in search of birds
By JEREMIAH O’HAGAN and ADAM STEWART Staff Reporters
Swans feed in the saluting afternoon glow of an uncharacteristically warm February.
Birders flocked to Stanwood and Camano Island during epic weather conditions on Saturday for the fifth annual Port Susan Snow Goose and Birding Festival.
Committee member Laura Byers, stationed at the Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center, said the event is expanding exponentially.
“The combination of the festival’s reputation, great weather, and the glass quest, brought in record numbers,” said Byers. “We’ve even talked with a few people from Vancouver escaping the Olympic crowds.”
Buses were full for the guided tours of Iverson Spit and the Port Susan Nature Conservancy.
Snow geese, marsh hens, trumpeter swans, and a juvenile eagle were spotted in the marsh at the conservancy.
At Iverson Spit, on Camano Island, the sun lit golden grasses and glassy water. Al Elliot, with the Pilchuck chapter of the Audubon Society, led seven people on the Saturday morning tour.
Two birders scope out a trio of scoters (seaducks) in the bay off Iverson Spit on Camano Island. PHOTOS BY JEREMIAH O
While Mount Baker presided in the distance, the birders enjoyed an uncharacteristically warm morning on the bay, looking for geese, swans, hawks – or anything, really, that caught their eye and triggered their cameras shutters.
Four Springs Lake Preserve was an artistic and cultural mecca for kids and adults alike.
The “Everything Birds” art show touted the work of local artists. A variety of media were on display, including acrylics, oils, watercolors, pastels and even fused glass.
In the Meadow Room, kids participated in a range of crafts and activities, from safe and sane coloring to getting down and dirty with the reality of owl pellets (tweezers were available for the squeamish).
A wave of snow geese rolls over the fields north of the Port Susan Nature Conservancy. PHOTO BY ADAM STEWART | STANWOOD/CAMANO NEWS
Kids could also make pinecone bird feeders, masks, and learn about snow geese, the species of honor.
Kestrel Skyhawk, with Sarvey Wildlife Center, explained the rehabilitation and release of wild animals in a presentation focused on birds of prey.
Bill Lider, a guest speaker with the Port Gardner Osprey Project, took in the wildlife at Big Ditch. He said the brackish saltwater marsh in the area creates a great spot for birding. Armed with a camera, he mentioned tips for capturing images of birds including being patient and lucky.
“Let the wildlife come to you,” said Lider. “If you remain calm and quiet, the wildlife will show themselves.”
As birders kept their eyes in the sky, some visitors were focused on the ground, searching for “clueballs” with the Great Northwest Glass Quest.
(Above) Duncan Balmose sets his sight on a juvenile eagle during a guided tour of the conservancy. (Left) Bella Carroll shows off her handmade mask at Four Springs Lake Preserve. (Below) Swans feeding, stretching, and generally just being swans, in a field near Stanwood. PHOTO BY ADAM STEWART | STANWOOD/CAMANO NEWS
Gayle Picken, owner of Gallery by the Bay in Stanwood, a participating business in the quest, said the hunt has been outstanding.
PHOTO BY JEREMIAH O’HAGAN | STANWOOD/CAMANO NEWS
PHOTO BY JEREMIAH O’HAGAN | STANWOOD/CAMANO NEWS
