Juanita Bay Park, Kirkland Washington 04-22-2011

Today is a sunshine day.  It is a perfect day to visit a park on the eastern shore of Lake Washington.

Juanita Bay Park is a great place to see wildlife right in the middle of town. Juanita Bay Park is known for its dedication to preserving the natural beauty of the environment.  The 110 acres of preserved wetlands and marshes, the animal population within this habitat includes songbirds, waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds, amphibians, turtles, beavers and other small mammals. 

The park's trails consist of a paved pedestrian causeway that runs north-south along the east edge of the lake, and two boardwalks that offer additional access to the shoreline.

It is a wonderful place to see and listen to birds.  

 

Blue Heron Nest Sites in Seattle and surrounding areas 04-17-2011

After back from my Florida trip last December, I grew my interest in blue herons.

I searched many different websites and surprised to find that there are many blue heron nests sites in Seattle and surrounding areas.

Blue heron is the largest North American heron, with a head-to-tail length of 91–140 cm (36–55 in), a wingspan of 167–201 cm (66–79 in), and a weight of 2–3.6 kg (4.4-8 lbs). Notable features include slaty flight feathers, red-brown thighs, and a paired red-brown and black stripe up the flanks; the neck is rusty-gray, with black and white streaking down the front; the head is paler, with a nearly white face, and a pair of black plumes running from just above the eye to the back of the head. The feathers on the lower neck are long and plume-like; it also has plumes on the lower back at the start of the breeding season. The bill is dull yellowish, becoming orange briefly at the start of the breeding season, and the lower legs gray, also becoming orangey at the start of the breeding season. Immature birds are duller in color, with a dull blackish-gray crown, and the flank pattern only weakly defined; they have no plumes, and the bill is dull gray-yellow.

I am so happy that I had a chance to visit blue heron nest sites this weekend. I went 4 different blue heron nest sites.  There are: Medina Park in Bellevue, Kenmore Library in Kenmore, Black River Riparian Forest in Renton, and Ballard Locks (West Commodore & 33^rd Ave W) in Seattle.

I hope you can go and find them yourself.  Very interesting!

 Medina Park in Bellevue 

  Medina Park in Bellevue 

Kenmore Library site

Kenmore Library site

Kenmore Library site

 

Kenmore Library site

Black River Riparian Forest in Renton

 Ballard Locks in Seattle

 Ballard Locks in Seattle

 

 Ballard Locks in Seattle

Ballard Locks in Seattle

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge 03/25/2011

After a few rainy days, today is a beautiful sunny day.  I decided it will be a good day to visit Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1974 for protection of migratory birds.  It is located on the Nisqually River Delta in southern Puget Sound near Olympia, Washington.

Managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the Department of the Interior, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is one of over 544 National Wildlife Refuges in the United States. 

Over 20,000 birds, made up of 275 different migrating species, use the freshwater marshes and grasslands for breeding, resting or wintering. 

It is a wonderful place to learn many wildlife species and appreciate the wonderful nature place that our creator has provided us.