The vastness of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge and Leadbetter Point State Park — this expanse of big sky set against the smallness of three wee figures, friends, rambling through short winter grasses, sedges and marooned eel grass — offers rare opportunity. Here is my favorite walk in …
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in a virtual event on the ecology of eagles conducted by Columbia Land Trust.
CORVALLIS — Growing asparagus requires patience — from planting to harvest takes two to three years, but the wait is well worth the reward.
OLYMPIA — A bill that would have required kayakers and paddleboarders to take a boater education course to operate human-powered water vessels was effectively killed in the state Legislature after a petition circulating on social media garnered more than 17,000 signatures in opposition in one week.
Birds of the same species but who vary in their plumage will often interbreed in areas where their ranges meet. A case in point is the northern flicker. There are two subspecies, namely the yellow-shafted flicker in the east and the red-shafted in the west. This means we often see flickers w…
ILWACO — They stalk the beach in search of black sand after the storms hit.
In a few days from now the Great Backyard Bird Count will be a happening. This is an important four-day event that takes place annually in February. This year the count will take place from Feb. 12-15.
PACIFIC COUNTY — There is a certain order to things. Every year around this time, dark green shoots erupt from the earth, in the same spots from which they emerged in years prior. These little green flags flying in the breeze signal the start of a new year in the worlds of plants. Soon, the …
Legislation to help honey bees and other pollinators stresses habitat and education, while steering clear of neonicotinoids and parasitic varroa mites.
How closely should you watch the bird activity in your yard? Very closely is the watch word. Interesting behaviour is being played out right before our very eyes! Watching closely has shown me that birds are not just feeding. “They are coming and going and interacting with each other in a we…
CORVALLIS — Beautiful seed catalogs hit mailboxes every January, tempting gardeners with full-color photos and glowing descriptions. Before you buy, though, read those enticing seed packets.
We all have to believe in something, and I’m a Beaver Believer!
I just came in from cleaning the bird baths and checking out the ground seed that the birds at the feeder sometimes toss when they feed. This gives the ground feeders their snacks and tasty meals. I plan to go out, when it warms up later today, to rake the seed husks, bird feces and wet seed…
LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL PARK — Samara Haver is a researcher at Oregon State University where she uses underwater microphones to study ocean sounds. She will present a free online presentation at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 via Facebook Live on Fort George Brewery’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/FortGe…
CORVALLIS — When winter comes and the menu for birds shrinks in urban backyards, they rely on the kindness of humans.
CORVALLIS — Wisteria delivers a beautiful spring display, but this vigorous vine needs plenty of pruning to keep it from swallowing the garden.
One of the rarities that has been seen by many, many birders is still here! At least at the time of writing! It stayed for the Christmas Bird Count and long afterwards it was still being observed in the Nahcotta area. We see large numbers of marbled godwit on the Peninsula, but we seldom see…
Washington State University entomologist Jennifer Andreas plans to soon petition the USDA to allow a non-native insect be turned loose on an invasive weed that she calls, respectfully, "a beast."
We had a successful 121st Christmas Bird Count in the Leadbetter Circle on Saturday, Dec. 19, despite covid-19 precautions. At least all of our routes were covered by our 14 participants.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in a virtual event on the ecology of eagles conducted by Columbia Land Trust.
CORVALLIS — Growing asparagus requires patience — from planting to harvest takes two to three years, but the wait is well worth the reward.
OLYMPIA — A bill that would have required kayakers and paddleboarders to take a boater education course to operate human-powered water vessels was effectively killed in the state Legislature a…
Birds of the same species but who vary in their plumage will often interbreed in areas where their ranges meet. A case in point is the northern flicker. There are two subspecies, namely the ye…
ILWACO — They stalk the beach in search of black sand after the storms hit.
In a few days from now the Great Backyard Bird Count will be a happening. This is an important four-day event that takes place annually in February. This year the count will take place from Fe…
PACIFIC COUNTY — There is a certain order to things. Every year around this time, dark green shoots erupt from the earth, in the same spots from which they emerged in years prior. These little…
Legislation to help honey bees and other pollinators stresses habitat and education, while steering clear of neonicotinoids and parasitic varroa mites.
How closely should you watch the bird activity in your yard? Very closely is the watch word. Interesting behaviour is being played out right before our very eyes! Watching closely has shown me…
CORVALLIS — Beautiful seed catalogs hit mailboxes every January, tempting gardeners with full-color photos and glowing descriptions. Before you buy, though, read those enticing seed packets.
We all have to believe in something, and I’m a Beaver Believer!
I just came in from cleaning the bird baths and checking out the ground seed that the birds at the feeder sometimes toss when they feed. This gives the ground feeders their snacks and tasty me…
LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL PARK — Samara Haver is a researcher at Oregon State University where she uses underwater microphones to study ocean sounds. She will present a free online presentation…
CORVALLIS — When winter comes and the menu for birds shrinks in urban backyards, they rely on the kindness of humans.
CORVALLIS — Wisteria delivers a beautiful spring display, but this vigorous vine needs plenty of pruning to keep it from swallowing the garden.
One of the rarities that has been seen by many, many birders is still here! At least at the time of writing! It stayed for the Christmas Bird Count and long afterwards it was still being obser…
Washington State University entomologist Jennifer Andreas plans to soon petition the USDA to allow a non-native insect be turned loose on an invasive weed that she calls, respectfully, "a beast."
We had a successful 121st Christmas Bird Count in the Leadbetter Circle on Saturday, Dec. 19, despite covid-19 precautions. At least all of our routes were covered by our 14 participants.
The bad news? There’s sure been a lot of rain. The good news? There’s sure been a lot of rain.
PENINSULA — A 6.8-foot male striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) washed ashore on the Long Beach Peninsula around 11:30 a.m. Jan. 3.
CORVALLIS — Just when you’re ready for a long winter’s nap, it’s time to tend your fruit trees.
“Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you Alllllll!”
Mid-December to the first week in January is always an exciting time for birders. Annual Christmas bird counts are being held at this time all over most of the world. The CBC or Christmas Bird…
CORVALLIS — If you can’t garden, why not read about it? Books bring us comfort when the gloomy weather of winter is upon us. Even gardeners who love winter enjoy a good read.
OLYMPIA — Recreational Dungeness crab fishing has closed in Willapa Bay and remain closed in Grays Harbor, while crab fisheries on the Washington coast north of Point Chehalis will reopen, Was…
Every year around Thanksgiving we begin to anticipate the arrival of trumpeter swans on the Peninsula. I like to think of Black lake as swan lake because this is one place where they find refu…
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will offer two free days in January, when visitors to state parks will not need a Discover Pass for day-use visits.
Way back in 2016 I wrote an article about the Great One — the largest of the egrets, called the great egret!
Memories: The crisp smell of late autumn was in the air, and the alder trees were dropping sodden leaves from thin dangling branches. Months before, these same deciduous trees flared from ruby…
ILWACO — A budding fly fishing business is busy setting up shop in Ilwaco, with grand intentions to grow into one of the biggest distributors in the world.
WASHINGTON COAST — New restrictions went into effect on Dec.14 for the coastal steelhead fishery after weeks of the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife pondering how to handle the…
ILWACO — Pacific County’s popular recreational Dungeness crab fishery remains mostly open after test results released Dec. 11 found crab inside the Columbia River and Willapa Bay are within sa…
OLYMPIA — Effective Dec. 9, recreational Dungeness crab fisheries on the Washington coast south of the Queets River will close due to elevated marine toxin levels, state shellfish managers announced.
First, a “big thank you” to the readers of this column who have been sending me photos, observations and/or comments on the Long Beach Peninsula birds. Anna’s hummingbirds have been on many pe…
OLYMPIC COAST — Portland State University researchers and their collaborators at the Quinault Indian Nation and Oregon State University found microplastics in Pacific razor clams on Washington…
INCHELIUM — Washington State University Extension is working to revitalize a true native that’s never really gotten a time to shine.
A large yellow-bellied flycatcher with a rather large bill, yellow breast and greenish back has been visiting the Ilwaco area since the last week in October. As of Nov. 16, the tropical kingbi…
CORVALLIS — We’re running right into the holidays, daylight is in short supply and rain comes down days at a time, but if you can get out in the garden or at least the garage, you’ll be happie…
There is nothing so lovely as a tree especially if it is decorated with a flock of birds, a pair or even a single bird.
CORVALLIS — Reality can get skewed when there are so many sources of information — books, magazines, newspapers, nurseries and, most of all, the internet and social media open up lots of room …
LONG BEACH — The rain was coming in steady sheets for several hours before they started their search.
When I first began coming to the Long Beach Peninsula in the 1970s one of my bucket list birds was the band-tailed pigeon. It wasn’t until I bought a place and began to spend as much time as I…
Nature is amazing, beautiful, educational and interesting. Now that cameras are readily available to most people, it seems like everyone is taking photos including pictures of wildlife.
The department has destroyed one nest, containing about 500 hornets in various life stages. It suspects there are at least several more nests in northwest Washington.
ILWACO — Busy off-season boat preparations for upcoming recreational and commercial fisheries are well underway at the Port of Ilwaco Boatyard.
A new study finds that removal of dams on the Columbia-Snake river system isn't likely to improve Chinook salmon survival, because salmon survival rates are similar in other regions. Researche…
Every fall, research results and predictions on the presence and movement of winter finches and other winter species in North America is published in both Canada and the United States. It appe…
CORVALLIS — When trees get dressed with the colors of fall, it’s time to go shopping.
The Steller’s jay, one of the corvids, is also considered to intelligent and can no doubt think about what they know just like the common raven. It is native to western North America and is th…
OLYMPIA — Washington's ocean beaches will remain closed to razor clam harvest through at least Nov. 12 after test results on razor clams dug at Long Beach indicate levels of domoic acid that e…
CORVALLIS — In fall, gardeners settle bulbs under a blanket of soil and wait for spring to watch them flaunt their beauty.
On Oct. 9, Dan and Sharron Luckey of Ocean Park were visited by an accidental tourist, namely the rose-breasted grosbeak. As you can see on the map the range of the rose-breasted grosbeak does…
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