common goldeneye

These ducks are cavity nesting birds that often use the same tree cavity in successive years.  The goldeneyes are named for their brilliant yellow iris. They belong to the diving duck family. 

[on a computer, clicking on the smaller photos will make them bigger]

horned grebe

The babies of these diving birds ride on the backs of their parents and even hang on while the parents dive.  Horned grebes eat some of their own feathers. They form a matted plug in the stomach that biologist think may act as a way of straining fish bones in the stomach, causing them to remain longer and be digested further. The adults even feed their chicks feathers to help get this plug started. 

glaucous-winged gulls

Common year-round on the coastlines from Alaska to Washington, these gulls feed on a variety of things from  animals to garbage. One trick they’ve learned is to fly up into the air with a clam and drop it. After the clam slams into the ground, it has a harder time staying closed, so that the gull can eat it.

killdeer

Killdeers are large plovers that can be found along the shoreline during their nonbreeding periods. They nest on the ground, primarily in short vegetation, their nest consisting of a scrape with 4 to 6 eggs. They are actually proficient swimmers. These birds are famous for their broken wing display that is used to lure predators away from their young and nest. They feed primarily on insects but will also eat worms and seeds.

mallards

These photos show male and female mallard ducks flying and feeding. Mallards belong to a group of ducks known as dabbling ducks. These ducks mainly feed at the surface. Male mallards don’t quack, they make a rasping sound. They are also the ancestor of most domestic ducks excluding Muscovy ducks.

red-breasted merganser

Red-breasted mergansers are fish eating ducks. They are diving ducks that pursue their prey under water, catching it in their bills and bringing it to the surface to eat. These ducks are easy to identify because of their serrated bills. The red-breasted merganser, unlike the common and hooded mergansers, nests on the ground and not in tree cavities.

 osprey

The osprey is a large, mostly white raptor with dark brown plumage along its upper back and wings. These birds can often be seen flying over the shoreline of lakes, rivers and bays. They are adept hunters, diving out of the sky directly into the water with their talons extended, catching fish just below the surface and flying off with a fish clutched in their talons. You can find their nests on top of channel markers, utility poles, or tall snags (dead trees).

Michael F. Adams is fortunate to have lived his life near, in, or on the waters of Puget Sound and Hood Canal where he finds the intertidal and nearshore environments irresistible. Trained as an engineer and educator, he’s taught science, served as a marine consultant and policy adviser to governments and is most proud of the family shellfish farm he built and operated with his wife Mary. When able, Michael takes great joy in observing and occasionally photographing local wildlife.

Thomas Noland is a naturalist and photographer living in Everett. In addition to his interests in birds, he is a dedicated entomologist and caretaker of numerous rescued cats.

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