Chattermarks

Harbinger—a presage, a foreshadow, to announce. Something that precedes and indicates the approach of something.

We all experience the wildness of the North Cascades differently. Each of us, in our own way, notices subtle details of the seasons changing in this ecosystem that others may miss completely. In order to tell a more beautiful story, paint a more vivid portrait, we must combine our individual details to articulate the true forms that nature takes in the beginning of spring.

Perhaps it is the calls and presence of varied thrushes in the neighboring forests. Maybe it is the emerging blossoms on cherry trees amidst farmland. Or perhaps it is a detailing so slight, understated, almost unnoticeable, that its mystery is its draw.

The staff and graduate students of North Cascades Institute’s harbingers below announce the presence of spring in the North Cascades and Skagit Valley in a way that draws upon the communal knowledge of having lived in this place for decades to only several months. Each perspective is important to paint that vivid portrait, articulate that poetic story of spring.

(Title) A rainbow across Ross Dam signals the coming of spring in the mountains (Above) Red alder leaves reach out from beneath bud casings at the Learning Center

» Continue reading An Institute ode to spring

As anyone in the Skagit Valley may recall, this past Saturday wasn’t as bright and dry as some of the days previous. However, as stories like these usually begin, the weather was unsuccessful in deterring a group of enthusiastic kids from the Kulshan Creek Neighborhood Project and some equally enthusiastic adults from the US Forest Service and North Cascades Institute from partaking in a day outside learning about and observing the birds of the Samish Flats.

Our adventure began on Saturday, February 27th in the morning at the Kulshan Creek Community Center in Mount Vernon. As the students trickled in, they were met with hot chocolate—provided by a generous parent—and snacks. Lee Whitford, outreach naturalist for the Forest Service, and Orlando Garcia, of the US Forest Service, and I helped get the students situated and the day rolling.

Before we headed out onto our field trip, Don Gay, a wildlife biologist with the US Forest Service, gave a great presentation about the life history and migrational patterns of the Trumpeter Swans that temporarily inhabit the coastal farmlands of the Skagit River Valley. “Ooohs and ahhhs” were murmured throughout the room when Don explained that if a Trumpeter Swan was turned on its side with its wings out, it would have a wingspan that could reach from the floor past the ceiling of the room we were sitting in.

» Continue reading Winter’s swan song

A flit of gold. A flicker of green. Soft song notes from within a tangle of blackberry vines. A surprising whoosh of hovering wing-sweeps, mere inches above ground.

Birds. They are some of the Skagit Valley’s most compelling and charismatic creatures. In winter, the Skagit farmlands teem with all kinds – song birds, raptors, shorebirds, local and migratory waterfowl. You need not have fancy equipment nor years of experience to be a birder here. What it takes is the curiosity to know more and the patience to practice deep observation.

(Title) Graduate students of Cohort 9 extend their birding eye on the Skagit flats (Above) The Hayton Reserve is one Skagit Valley location to go bird watching

» Continue reading Becoming bird observers

When the crops of the Skagit farmlands are put to rest for winter, they come.

With the sky’s gray backdrop so common to a winter in western Washington, they glisten like diamonds. Birds. By the hundreds, thousands even, they flock from near and far to the fertile, tilled soils at the mouth of the Skagit River, one destination of many on their migratory journey.

Snow geese. Trumpeter swans. Bald eagles. These are but a few of the many species you will find on an adventure of bird watching across the flats. Other local residents, such as a variety of hawks and ducks, the barred owl, and the infamous great blue heron, paint an elaborate portrait in winter, making the Skagit Valley one of the most prized destinations for bird watching in the Pacific Northwest.

» Continue reading Watching winged friends

It is as simple as taking some time for yourself.

So often are we scheduled from dawn until dusk, moving from meeting to meeting, checking the clock for what event awaits us next. With hardly a moment to breathe, we are already looking past what is in front of us, skimming over what marvels may meet us, on the daily life journeys we lead.

When we make the choice to, for a moment, embark upon a walk, we may find what a walk can truly reveal — about our selves and the world surrounding us.

» Continue reading What a walk can reveal

We’re extremely excited to welcome Lyanda Lynn Haupt and Martyn Stewart to kick-start our Fall 2009 Sourdough Speaker Series at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. Join us at the Learning Center September 26-27 for a special evening celebrating Darwin and his theory of evolution, the wonders of bird life in the Pacific Northwest and the wild music of bird song.

» Continue reading “Crow Planet” book giveaway!

“Cheerio~ Cheeriup~ Cheerio~ Cheeriup~” The American Robin’s song is a loud, optimistic voice of spring. However, at times here in the mountains it is difficult to hear the Robin because of the sheer number of springtime songsters! The colorful Varied Thrush sounds like someone unanswered phone in the woods. The tenacious Rufous Hummingbird buzzes, bugles and chirps. There are other, more difficult to identify, voices in our spring chorus.

» Continue reading New Forest Voices

Friday, April 17th I tagged along with Amy Brown and Orlando Garcia, assisting with the Kulshan Creek Neighborhood Program. With the arrival of spring and the return of many migratory birds Amy had a wonderful afternoon planned, which included talking about our feathered friends and playing games. As we drove into the Kulshan Creek neighborhood the clouds that had been hanging around all day dissipated and the sun broke free.

» Continue reading Kulshan Creek kids migrate, mingle and munch

Springtime is slowly and reluctantly arriving in the North Cascades. I’ve been delighted to hear some familiar bird songs returning; brightening up the forest and telling me that while there is snow on the ground, spring is coming!

While the birds are announcing spring, the Cornell Ornithology Lab, in partnership with many conservation organizations and government agencies, is announcing the State of the Birds Report. The State of the Birds Report is a comprehensive evaluation of the health of United States bird populations (The full report, can be read here). The diagnosis is not good: bird populations have been declining severely in the past 40 years. However, the report includes some successes and a plan for how we all can help protect our valuable natural resources and our bird populations.

» Continue reading The State of the Birds

Top photo: Red crossbill found at the Environmental Learning Center

A ball of fluff caught my eye on the road headed to work. Absolutely a bird. I got out and crossed the highway, trucks at high speed just feet from tackling me. With a grocery bag wrapped around my hands, I lifted the great horned owl to determine the cause of death: high-speed truck.

Why would any reasonable person risk her life for the sake of picking up a mangled, bloody bird carcass? Perhaps a few stories will explain this phenomenon.

» Continue reading Playing with dead birds