The Osprey Fight On

In 2016, for the possibly the first time in one hundred years, Ospreys successfully nested near Union Bay. Although, they did have to overcome some challenges. (Sadly, in 2018 their challenges took a new twist.)

In 2016, the Ospreys put a tremendous amount of work into their initial nest site. Unfortunately, the location, above the entrance to the new University of Washington Baseball field, was not acceptable. The nest was dismantled, prior to eggs being laid. Luckily, the UW athletic department paid for a nesting platform in the Union Bay Natural Area, right next door.

To the amazement of many, the female Osprey took the hint, settled down on the new platform and laid her eggs. Due to the time pressure, the nest was fairly sparse.

In spite of the minimal nest, by late August, they had three healthy offspring. In this photo, the adult female, who I call Lacey, is on the right. Her name was inspired by her brown 'necklace' which decorates her chest. Here it is easy to notice that the three young birds have dark feathers with beautiful white tips, unlike Lacey's more uniformly dark adult feathers. 

In July of 2016, I happened to catch this photo of Lacey and her mate, Chester. Chester's name was inspired by the fact that male Ospreys generally have pure white chests. This photo, with both adults looking down, gives us a chance to view the crowns of their heads. Later, I would learn that their crowns can be uniquely patterned. In this photo, we can see that Lacey, on the left, has more dark feathers on the top of her head, as compared to Chester.

At the end of each summer the Ospreys head south to warmer weather, most likely Mexico. Whenever it is warm the fish stay closer to the surface, so migrating helps the Ospreys to catch an adequate supply of winter food.

The Ospreys returned in the Spring of 2017. Even from a distance, we can see that Chester has visibly more white on the crown of his head. Although I find the markings on their heads adequate to tell the two of them apart, I am not 100 percent positive that I could successfully use the markings to identify them from other Ospreys.

In 2017, unlike the year before, they were able to focus on their nest on the pre-built platform. As a result, they built a noticeably taller nest.

During the summer, Chester worked hard and the nest continued to grow.

He also brought plenty of food back to the nest. The Ospreys successfully raised two young in 2017.

In 2018, they returned and clearly had every intention of raising young once again.

It is interesting to note that in May of 2018 the number of sticks in the nest was only half as high as in 2017. Lacey laid eggs and two young birds hatched out. Sadly, one disappeared early on and the second died later in the summer. The story of their demise was covered well in a Pacific NW Article by Glenn Nelson. If you click on the highlighted link you can read Glenn's story and you can also see that the sticks in the Osprey's nest never attained the height or depth that they did in 2017.

The experts suggest that the young birds did not get enough food. Since Bald Eagles steal fish from Ospreys, and a new third pair of Bald Eagles began nesting on Union Bay in 2018, the Eagles may very well have thrived at the expense of the young Ospreys.

However, there could have been other factors as well. For instance, what if Chester was replaced by a less-skilled male in 2018. How would we know? Last year, I could see that the male had less white on the top of his head than his mate, but was he really the same male from the prior year?

Here is a closeup of Chester in 2017.

Here is the 2018 male.

While light, shadows, angles and even the wind can change how feathers look. When I look close, the markings on the forehead and crown look different to me. Still, I am not completely positive. Ospreys mate for life and can live for a couple of decades. At the same time, a single mistake while diving headfirst after a fish could easily be fatal. 

The good news is, the Osprey pair returned last week. They were even seen mating. (Thank you, Ronda!). One way or the other, hopefully, this year's male will be a stronger and more adept provider.

In addition, a few days ago we watched Lacey chase away an adult Bald Eagle.

The Bald Eagle landed south of the Conibear Boathouse and then proceeded to chase after two immature eagles. I suspect one of the immature eagles might have been carrying a fish. 

Immediately thereafter, the adult eagle could be seen carrying a fish back towards the Talarus eagle's nest. I suspect the adult took the fish away from one of the young eagles. I believe he was the male bird, that I call Russ, because this time of year the female eagle would most likely be incubating eggs at mid-day.

Even though Russ was not an immediate threat, Lacey decided to let him know he was passing too close for her comfort. 

Given that she is probably half his weight her mid-air attack was quite impressive.

For good measure, she also chased off the two immature Bald Eagles.

A couple of days later there were a few more sticks on the platform. It may be the tiniest of encouraging signs. Still, the Ospreys have returned, as opposed to relocating to a new nesting site. Plus, Lacey is showing her tenacity and desire to retain her Union Bay nest site. At this point, it feels like all we can do is hope.

However, given that Ospreys eat fish, we can try to help the local fish population, which would indirectly benefit the Ospreys. One immediate opportunity is to minimize our usage of the 520 bridge. Currently, the runoff from that section of the bridge, directly above Union Bay, drains directly into the water. Automotive runoff is apparently unhealthy for fish. Healthier fish will reproduce more which in turn should mean easier pickings and less competition for our local, fish-eating Ospreys.

Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature competes 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. My hope is that 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 a native or non-native type of flora?

Scroll down for the answer.

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Pink Flowering Dogwood: It is non-native, but related to the native, Pacific Dogwood

For more information about native plants visit the Washington Native Plant Society.

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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 Circle of Life

The 2018 owlet in the Arboretum, who my friend Jeffery affectionately named, Bobo.

Baby pictures are almost universally appealing. Innocent, wide-eyed, fuzzy-headed little creatures are very hard to resist. 

In the Spring, I always enjoy the process of documenting and sharing photos of new life around Union Bay.

Nature's resilience, determination, and persistence is very impressive. In spite of our extensive urban development, the Union Bay neighborhood is shared by a wide variety of wild creatures, many of which the Barred Owls eat and some who eat Barred Owls.

To read Bobo's story and see more of his photos visit last year's post entitled:

An Owlet Adventure

This year, there have been at least two adult Barred Owls in the Arboretum and possibly more. Last month's post, The Quizzical Look, was also all about Barred Owls.

Barred Owls can be amazingly fearless. As long as we do not approach to closely.

It was fun to watch from a distance while this one considered a daytime snack.

Even though I got to watch this one resting, so far this year, I have not found a Barred Owl with a consistent, daily roosting location.

This Spring, even after the February snow melted, Bobo's nest site appeared to remain empty. If my memory is correct nesting should have begun a couple of weeks ago. I am hoping that the owls are nesting elsewhere. 

Sadly, the circle of life is a two-way street. Sometimes the predator becomes the prey. This week, I found the fresh remains of an adult Barred Owl near the nest site. 

I have been wondering what type of creature caught the Barred Owl. The list of suspects which come to mind include:

  a Raccoon,

a Coyote, 

a Bald Eagle and... 

a Great Horned Owl.

I have seen Bald Eagles hunting on the ground, but only where trees are sparse. I have also seen one lurking in the treetops above a Barred Owl nest site, but only when the young were close to leaving the nest and where the trees were fairly widely spaced. I believe the trees in this area are too dense and the trail is too close for a Bald Eagle. 

The closeness of the trail, and the fact that Barred Owls are most active under the cover of darkness implies to me that the Barred Owl was most likely consumed at night. So, I really doubt that a Bald Eagle was involved.

My next consideration was the Great Horned Owl. They are uncommon in the Arboretum, all though I did see one on the first of January. Still, I would expect a Great Horned Owl to have carried its food to an overhead branch, where it would be safer to feed.

I believe a Raccoon could kill a Barred Owl, but I have a hard time imagining it sneaking up and leaping on the owl without being heard. The most likely predator, in my mind, is the Coyote. 

There have been a number of Coyote sightings lately. Personally, I saw a healthy specimen leaving Foster Island just last week. With Mallards currently nesting in a variety of upland locations, I think the Coyotes have an added incentive to roam widely and inspect every possible location. Plus, in the area where I found the Barred Owl I saw and heard two rabbits loudly chasing each other not too long ago.

I have watched Coyotes stalking a rabbit before. I can easily imagine a Coyote slowly closing in on a rabbit when the Owl, unaware of the silent and hidden Coyote, swoops down hoping to catch the same meal. If it happened this way, the lucky Coyote would simply spring forward, as originally planned, but it would now have a new, larger target. 

Plus Ginger, my daughter's dog, was quiet and fearful when we found the site. This reaction is consistent with when she has smelled a Coyote in the past. It is not at all like her normal reaction of wild aggression whenever she smells a Raccoon.

Sadly, I doubt there will be young Barred Owls in the Arboretum this year. On a positive note, I have just heard about two other Barred Owls in nearby locations. From the description of the circumstances, these other owls are probably not part of the pair we have been discussing. It might just be possible for a new pair to form and eggs to be laid, but the timing is incredibly close for this year.

By next year, this obviously productive territory will almost certainly be repopulated by a pair of adult Barred Owls. I do believe it is just a matter of time until we see young owls in the Arboretum, again.

Twenty-four hours later, the remnants of the carcass were virtually gone, leaving mostly just scattered feathers. I am sure that many creatures and birds will use the feathers to line their nests. Nature does not waste. 

Just a few feet away, this Pacific Wren appears to be considering nesting in the same snag where the Barred Owls previously nested - although in a much smaller hole. The circle of life continues.

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News Flash!

The Arboretum will be hosting an Earth Day work party next Saturday! Alyssa Henry, Volunteer Programs Manager, from the Arboretum Foundation explains,

'We will be celebrating Earth Day in partnership with the Student Conservation Association, UWBG (University of Washington Botanic Gardens) and Seattle Parks and Recreation on Saturday, April 20th, 9am -1pm.

Meet at the Crabapple Meadow, south of the Visitors Center. Free coffee, breakfast snacks and Clif Bars will be provided, along with tools and gloves. Please wear layers and closed-toed shoes.

Volunteers will be spilt into groups for restoration projects all around the Arboretum from 9am - 1pm, then will return to Crabapple Meadow at 1pm for some light food and an opportunity to learn about the organizations and things going on around the Arboretum!'

You can sign up by:

Clicking Here!

I hope to see you there!

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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. My hope is that 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.

The two plants in this photo are somewhat similar looking. Do you know their names? Are they native to Union Bay?

Scroll down for the answer.

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Tall Oregon Grape: Is the native plant in the lower left side of the photo. It is flowering all around Union Bay and currently attracting hummingbirds.

English Holly: Is the invasive, non-native plant which is dominating from the upper right side of the photo.

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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 Hidden Lives of Herons

Great Blue Herons are not particularly shy. They often hunt while simply standing quietly in full view. Even when strolling slowly through the water they generally make no pretense of hiding. However, when it comes to nesting and reproduction they manage to maintain a surprising level of secrecy.

This is especially amazing for birds with wingspans which can exceed six feet and urban nesting colonies which can include dozens, or sometimes even hundreds, of nests.

Our local Union Bay colony has only a couple dozen nests. Hopefully, when the 520 runoff is ultimately excluded from Union Bay, our local supply of fish will flourish and the Great Blue Herons will stage an epic comeback - not to mention the Osprey.

Most of the Heron's current nests are hidden away near the tops of Big Leaf Maple trees on the UW campus. In the photo above you can barely see a heron standing in her nest. She is the upper half of the small roundish dot, visible between the trees, and up to the left from the lamp.

Here is a close up of the same bird in the nest. According to what I have read the female Great Blue Herons generally, do the incubation. This assumption is my only basis for determining the gender of the bird. I am not aware of any plumage differences between males and females.

Note: I do not believe there are any twigs in the nest which are larger than the diameter of the heron's leg.

Here she is leaning out to secure another twig for the nest. The long neck is clearly useful for more than just snatching frogs and fish out of the water.

Nests are often reused from one year to the next. It appears that the males supply the bulk of the supplemental nesting materials.

The contrast between the materials used by Great Blue Herons versus... 

...Bald Eagles is dramatic. A Bald Eagle will occasionally break a cottonwood branch by striking it with their chest while flying at full speed. They will also try hanging upside down by their feet and swinging from a branch until it breaks.

Heron nesting material appears to be consistently smaller and lighter.

In addition, the native trees involved in their respective processes are different. Locally, Bald Eagles, usually nest in Black Cottonwoods while the Great Blue Herons seem to prefer Big Leaf Maples. For nesting materials, Bald Eagles prefer the upper branches from nearby Cottonwood trees.

On Tuesday, I watched numerous retrievals of twigs by Great Blue Herons. 

They would consistently land on the outer tips of an upper branch in a nearby Douglas Fir tree. Then with great care and precision, they would slowly walk down the branch.

Once the males were inside the bulk of the green foliage they would carefully extend their necks and slowly break off small dry twigs from inside the central, highly-shaded portion of the tree. I never saw a Great Blue Heron use its feet to remove or carry even the smallest twig.

Another surprise was watching a heron slowly and delicately extend his neck down from an overhead branch towards his mate. She stood and extended her neck up and out of the nest in order to meet the male halfway. At which point they carefully made the 'handoff' of the dry little twig.

By comparison, I have watched eagles land in the nest with a large branch and smack their mate in the head with a wing while attempting to retain their balance. Often eagles will lose control of the branch and simply watch it drop to the ground. The pile of new branches below the Montlake Cut eagle's nest is large enough to make a good start a second nest. The difference, in the nesting behaviors of the respective species, is striking. 

Yesterday afternoon, during the brilliant sunshine, I returned to the heron colony hoping to secure a brighter set of photos. I watched for a couple of hours, while the clouds slowly moved north. All I could see where tops of the female's heads as they sat in their nests.

Finally, as the sunlight diminished the female in this nest sat up and stretched.

Later still, her mate returned and perched just above the nest. At the time, I thought their extended feathers might have been evidence of wind in the treetops, even though I did not notice any wind at ground level.

Soon the male left his perch and headed towards a nearby Douglas Fir tree. I thought he was going to pluck off another one of those small dry twigs. My assumption was wrong.

Maybe I should get half-credit, at least he landed in the fir tree. 

However, when he returned to the nest he was carrying a short tip of green needles in the well-known, 'bottle-brush' arrangement.

Leaning forward the male carefully added the greenery to the nest.

Immediately, the herons began mating. The flurry of grey-blue feathers made the process discreet, although the concept of modesty seems to be a wholly human invention. 

It was only later while reviewing the photos that I remembered having seen two herons with all their plumes extended on their backs and chests. This photo, from 2016, shows a pair doing their mating dance on Union Bay. I suspect that instead of the wind-blowing what I saw yesterday was the herons raising their plumes and signaling their readiness to mate.

The next activity was the male securing the fresh tip of a Douglas Fir bough, which was immediately followed by mating. Could the gift of needles be part of the process? Would a dry twig have worked as well? I do not know.

Afterward, the male made four more round trips to the Douglas Fir tree. He secured another mouthful of green needles each time. The female apparently decided that once a day was plenty. She sat calmly in the middle of the nest, with her plumes laying low and did not provide him with any further opportunities.

In these photos, you can see that the catkins on the Big Leaf Maples are already out and the leaves are beginning to sprout and extend. In the near future, the reproductive lives of herons will once again be hidden from view. At which point, additional observations will have to wait until next year.

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. My hope is that 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.

This wonderful native plant with leaves only a half an inch long and tiny white 'urn-like' flowers is currently blooming. What is it called? 

Note: In case it helps, this photo was taken just west of the UW Great Blue Heron colony.

Scroll down for the answer.

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Kinnikinnik: 

For an additional definition of the word, Click Here. 

By the way, I ran into a student, Nicholas I believe, who told me that an environmentally-oriented group at UW intends to remove the ivy below the heron's nests. After the nesting is finished, of course. Their intention is to enable the native seeds, still in the ground, to return to productivity. They believe this small patch of earth may be the only undisturbed topsoil on the campus. Hopefully, it will function as a seed bank replenishing the assorted diversity of flora that originally existed at this location. What a thoughtful and delightful idea!

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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