Greetings -

An observation and a query...

On Friday the 14th, in mid-afternoon, while sitting at the picnic table on
the edge of the low bank overlooking the mouth of Chapman Bay, and
catching up on writing my field notes, I happened to glance up at just the
right moment to see an adult BALD EAGLE arcing around the forested point
to the east, with two Glaucous-winged Gulls behind. The eagle was flying
below tree-top height, and was carrying a large fish. The eagle flew
steadily towards me with slow, regular wing beats; the gulls seemed to
pace themselves behind the eagle, following more than chasing. The eagle
continued west past me, over Chapman Bay, and swooped up to alight on a
large nest in a fork-topped, top-killed Douglas-fir on the plateau south
of Chapman Bay. The nest tree stands out from the skyline, affording a
good, if distant view. Unfortunately I did not have my telescope with me.
Occasionally I could get a clear view of the adult's head; it was still on
the nest 20 minutes later when I continued my walk.

Since I began coming here again early this year, I have seen GREAT BLUE
HERON regularly, but not in substantial numbers - usually 2 to 5 birds. In
mid-June I heard the raucous squawking of a goodly number of GBHs coming
from the Douglas-fir forest on the peninsula south of Woodard Bay, and was
able to more-or-less locate the general area, but not see the gathering.
On the 14th I found 13 GBHs stalking in the shallows of Chapman Bay while
others were occasionally seen in flight. There seems to be a heronry in
the making here, if not already established. Does anyone know any more
about a heronry here?

Doug


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Douglas Canning
Olympia, Washington
dcanning at zhonka.net
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