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

  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 fa...

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

  Now that I am back at my job at Seward Park Audubon Center I have been leading Center Prowls once a week on Wednesdays.  These typically fill within an hour or so following their postings on Chickadee Chatter (our Audubon Center weekly email ; go to  seward park.audubon.org to subscribe (free) and receive our schedule each Thursday). I still lead private outings as so many of you have requested, just not in the same quantity as prior to my rehiring.  I am happy to post a private Owl Prowl on Thursday July 8th starting at 8:30 pm in Seward Park   We have a very active Barred Owl pair and a family of Barn Owls so prowling had been very rewarding!   As always, email me to register and I will send out a memo with details a couple of nights prior to the prowl.  I try to keep my prices very reasonable...$25.00 per attendee please.  I will take up to 15 participants.  Stay cool and hope to see you in July! Ed

I n case you missed my prentation on Warblers of Washington last week, here is a link to watch it on You Tube.  hope you enjoy! watchhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JneUjc2-qE&t=3s

  Last year I posted a YouTube video on the Lewis's Moon snail...now you can join me in exploring the intertidal zone in search of these and other amazing marine creatures!  Meet me at 11:00 am this Friday, June 25th at Cormorant Cove Mini-Park on Alki in West Seattle.  Please send me an email to register: $25.00 per person please.  We will spend a couple of hours wading and exploring this rich habitat at our lowest tide of the year.  Hope to see you there! Ed

 I am happy to share my love of warblers with you in a live zoom show titled Warblers in Washington, Annual visitors From the Tropics this Thursday from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.  Warblers are beautiful yellow songbirds that grace our region every spring and summer but are notoriously difficult to see: they are constantly on the move, flitting through trees and shrubs as though wired on caffein!  I will provide tips on how to identify twelve warbler species by sight and (especially) by song.  If you delight in the arrival of these little jewels each spring, or you have been frustrated trying to figure out which warbler is which, this presentation is for you!   Please signup for the FREE zoom link at sewardpark.audubon.org    click on "Events" and register. Hope you will join me Thursday and learn more about these remarkable long distance migrants! Ed

 The owls in Seward Park have been very reliable; join me this Saturday evening as we explore the park after dark for these fascinating birds.  I am also leading a variety of programs at my old (new) gig at Seward Park Audubon Center, check out sewardpark.audubon.org for the weekly schedule of events.  Advance notice: June 17th at 6:00 pm I am offering a virtual presentation on Warblers, please sign up and learn about these colorful spring visitors from the comfort of your home.  Details at the Seward Park web address above.  To register for the Prowl, please email me at my personal address listed in my mini bio above.  I plan to continue more private birding events also...please check out this blog each week for postings. Thank you! Ed

Great news. I have been rehired as Lead Naturalist at the Seward Park Audubon Center!  With the pandemic restrictions easing as more people get vaccinated, National Audubon has decided that guided outdoor trips are safe for the public.  I will be leading a variety of outings here: birds, bats, owls, trees, geology, native plants, even stargazing!  You can follow my schedule offerings at our website:  sewardpark. audubon .org I WILL continue to offer my personal guided outings as before, just on a more limited basis.  My days off from Audubon will be Mondays and Tuesdays, so look for bird outings on those days.  Owl Prowls and upcoming Bat Treks may be offered on any evening of the week or weekend.  This first week will be hectic for me as I get back up to speed here at Seward Park so look for private outings announced next Monday...spring migration is in full swing and we will reinforce Birding by Ear skills on outings. Leavenworth Bird Fest was great...

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 ...

Back from a week in northern California and ready to lead an Owl Prowl in Seward Park Saturday, May 8th starting at 8:30 PM.  Also leading a Mothers' Day Birding By Ear outing at 8:00 am at the Union Bay Natural Area May 9th.  Our songbird migrants are arriving every day...let's go check them out! Ed

April and May is the time for Oregon Grape   shrubs to show off their bright yellow flower clusters.  These displays are important nectar sources for our native pollinators...including hummingbirds!  In midsummer, dark purple to black berries will adorn these shrubs.  Important food for First Nations peoples, and still enjoyed as a sweet treat today by many!  We have three species of Oregon Grape here in the northwest:  Dull or Low Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa) lies close to the ground, has 15 to 17 leaflets, and has a matte finish to the leaves.  Creeping Oregon Grape (Mahonia repens) despite its name grows more upright and has broad leaflets with greatly reduced marginal prickles.  Tall or Glossy Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquafolium) does indeed grow tall, with 7 to 11 shiny leaflets.  It is the prickliest of the three; but still far less prickly than invasive English Holly (Ilex) which, although superficially similar, alwa...

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 s...

Red-Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) is in full bloom everywhere!  This gorgeous native shrub is an important plant for pollinators and is especially loved by our hummingbirds: both our resident Anna's and our spring migrant Rufous (I saw my first rufous hummer last week!).  Good news for all my friends in the Des Moines Birders...I am leading a birding by ear (plus just general bird watching) outing at Saltwater State Park on Saturday the 10th starting at 8:30 am.  That same night I will be leading an Owl Prowl in Seward Park starting at 7:30 pm.  Please join me by sending an email to register.  Happy April to all!  

  March is indeed going out like a lamb!  Sunny weather and warming afternoons suggest...let's go birding!  Meet me in Carkeek Park at 10:00 am Wednesday morning; we will bird the gulch trail by ear, then check out the water birds in the bay.  The owls in Seward Park have been very active so let's go explore Thursday, April 1st (no fooling!) at 7:30 pm.  As always, email me to register! I want to announce that in thanks to so many of you who have joined me on multiple outings I am offering Join Me for Three, the fourth is On Me!   If you have shared three outings, I will comp you a fourth trip at no charge!  I so appreciate all of you and your enthusiasm for the natural world!  Thank you very much!!!

   Spring is here and one of our native shrubs is in full bloom: Osoberry (formerly known as Indian Plum), scientific name Oemlaria cerasiformis.  With small clusters of white flowers and bright yellow-green spring leaves, this shrub is common everywhere in our area.  It is one of our first native plants to flower, and one of the first to set its fruit...fingernail sized purple "plums" in clusters by mid May.  The fruit tastes like cucumber but the pit is large and the flesh thin, so you have to pick several to get anything to eat.  Interestingly, this shrub has male and female flowers on separate plants (dioecious) and the two flowers look quite similar.  There is however, a way to tell them apart...just sniff the flower: female flowers have a cucumber-like odor, male flowers smell like cat urine! My week's schedule is two Birding by Ear outings: Friday in Discovery Park at 9:00 am, and Sunday in Magnussen Park, also 9:00 am.  Friday, ...