Birds of the Valley

Some of these birds are permanent residents to the Stilly and Skagit Valleys and some are winter visitors.

Bald Eagle Permanent resident and visitor from the north





Snow Geese visitor from the far norther tundra



Great Blue Heron---Year round residents



Trumpter Swan visitor from Siberia

Islands in the sky

I took these early this morning. The sun actually was shining up here but looking towards Mr. Rainier it was socked in fog. I like the way the trees poke through the fog and is the mountain floating or waiting to get all covered up? MB

Old Barn

Isn't this a great barn and remember the old tire swing. check out the date and the barn is still being used if only to store farm vehicles. MB

Freeway Artist

I took these pictures last May driving on a frontage road by I-5 freeway north of me near Conway. I don't know what he was painting because he was facing NW which is just more freeway and an overpass. Maybe that was it--the overpass. I thought it was interesting. He is standing in meadow flowers. MB

10th St. Boat Launch

Coming home from Whidbey Island on Thursday I showed the Everett Boat Launch to the kids and we watched boats and a beautiful sunset.
The Boat Launch is on Port Gardiner Bay which is part of North Puget Sound which is the gateway to the San Juans, Salish Sound and the Pacific Ocean. MB

If you would like to see some Sky Watch Photos go to:http://www.skyley.blogspot.com/

Tis the Season........

.....Happiness and joy to all. MB

Island Time with Great Grandma

School is out for 'Winter' Break and I have the 2 youngest grandboys for several days. So today we went to Whidbey Island to visit their Great Grandmother. We visited awhile and decided to go to Double Bluff Beach I know it is cold and windy out but still a nice day and the beach is always interesting. So here is GGma aged 93. and my Grands Mike 19, Kylee 15, Brett 11 and Bradley 9. They are a good bunch and we always have fun.





We found some Sunflower Sea Stars. Kylee waded out to pick them up so I could take some pictures. They were huge and had many arms.
Sunflower sea stars are common in the Pacific from Alaska to Southern California and are largest in Puget Sound, (this area is Puget Sound) British Columbia and Alaska. They generally inhabit low subtidal and intertidal areas rich in seaweed or kelp. They do not venture into high- and mid-tide areas because the body structure is fleshy and requires water to support it. Aren't they cool.

Maybe a White Christmas?

I woke up this morning and saw just a smattering of snow outside. It was very pretty. Thank goodness not the terrible blizzard out on the east coast. Just a few inches and just cold enough that it stayed all day. I like the picture of the tree and reflection and the snow. I hope you do too. The second picture is what I see from my driveway. MB

Reflections

Reflections on my pond.

My Christmas tree~~~~~~~~~~Mosaic Monday

This is my entry for Mosaic Monday and if you would like to see some excellent mosaics or to participate go visit:http://www.dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

Penn Cove Mussell Farm

The mussel farm, which started in 1975 and is the largest of it's kind, is a group of 42 rafts anchored at the western end of Penn Cove. From those rafts hang some 30-thousand lines where the mussels attach themselves and grow.

Penn Cove has the highest density of naturally occurring mussels in Puget Sound, a fact punctuated by the mussel encrusted pilings of the Coupeville Wharf.
The magic of why these mussels are so good lies in the geography of the region. Two fresh-water river systems that feed into the east side of the island, (which) brings a lot of nutrient rich water from the mountains. To the west is the Olympic Mountain Range. The mountains absorb much of the rain from incoming Pacific storms, creating a rain-shadow where the climate is somewhat warmer and drier. That makes a good situation for algae development. Mussels love to eat algae and here they grow quickly, allowing Jones and his team to harvest the mussels after they are only a year old. Jones says, "This makes the mussels always very tender, never, never chewy."

Pacific Madrone'

Along rock cliffs overlooking Puget Sound in Washington State, Madrone trees rise, seemingly from the sheer rock itself. Often bending and twisting, the trees are distinctive for their yellow-tinged trunks, peeling red bark and evergreen crowns.

Madrone (Arbutus menziesii) is a Pacific Northwest native growing along coastal zones, from British Columbia to Baja California. Because it likes dry sites, it does well in rocky outcrops and bluffs, where the ground drains quickly and sun is most plentiful.

Up close, these trees, also called Madrona, almost continually shed their bark, leaving it in curled ribbons that eventually fall. Trunks and branches bare of bark are silky smooth.

The thick shiny leaves drop, but not all at once, leaving the trees green all winter. In spring, they bloom in clusters of fragrant white flowers that attract bees and butterflies. Falls brings bright orange-red berries.

Birds flock to Madrone berries, and some birds, including western bluebirds, nest in tree cavities. Small animals reportedly eat the berries as well, and deer chew the twigs.

It's name was given in honor of the Scots naturalist Archibald Menzies who noted it during George Vancouver's voyage of exploration.

The floats you see in the background of the first picture is where world famous PennCove Mussels are grown and harvested.----Another post some other time.