A recent bonanza of fossils has intensified debate over how contemporary birds are linked to the extinct dinosaurs. Bald Eagles build large stick nests in tall trees and reuse them year after year.
These are Sanderlings, small sandpipers that stay through the winter.
So they called this one a Robin, too.
Brown Pelicans fly just above the breaking surf off the Washington coast.
The plight of the gravely endangered Spotted Owl illustrates the imperiled status of old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest.
With names like the Screaming Piha, the Blue-crowned Motmot, and the Black-necked Red-Cotinga, these are not your average birds. But how did that old legend get started, that storks bring babies? The raucous birds of the neighborhood. Wind buffets the nest year round.
They flitter across the landscape, passing erratically before you.
When you hear their chorus, be assured that our summer birds will soon arrive, some from as far south as Northern Mexico.
The raucous birds of the neighborhood. Washington's population nests on Wrangel Island in Russia, northwest of the Bering Strait, and winters on the deltas of the Samish, Stillaguamish, and Skagit Rivers. Raven wanted the rivers to turn and wind, so that as he flew up and down them, he would have different views at every bend.
In addition to its stentorian voice, the small, nondescript Pied-billed Grebe has an even more astonishing talent.
The Spotted Towhee forages mostly on the ground, and even builds its nest on the ground, or close to it.
The intricate pattern of color on its wings resembles dappled sunlight on the forest floor.
Although Common Loons rarely breed in Washington State, large numbers do visit during winter.
With a call like the bugle notes of a cavalry charge, a Western Scrub-Jay flaps and glides. You can help by putting out nectar feeders beginning in early March.
One of the best ways to find a towhee is to listen for the scuffling sound it makes as it hunts for food in the leaf litter.
The plight of the gravely endangered Spotted Owl illustrates the imperiled status of old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest.
There is an element of luck in birdwatching, and sometimes that luck is mostly bad.
A Winter Wren may dart from hiding to grab a meal.
If this sounds a bit melodramatic, it just might be. Rambunctious chicks pull sticks out and flap madly, holding on with their feet, before they fledge. By March, Rufous Hummingbirds are returning to our region, after wintering in Mexico. Western Scrub-Jays are on the move.
Western Scrub-Jays are on the move. Researchers suggest that the legend goes back into pagan times, when civilizations were keen to have high birthrates.
Researchers suggest that the legend goes back into pagan times, when civilizations were keen to have high birthrates. A Winter Wren may dart from hiding to grab a meal.