Family of Phoebes

Sightings of individual black phoebes turned into a family affair this week.

For the last couple of years, I have seen a black phoebe hanging around my house. Occasionally, a second black phoebe joins it.

The birds appear more frequently in the fall and winter. Then, toward the end of March or the beginning of April, they almost completely disappear for several months. Their disappearance coincides with breeding season, but when they return, it is always just one or two birds... until this week.

Last Tuesday, an adult phoebe returned, but this time, it brought some new faces. The adult had two juveniles with it, giving me my first sighting of immature black phoebes. The family explored the yard for several hours. I haven't seen them together since, but it was fun to write a new chapter in the story of the black phoebes.

Seeing the adult phoebe bring its young to the yard made me happy because it indicated that the birds saw the area as a good habitat for their whole family.

So Close

In March, a key habitat-connectivity project made a huge leap closer to bridging the divide created by Interstate 5 in southwestern Washington state.

Conservation Northwest, the conservation group that launched its Cascades to Olympics connectivity program several years ago, announced on March 27 that the program's capital campaign had acquired its final piece of property. 

The acquisition increases the possibility for building a wildlife overpass on Interstate 5 to offer animals migrating between the Cascade Mountains and the Olympic Mountains a safe passage over a perilous freeway. Although the overpass is not yet a done deal, southwest Washington is now much closer to restoring important habitat connectivity that was broken with the creation of the freeway.

Work remains to bring the wildlife overpass to fruition. However, it's almost within our grasp, and I look forward to the realization of this dream.

We're so close!

A Touch of Brightness

The very sight of something can leave an instant and profound impression.

Two weeks ago, a flurry of activity outside my window attracted my attention. Immediately, I zeroed in on the yellow and blue of an Audubon's yellow-rumped warbler. I recognized the bird right away, and almost as quickly, I noticed a feeling of happiness welling up inside.

I have always liked yellow-rumped warblers. Both of the variants, the myrtle and the Audubon's, have beautiful feather patterns highlighted by bright patches of yellow. For some reason, the Audubon's coloring has had a special appeal for me.

After noticing the rush of happiness produced by the Audubon's variant two weeks ago, I realized how deeply the species had left its mark on me. To produce such joy in a quick sighting indicates the bird's bright appearance contains a great power to touch my heart.

It was just a touch of brightness, but what an impression it made!

Finns of a Feather

Finns around the world have some similar ideas when it comes to birds.

As a Finnish-American, I have long wondered about the impacts of logging during bird breeding season. Wouldn't it be a good idea to take a seasonal hiatus from logging while birds nest in the trees?

Apparently, I'm not the only Finn who's had these concerns about birds. According to this news article, the Finnish government plans to ban logging in some forests during nesting season. Under the bill, loggers would also have to assess a forest's bird population before logging. Finland's proposed logging regulations respond to a 2025 ruling by the European Court of Justice, which upheld a similar ban in nearby Estonia.

When I saw the news, I felt very excited for two reasons. First, I loved seeing a government protecting birds. Second, it was cool to see my idea reflected in the policies of a country to which I have a personal and a cultural connection.

In summary, Finnish minds flock together on the subject of protecting birds.

Where are You, Winter?

If you see winter around, could you please remind it about us in the Pacific Northwest?

After a very dry summer in Washington state last year, I was looking forward to fall and winter even more than usual. Things started out in a promising way with gorgeous fall foliage and a decent amount of rain in October. Yeah, the temperatures were a bit warm with few of the crisp fall evenings and mornings, but they weren't too alarming.

As fall progressed and turned toward winter, the situation became more disconcerting. The rain continued, which was nice because of how dry the summer had been, but the warm temperatures refused to budge. This turned out to be a devastating problem in Washington when a December storm dumped heavy rainfall in the mountains. In most years, the precipitation would have fallen as snow at the higher elevations, added to the snowpack, and gradually run off in the coming year. When so much of it fell as rain, it produced destructive flooding along rivers with headwaters in the mountains.

At the same time people began to recover from the flooding, a second major problem asserted itself. With the warmer-than-usual temperatures, the state snowpack fell well below average, leading to concerns about drought and fire in 2026. When we finally received some colder temperatures last week, they came with clear skies and no snow. The rain returned this week, but the temperatures spiked again and are predicted to reach the low 60s for the first week of February.

With El Niño predicted to return in 2026, the problems brought on by our missing winter will likely compound. The weather pattern tends to bring drought and record heat to the Pacific Northwest, and if it does so again this year after winter's vanishing act, the summer could be quite rough.

So if you see winter, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell it the Pacific Northwest would love to see it soon.

Building on Success

In the last five autumns, the number of mason bee cocoons I've harvested has steadily increased, and this year, I saw the biggest jump yet.

After starting out by purchasing 30 cocoons in the spring of 2021, I harvested 39 that fall. In 2022, the harvest increased to 66, and in 2023, I recorded 94. Then, things started to get very interesting. In 2024, my total surpassed 100 for the first time with 151 put into storage for the winter. Amazingly, 150 of those 151 produced mason bees in the spring of 2025. 

With such a success rate, I thought the 2025 harvest might yield some impressive results. I guessed that I might have a good chance at eclipsing 200. As it turned out, I was thinking small. After this year's harvest had been completed, I had 251, an increase of 100 cocoons from 2024.

I think harvesting and storing the cocoons each fall has led to the success. Instead of allowing pests to inhabit the cocoon trays, I remove them when I harvest the cocoons. Although I do get some pests every year, the amount remains manageable, and the mason bees are free to work with clean trays each spring. In addition to the pest elimination, harvesting cocoons allows me to store them in a refrigerator for the winter, helping protect them before the bees emerge the following spring.

We'll see what next year brings, but I am hopeful that the upward trend in harvested cocoons continues.

Back at 100

After a long wait, I'm finally back at 100 bird species on my yearly list.

Prior to eclipsing 100 species this year, the last time I'd reached that plateau was 2019. Last year, I came close, logging 93 species, so I hoped I could hit triple digits this year. In mid-September, I accomplished the goal with a sighting of a sharp-shinned hawk. I'm currently sitting at 103 species for the year.

One of the special aspects of this year's success arises from my life list. I've added four new species, including the mountain bluebird, the northern shrike, the northern bobwhite, and the chukar, to my life list so far in 2025. That's the most additions to my life list in one year since I added nine in 2019. Without the four new species this year, I'd be one species short of 100, so I deeply appreciate that they came along when they did.

It's great to be back above 100 species for my yearly list, and I'm glad I could meet some new ones in pursuit of that number.

Still So Much to Learn

If a large shark can live right next to a major city but remain mostly unknown until recently, what else don't we know about our environment?

A documentary from Cascade PBS on sixgill sharks in the waters of Puget Sound contained some eye-opening revelations about how much we still have to learn about the planet and the other species that inhabit it.

The mere presence of the sixgill sharks in the waters off Seattle challenged our understanding of the area's ecosystem. Even marine biologists were shocked to find them here.

What is more, the search to explain the sudden arrival of the sharks led to a more complex understanding of how ecosystems operate. Puget Sound as a nursery for a deep-sea species is a very interesting idea, especially given how the young sharks eventually leave for the open ocean.

We're not just learning new scientific facts though. The shark documentary demonstrates that our knowledge of the relationship we have with the environment continues to grow. We often overlook what is right under our noses, and species that might seem far away can live right alongside us. As we continue to learn these lessons, our connection to the planet and other species can become stronger.

We're still learning how to translate our knowledge of the environment into a greater connection with it, but I think it involves keeping both our minds and our hearts open.

The Easy Life List

Adding a bird to a life list can take some work. On the other hand, it can help to just look out your window.

I've added birds to my life list hiking in the Cascade Mountains. I've traveled specifically with the intent of seeing a certain species for the first time. This month, however, I added two species in two days without leaving sight of my house, and the second bird walked right up on my back porch.

On September 6, I was leaving my place when I noticed some quail-like birds along the road. They turned out to be the first two northern bobwhites I'd ever seen. Adding a species to my life list with such ease made me laugh when I thought about some of the lengths people, including myself, have gone to see a new bird.

Much to my surprise, the experience happened again the next day except my first sighting of a chukar came even more easily. I noticed my cat looking out the window, and when I checked to see what it saw, I found a chukar walking on my back porch. I'd considered myself lucky after seeing the bobwhites, but I figured I couldn't ask for more than a chukar strolling up to my house and saying hello.

Adding birds to a life list can be quite easy if the birds find you.

Conserving Public Lands

Speaking of public lands, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WSDNR) announced on August 26 a new approach to forest management that will help conserve public forests in the state.

After I wrote my last two blog entries about the threats posed to public lands by private interests and the need to preserve those lands, the announcement from WSDNR that it will conserve 77,000 acres of forest owned by the state, including all remaining 10,000 acres of older forest, called for a third post.

In the past, WSDNR has often sided with private interests in the choices it's made about Washington's forests, meaning Tuesday's announcement represented a substantial and welcome shift in policy. As my earlier posts argued, a renewed effort to protect public lands is much needed these days, so WSDNR's new policy comes at a crucial time. It's a big win for environmental advocates and defenders of the public good, and hopefully, it's a step toward a better future.

Conserving the forests covered by the new policy also helps address global warming. The older forests can store carbon, and they give WSDNR the ability to sell carbon credits, proving that protecting public lands pays off environmentally and economically.

I wish to thank WSDNR and Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove for instituting this policy. Upthegrove became commissioner in January after winning election in November 2024, and so far, he has demonstrated the vision and courage to lead the department and defend public lands. Thank you for protecting the public interest through conservation.