reach the top of a tree or snag just before taking off to fly to the next tree.)

Each time they move up, the head stretches out away from the pole before they pull themselves up and in again.

I never got close enough to see the detailed makeup of Chip's mate. I would have liked to determine if she was the same female from last year, whom I called Goldie. Her forehead seemed darker, her irises might have been lighter and she sounded more vocal, but I could not be certain as the daylight began to fade. The changes may have been the result of growing maturity, or she may have been replaced by a different female. My photos were not crisp enough to confirm my impressions.

I watched every day for the rest of the week, hoping to come across them again and get a better look. Sadly, luck did not smile on my endeavor.

On the other hand, as I was leaving I noticed and photographed a primary feather from a Pileated Woodpecker.

It looks to me like this is the third primary feather given the ratio of roughly 40% white versus 60% black coloring and the specific arrangement of the colors. Also, given that the leading edge of the primary feathers is often smaller than the trailing edge, I believe this feather is from a righthand wing.

I am always amazed that nature has given them the ability to grow so many unique two-toned feathers. It is also incredibly interesting that the white is generally only visible from below and only when a bird is in flight. I wonder if its primary value is as a mating display.

******************

You can double-check my conclusion about the primary feather location by comparing the photographed feather with the set of primary wing feathers shown in the Feather Atlas. Click on the following link:

https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/search.php

In the search criteria enter is the word 'Pileated' after the third label, e.g. 'Common Name'.

Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Common Name: Pileated Woodpecker
Scientific Name: Dryocopus pileatus

Finally, click on the button labeled: Search

******************

In the winter when the leaves have fallen, Pileated Woodpeckers are a bit easier to spot. However, given their rather large territories, it helps to be lucky.

Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city!

Larry

Going Native:

Without a well-funded Environmental Protection Agency, it falls to each of us to be ever more vigilant in protecting our local environments. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and native creatures. I have been told that 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 to 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. (If natives 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.

My intention in my weekly post is to include at least one photo each week and visually challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms. 

Is the tree which produced these leaves native to Union Bay?

Scroll down for the answer.

***************

Maidenhair Tree: It is not native to the Americas. However, it may be one of the oldest living tree species. It also may be more commonly known as Ginkgo biloba - which is also the scientific name. Clicking on the link will take you to the extensive Wikipedia write up, which I found very interesting.

Note: Reading about the Adverse Effects, as listed in Wikipedia, was enough to keep me from considering it as a dietary supplement.

***************

The Email Challenge:

Over the years I have had many readers tell me that Google is no longer sending them email announcements regarding my posts. Even more frustrating when they go to 're-sign-up', hoping that will enable them to once again start receiving the announcements, they get a message which says 'Sorry, you are already signed up.' Google has not responded to my requests for help with this issue. 

My functional workaround is to set up my own email list and each week I manually send out a new post announcement. If you are experiencing the issue and would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Thank you for your patience!

My email address is LDHubbell@comcast.net