Washington's only wolf pack gets mixed welcome

Here is a Seattle Times story about the mixed responses ranchers and others in the Methow Valley have given a new wolf pack -- Washington's first since the 1930s. A pair of wolves migrated south from Canada to found the pack.
Here's a Conservation Northwest photo of six of the pack's cubs last summer.

Sundews at Pyramid Lake

Jenny Lee of Chattermarks has a fine account of a hike up the Pyramid Lake Trail.
She has some lovely pictures of sundews.

Wood ducks leaving the nest.

Lee and Karen Rentz of Shelton, Washington have posted a series of youtube videos, captured from a camera inside their wood duck nest box.
This video shows the whole brood of what looks like 18 wood ducks and one hooded merganser scramble for the hole in the nest box. I feel for the last one.

Earlier videos show hatching, the mother incubating the eggs while getting visits from another wood duck. It also catches a hooded merganser laying an egg in the box.
Here's another video of another wood duck brood leaving the nest, but this one is taken from outside, showing the ducklings make the leap from the box to join their mother. Watch it with sound. The thumps are great.

Via Tweeters

Cottonwood snow

The Tangled Nest has a some fun pictures of cottonwood seed falling thick and fast in Seattle's north end.
For another cottonwood blizzard in B.C.'s lower mainland, visit Rock Paper Lizard

Purple martin colony

Purple martins are a species that nearly vanished for this area. One reason: a finicky taste in nesting sites. They like cavities overlooking water.
So a dedicated group of bird nerds has been bringing them back by building nest boxes and gourds in suitably scenic locations.
This pair is at the beach by the Ballard Elks Club. Both birds, but especially the female were gathering bits of nesting material, and stuffing it into the hole. Often bits of what looked like straw would fall out.

A glaucous-winged gull/western gull hybrid was also nestled on eggs on one of the pilings.

Barred owlet, Golden Gardens Park

Most months, I participate in Seattle Audubon's monthly bird count in Golden Gardens Park. This month, the count organizer suggested we show up early and check on the barred owl family breeding in the woods there. They have three owlets, all fledging and fluttering awkwardly between the trees.

The youngster was low on a maple next to the trail, constantly giving begging calls.
After a while, it hopped to the trail.

And into another tree.

Eventually, Mama owl arrived with something to eat. She passed the food to the owlet, and sat with it for a little while, before flying to a nearby branch.

Zebra jumping spider and breakfast

As seen on the pineapple sage in my driveway.
I love how jumping spiders look. With the furriness and the big carnivore eyes they look almost cute -- but not quite.