April 16 Birding and Owl Prowl

Trillium (Trillium ovatum) is a member of the lily family and is aptly named as the leaves (with parallel veins--a lily family diagnostic), sepals and petals are all grouped in threes.  One of the most showy and beautiful of our spring wildflowers, April is prime time for trillium appreciating so go out and find some and enjoy!  Next week: the three "flavors" of our native Oregon Grape! 

 

The Union Bay Natural area has been the site of a couple of unusual birds recently: A Mountain Bluebird and a Say's Phoebe have been sighted there!  Let's meet Friday the 16th at 8:00 am in the east parking lot and hopefully we can get a peek at these cool and unusual (for our area) birds.  Also, a few days ago Seward Park hosted a Great Horned Owl (first of the year at that location!) that gave us many views and hoots.  Meet me there Friday at 7:30 pm and we will go Prowling!  Cost is $25.00 per outing and as always, email me to register.  Hope to see you this week!

          Ed                                                                          


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Leavenworth Bird Fest 2021! May 13 through 16th...Join Me!!

Image
I am happy to announce that I am in Leavenworth this week as a featured speaker for the annual Bird Fest!  Icicle Creek and the Wenatchee River valley are host to a dazzling variety of spring migrants that favor the east side of the Cascade Range.  In addition to exploring a variety of habitats seeing out these colorful visitors, I am leading three Owl Prowls on the 13th, 14th, and 15 starting at 9:00 PM.  Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm I am presenting a virtual program on owls and their unique adaptations with some cool video footage.  Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm I am presenting a program on the woodpeckers of Washington showcasing their unique adaptations (such as why don't they need extra strength Exedrin after bashing their heads against trees  all day!).   To view these online presentations click on the following link to register:  https://wenatcheeriverinstitute.org/bird-fest/bird-fest-2021.html      If you decide to take advantage of this great spring weather and visit Leaven
Read more and watch the video »

Beguiling Beauty: the Death Cap

Image
  Autumn is when mushroom enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest are bent low to the ground sleuthing for fruiting bodies of fungi that are popping up everywhere.  Fortunately for foragers and harvesters there are few (three) mushrooms that are deadly poisonous.  Let's get acquainted with the enticing but toxic Death Cap (Amanita phalloides).  The Death Cap is found low to the ground and has elegant proportions with a bell shaped cap that is pale olive green with a luster that often looks metallic.  The gills are white as are the spores (observe the white spore print that I have included); spore color is an important feature in determining mushroom types.  Notice the sac-like volva at the base of this mushroom: not all mushrooms have this feature but all Death Caps have volvas!   The toxin in this Amanita is a potent cyclopeptide called amanitin.  Amanitin disrupts the function of protein enzymes that leads to liver and kidney failure.  The onset of symptoms (abdominal pain, vomiting
Read more and watch the video »

Washington Trails Association Article

Image
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
Read more and watch the video »