Leaving the Anchor Pub late last night (4/15) I was thrilled to hear the Caspian Terns were back - I could hear quite a number of them screeching away above the nearby Port of Everett. As it was dark and raining I could'nt see a thing. One of my favorite night sounds here in season.

Earlier I'd driven down in the dark and rain to the Everett "Maul" area to do an errand. As I left the Fed Ex shop in the little mini-maul where I was, my ears were greeted by the sound of a loud Treefrog chorus (officially Pacific Chorus Frogs these days) somewhere across the boulevard - they found a little watering hole over there in maul-land, probably one of those 'mitigation' ponds they make developers put in to make up for what damage they're doing - 'guilt-retention ponds' I call em. Well designed ones can maybe do some good. The frogs like em anyway. In my world it's 'Mall's drool, Frogs Rule'. Go frogs !

Earlier in the day I was working in a yard in Snohomish when I heard a loud, very loud, sharp bird call. I heard it twice more - one of those 'what the heck was that!' moments. I could'nt quite place the direction it was coming from either. A few seconds later I looked up as two adult Bald Eagles flew over chasing each other all over the airwaves above the Pilchuck River valley nearby, calling loudly. What I heard earlier was just a brief little 'note' of their more familiar call. Amazing sound when taken 'out of context' - I would'nt have guessed eagle.

As a kid I got a big two-book set about North American birds that National Geographic put out, and in the back are these funky little 'books' of soft vinyl records with bird songs and calls. I used to listen to them over and over. I was always amused to hear the Bald Eagle recording - 'it sounds like a little tweety bird !' I thought. What does'nt come across on the recording is how LOUD they are. Like a tweety bird with a megaphone. Now days not an unusual sound to hear in north Everett.

Jeff Gibson
The Anchor Pub
1001 Hewitt Ave
Everett Wa