Lady Junco has taken up residence again in the Hosta Hotel. She chose a different room this time, but it is still one that can easily be seen without disturbing her nest and her babies. She laid three eggs, and true to the research literature, one baby hatched and then a day later another ha…
LONG BEACH — A little hand reached through the branches and pulled out a plump blueberry and dropped it in the pail with a ‘plunk.’ It didn’t take three-year-old Olive Leonov long to learn the art of picking blueberries after watching mom and dad for a few minutes.
It really doesn’t matter if you’ve been reading about the great health benefits of blueberries, the unique taste or you just plain have a passion for blueberry muffins, these multi-purpose plants are a must have for gardeners.
For the past two weeks suet filled with insects and mealworms was no longer a hot commodity. The species that favor it were no longer coming to the yard. They were hanging out in the location of their nest as their babies prepared to fledge. As I predicted in a previous article, the insect l…
PACIFIC COUNTY — From a vast flock of brown pelicans that congregates near Fort Columbia to swirling clouds of seabirds above the Columbia River plume, there are ample signs in the air of what’s present below the water’s surface: Migrating schools of nutritious bait fish.
ILWACO — Butch Smith had not planned to offer charter boat trips for halibut this year.
Down these country roads, the natural world seems to seep in. The boys — Matt, Bob and I — were engaged in our Sunday walk and found ourselves hiking along West Deep River Road, a few miles east of Naselle off Washington State Route 4 in what must be thought of as pure country with a Finnish…
Little did I know that I would be able to write another article on fledglings that have just hatched or have been out of the nest for a few days or a little longer.
Up to that four-float day in May 2020, beachcombing had been bountiful compared to years past. I’ve done very well with combing a good amount of long-range debris, from many different-colored plastic fishing floats to plastic Japanese survey sticks, as well as numerous glass fishing floats. …
ILWACO — A popular Chinook salmon fishery is opening later than normal on the Columbia River over concerns about the run size.
PACIFIC OCEAN — Halibut fishing will open up in the vicinity of the mouth of the Columbia River in August.
Comet Neowise seems to glide over the Willapa Hills and the Columbia River estuary in this photo taken from Astoria last week. For the first time in 6,800 years, the comet has entered the inner solar system and is visible to the naked eye or binoculars about an hour after sunset over the hor…
PULLMAN — The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has a likely connection to bats, and the next viral outbreak probably will too, unless scientists can quickly learn more about the thousands of viruses carried by one of the most diverse mammals on the planet.
CORVALLIS — Caspian terns feeding on young fish have a significant impact on runs of steelhead in the Columbia River, according to a new paper from scientists at Oregon State University.
For a month or more I have been receiving what I call “pelican briefs” from peninsula birders. My observation and documentation of a single American white pelican in 2010 was one of the first reports of this species on the Long Beach Peninsula.
Pioneering research in the United Kingdom may help Washington state keep Asian giant hornets from colonizing the U.S.
Early morning. A light mist hugs the seashore, floods easterly over our garden and then our front yard. Welcome to late June on the Long Beach Peninsula. Welcome to a gray land. Matt and his cousin Bob Bell pick me up at 8:30. We are headed out for our weekly walk. For two months now, we hav…
OLYMPIA — A large portion of the Lower Columbia River will remain open for recreational Chinook salmon fishing July 9 through July 15, state fishery managers announced today.
A few days ago I received a note and some photos from a Peninsula birder. He had seen a bird that he said, was “a feast for the eyes.” He and some of his friends reported sighting a black-headed grosbeak, a bird some had not seen before or had only seen it a few times over the years.
Angora Hiking Club treks on after 100 years
LONG BEACH — A little hand reached through the branches and pulled out a plump blueberry and dropped it in the pail with a ‘plunk.’ It didn’t take three-year-old Olive Leonov long to learn the…
It really doesn’t matter if you’ve been reading about the great health benefits of blueberries, the unique taste or you just plain have a passion for blueberry muffins, these multi-purpose pla…
For the past two weeks suet filled with insects and mealworms was no longer a hot commodity. The species that favor it were no longer coming to the yard. They were hanging out in the location …
PACIFIC COUNTY — From a vast flock of brown pelicans that congregates near Fort Columbia to swirling clouds of seabirds above the Columbia River plume, there are ample signs in the air of what…
ILWACO — Butch Smith had not planned to offer charter boat trips for halibut this year.
Down these country roads, the natural world seems to seep in. The boys — Matt, Bob and I — were engaged in our Sunday walk and found ourselves hiking along West Deep River Road, a few miles ea…
Little did I know that I would be able to write another article on fledglings that have just hatched or have been out of the nest for a few days or a little longer.
Up to that four-float day in May 2020, beachcombing had been bountiful compared to years past. I’ve done very well with combing a good amount of long-range debris, from many different-colored …
ILWACO — A popular Chinook salmon fishery is opening later than normal on the Columbia River over concerns about the run size.
PACIFIC OCEAN — Halibut fishing will open up in the vicinity of the mouth of the Columbia River in August.
Comet Neowise seems to glide over the Willapa Hills and the Columbia River estuary in this photo taken from Astoria last week. For the first time in 6,800 years, the comet has entered the inne…
PULLMAN — The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has a likely connection to bats, and the next viral outbreak probably will too, unless scientists can quickly learn more about the thousands of viruse…
CORVALLIS — Caspian terns feeding on young fish have a significant impact on runs of steelhead in the Columbia River, according to a new paper from scientists at Oregon State University.
For a month or more I have been receiving what I call “pelican briefs” from peninsula birders. My observation and documentation of a single American white pelican in 2010 was one of the first …
Pioneering research in the United Kingdom may help Washington state keep Asian giant hornets from colonizing the U.S.
Early morning. A light mist hugs the seashore, floods easterly over our garden and then our front yard. Welcome to late June on the Long Beach Peninsula. Welcome to a gray land. Matt and his c…
OLYMPIA — A large portion of the Lower Columbia River will remain open for recreational Chinook salmon fishing July 9 through July 15, state fishery managers announced today.
A few days ago I received a note and some photos from a Peninsula birder. He had seen a bird that he said, was “a feast for the eyes.” He and some of his friends reported sighting a black-head…
Angora Hiking Club treks on after 100 years
OLYMPIA—As summer gets into full swing and people spend more time outside, state and federal officials and local beekeepers hope the public will keep their eyes open and report any sightings o…
It has been a few weeks since I began to see fledglings, especially waterfowl babies out and about on the ponds or munching on grasses and plants at the water’s edge. Lady Junco and her babies…
CORVALLIS — Knowing the hows and whys of tomato diseases gives gardeners a leg up for successfully growing the most-treasured of vegetables.
Welcome to what may be the most unusual summer in recent memory.
OLYMPIA — With sunny weather and consistent high river flows boosting catch numbers in the lower river, the Columbia River mainstem from the Megler-Astoria Bridge upstream to Highway 395 Bridg…
OLYMPIA — With recreational salmon fishing now open in Washington’s ocean waters, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is clarifying the rules for individual marine areas, as well as…
This is the time of year when boats multiply on the waters of Washington as more people get outdoors for the summer. It is also the time when many long for a precious chance to see the endange…
Southern Resident killer whales can tell a lot about salmon using only sound. This is especially interesting to Marla Holt, who studies how integral sound is to the lives of Southern Resident …
So, you’ve spent a big chunk of your winter and early spring planting some trees. Maybe you conducted a timber harvest. Maybe you decided to afforest that old field out back. Either way, you’r…
It’s that time of year again.
We are now seeing fledgling waterfowl in the ponds, sloughs and lakes of the Long Beach Peninsula. Canada geese are parading their young families for all to see. The newly hatched, fluffy, yel…
The other day I was reminded of the automobile ad where a small child says “zoom, zoom” as a particular brand of vehicle whizzed by on the road. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a bird zoom, …
My friend Steve Romero is one of those undeterred guys who steps off a trail and plunges into the deep underbrush in pursuit of wild ingredients: fiddlehead ferns, watercress and the allusive …
We set out to learn whether there are superstitions that live on among local fishermen. Here’s what we heard.
Even while we avoid walking beneath ladders or breathe a silent wish when witnessing a bit of space rock burning up in the atmosphere, most of us think the superstitions that once ruled our an…
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The photos show the sequence of the nesting from the start to almost the fledgling stage.
The Center for Whale Research reported in January 2020 that L41, also known as “Mega,” is missing from L-pod — one of three family groups of the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales that…
As a young man, I hunted the south tidelands of Willapa Bay, an area known today as the Riekkola Unit or the South Bay Unit of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. My mission was to shoot the…
Jalapeños were the gateway.
CORVALLIS — When homeowners set out to prune grapes, kiwifruit and other berry crops, they often stand in front of the plant at a complete loss. Just getting started is intimidating.
In my opinion, birding in the prairie provinces of Canada can provide a lifetime of continuing education on birds and their habits. Birding in the prairies also provides a lifetime of fascinat…
NORTH COVE — William “Road Dirt” Flower is in a predicament in North Cove at the north side of the mouth of Willapa Bay.
NEWPORT — Seal pups venturing onto Washington and Oregon beaches this spring need some social distance, too.
There are 24 species of sparrows in the Pacific Northwest. Included in this group are many melodious superstars whose songs burst forth from most habitats in our area. Sparrows such as the dar…
Oregon, Washington and 17 other states can sue the Trump administration over revisions to the Endangered Species Act, a federal judge ruled Monday.
Ochre sea stars are relatively large sea stars, with five arms and a rough surface, the short spines on the upper surface arranged in wavy patterns. Most of them are either orange (ochre) or p…
CANNON BEACH — Lisa Habecker almost missed the orange sea star right in front of her.
The odds slightly favor a La Nina forming next winter, enhancing the chances of a good Northwest snowpack, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association said Thursday.
Camp Kiwanilong announced Wednesday that the summer youth program is canceled because of the coronavirus.
The “new normal” is creating all kinds of interesting happenings. The other day I received an email from my car’s app indicating that the battery needed attention. The cure was to take it for …
In some areas of the country, restrictions brought about and made necessary in the fight against the covid-19 virus are gradually being lifted, but many are not taking advantage of this increa…
CORVALLIS, Ore. — The covid-19 pandemic has inspired millions of people to grow vegetables, but many don’t have room for traditional gardening.
A step-by-step journey from wary beginning to untimely end:
Think like a bear, and remove anything that could smell good (to a bear) or look like food. Remember — bears can smell food from miles away. Bears also have great memories, and once they’ve fo…
PACIFIC COUNTY — Springtime comes with increased wildlife activity, which allows for exciting wildlife viewing opportunities statewide. However, with bears emerging from den sites and other hu…
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