Don’t Miss Groundfrog Day in Snohomish, Saturday, January 28th!

January 17th, 2012 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Just released… the official Photo of Snohomish Slew…

Snohomish Slew, the GroundFrog Day frognosticator extraordinaire, posed for his official “beauty shot” sometime yesterday at his Edmonds home in the Just Frogs Amphibian Center at 300 Admiral Way Ste 104, Edmonds, WA. Official “Keeper of Slew”, Thayer “Frog Lady Cueter, LVT released the photo of Slew in an effort to assure his many loyal fans that he is fit, fat, and fully prepared to answer the question, will the Great Pacific Northwest be enduring 6 more weeks of soggy, foggy and wet?

The GroundFrog Day 2012 Celebration and Ceremony is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 28th, at the Gazebo, perched over the great Snohomish River , 1st St. and Avenue A in Snohomish , WA . The pinnacle celebration moment will be when Slew whispers his frogcast to his favorite scribe in Groundfrogese. At approximately 12:30 p.m. the gathered crowd will be ribbeted! to every transcribed word from Slew as he accurately predicts our winter weather fate for 6 more weeks. Last year he was right on. Hop on down and see for yourself………..he is a big talker…….when spring is around the corner.

FOR MORE INFO:

http://www.groundfrogday.com/

Don’t Miss Bats NW “Bat Ambassador Training”

January 12th, 2012 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Bats are Calling You!
Help bats by becoming a
Bat Ambassador
BAT AMBASSADOR TRAINING
Saturday, January 14, 2012
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Snacks & Lunch Provided. Donation of $10 Members, $20 Non-Members Requested.
Magnuson Park, Sand Point Way at NE 74th St., Building 30
• General Bat Info • Northwest Bats • Bat Presentation Techniques •
• A CD Full of Educational Materials •
Follow up with a fun hands-on training as a volunteer at the Bats Northwest booth
at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle, February 8-12, 2012.
Pre-register by January 7th Leave a message at (206) 256-0406
Or register at info@batsnorthwest.org – Give us your name, phone number and e-mail address.
A fun and exciting opportunity to learn about
Northwest bats.
Our Ambassadors are trained to conduct walks
and talks all over the state. We always have
people clamoring for our presentations.

EDMONDS ALIVE! Event

December 19th, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Join the Edmonds environmental community for an OpenHouse with light refreshments at the Plaza Room abovethe Edmonds Public Library, 650 Main Street on Tuesday,January 10th. Drop-in from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Seniors,students, and families are welcome to attend.Many representatives from various local organizationswill be on hand to answer your questions, discuss theircurrent projects, and let you know about ways you can get involved.Hope to see you there!For more information contact Sally Lider , City of Edmonds at425-771-0227 or by email at lider@ci.edmonds.wa.us

Got some time at the end of this month to visit the Oregon Coast?

December 17th, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Whales Take Over Oregon Coast Last Week in December!

The yearly Winter Whale Week takes over the entire length of the Oregon coast during the last week of December, from December 26 to January 1, 2012. Dozens and dozens of volunteers will be posted at various high vantage points from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day that week, as some 18,000 gray whales wander past on their winter migrations. This massive migration has been going on for a while, as the grays are heading south from their summer feeding water in the Bering and Chukchi seas near Alaska to their breeding and calving lagoons along the Baja coast of California.

Gray whales aren’t all you’ll spot, either. Another 1,100 or so will be Humpback whales. Ready for a road trip??

For more information, see www.whalespoken.org or call 541-765-3407. Also, see the Oregon Coast Whale site for year-round information and details on whales along the coast.

Snowy Owl sited in EDMONDS, WA!

December 10th, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

This photo was taken by Edmonds resident Gary Haakenson today, December 10, 2012.

Snowy Owl

Bubo scandiacus

When and Where to Find in Washington

The Snowy Owl is an irregular winter visitor to Washington, with sightings most likely from early November to mid-March. Abundance varies from year to year, with none reported some winters, over 100 reported in others, and at least a few most years. Snowy Owls are most frequently seen in Whatcom County, but other coastal areas in Skagit, Grays Harbor, and Pacific Counties also host birds. In irruptions, which seem to occur at least every 10 years, many owls can be found in coastal habitats in these locations, with smaller numbers showing up anywhere in the state. In eastern Washington, single birds are sighted near the Potholes Reservoir and in dry wheatlands in northern Lincoln County most years.

Migration Status

Snowy Owls are migratory, nomadic, and irruptive. An irruption takes place after a large lemming population stimulates a high rate of reproduction. Snowy Owls may wander in summer as well as in winter, but it is in winter that they appear in Washington State. Wandering out of the breeding range may be associated with the dominance hierarchy, as the smallest and least dominant birds, presumably immature males, are those most likely to migrate the farthest south. The largest birds, presumably adult females, tend to remain farther north.

Conservation Status

While there is little information available about long-term population shifts or trends, most Snowy Owl breeding areas in North America are remote from human disturbance. Of course increased access to Arctic areas allows more shooting of owls. Winter sightings are increasing in some areas of Washington, perhaps because of the development of large agricultural fields that attract rodents and waterfowl.

Behavior

Snowy Owls hunt both by day and by night but prefer to hunt in relatively low light. They watch for prey from slightly elevated perches such as hummocks, rocks, and fence posts. At times they hunt by flying low over the ground, scanning for prey, but they are generally sedentary, sitting on the same perch for extended periods.

Diet

In the far north, Snowy Owls feed almost exclusively on lemmings when they are available. Since lemmings undergo cyclic population booms and busts, when the lemming population crashes, other small mammals such as rabbits, a variety of waterfowl, and even fish and carrion take the lemmings’ place. Snowy Owls wintering in coastal southwestern British Columbia often prey on water birds, especially Bufflehead Ducks and Horned Grebes.

Edmonds Wildlife Habitat Project