Getting Wild with Ed Dominguez, Seattle Naturalist - edomino.ed@gmail.com

I nterested in learning about the birds you see and hear on the trail? I recently did this collaborative with Washington Trails Association on birding and hiking, check it out! It will add a new dimension to your hiking enjoyment. WTA.ORG Bird Watching Hikes in Washington: Where to See Birds, Birbs and Borbs Bird  https://www.wta.org/go-outside/seasonal-hikes/fall-destinations/bird-watching-hikes-in-washington

  A happy follow-up to my previous post: both of the Seward Park barred owls are alive and well!  The dead owl that I reported to you earlier was obviously a vagrant, probably juvenile, that was looking to find its own territory.  What caused its demise is unclear...it may have even been attacked and killed by our resident barred owls!  In any case both barred and barn owls are very active in Seward Park so please join me on Thursday, October 21st and we'll go out prowling for these incredible birds.  As always, email me to register.  Additionally, October is mushroom time and I am offering several Mushroom Walks through Seward Park Audubon Center.  The da tes are listed on our website: sewardpark.audubon.org under "events".  Hope to see you soon! Ed Seward Park barred owl p hoto courtesy of Molly Cvetovac

 Our Barn owl family has been very vocal in Seward Park: three hungry juveniles and busy parents trying to keep their offspring fed and satisfied.  Join me at 8:00 pm this Thursday in Seward Park by the restroom adjacent to the Audubon center and we will watch the excitement! Please email me to register at edomino.ed@gmail.com  $25.00 per person please. On a sad note, last week I found one of our barn owls dead on the lake trail just north of the pottery studio.  She had puncture wounds to the neck and face and right beside her was a fresh pile of dog poop (no hair, ruling out coyote).  She and her mate were strongly pair-bonded and my owl prowl participants have viewed them for months sitting side-by-side on tree branches, grooming one another, and acting, well, like lovebirds!  Sunday morning on a Bird Outing I led with our Audubon Center, we saw the male (the smaller of the two) on a branch just above us.  We enjoyed a nice long viewi...

 It's raptor fledging season!  All over our region juvenile eagles, hawks, osprey, falcons and owls are flying from their nests for the first time.  They are fun to watch as they work to master these two big appendages that we call wings!  Particularly in takeoffs and landings, they are prone to out of balance lurching and wobbling.  Although they will soon be masters of the skies, they are still totally dependent on their parents for food; raptor hunting and fishing are complex skill sets that will take several weeks for these youngsters to develop.  In Seward park we have 5 cooper's hawk juvies, two bald eagles youngsters, and two, possibly three barn owl young that are discovering their new world.  Join me this Thursday at 8:15 pm in Seward Park to watch the barn owls as they make their presence known through begging calls and short flights from their nest tree.  $25.00 per person please and email me edomino.ed@gmail.co...

 Last week was a wonderfully birdy day at Discovery Park so I thought it would be good for a repeat performance!  Hopefully our barred owl will still be hanging out in his usual area, the band-tailed pigeons will give us another long look, and the cedar waxwings will still be chowing down on twinberry honeysuckle.   Meet me in the south parking lot at 8:00 pm and let's explore!  As always, $25.00 per person, I'll provide binoculars, and please email me at edomino.ed@gmail.com to register.

Hope you all had a good 4th!  This week I have two outings for you:  Tuesday (7/6) I am offering a birding by ear outing...haven't visited Discovery Park for a couple of months so let's see who is singing there as we enjoy the beautiful vistas across the sound to the Olympics.  Meet in the south parking lot at 8:00 am.  Thursday (7/8) let's prowl for owls in Seward Park; the barn owl youngsters should be fledging now and our barred owl pair are always very visible.  Meet in front of the Audubon Center at 8:15 pm.  As always, please email me to register and the cost is $25.00 per person...such a deal! Hope to see you this week! Ed